Three Things We Learned after Arsenal lost at Villa 

Injuries catch up with Mikel Arteta's Arsenal after late Aston Villa winner hands table topping Gunners first defeat in 18 matches

Our long unbeaten run came to end in cruel fashion at Villa Park, writes Ian Mills 

1 - A game too far for injury ravaged defence:

– missing Gabriel, Willliam Saliba and Cristain Mosquera, we fielded Jurrien Timber and Piero Hincapie in central defence with Ben White retaining his right back berth.

This game was always going to be a test. Villa had only one defeat in their last 31 home games and had won seven of their previous eight Premier League games.

They piled on the pressure from the start with David Raya saving well early on from boyhood Gooner Ollie Watkins.

Declan Rice made a good block before Eberechi Eze left Matty Cash free at the back post to open the scoring. Villa went close to grabbing a second on several occasions before, after several riochets and blocks in our area, the ball broke to Emi Buendia to bury the ball past Raya and break our hearts in the 95th minute.

The devastation of the back four Raya was clearly evident as they lay prone on the turf. A first defeat in nineteen games really hurt and it is now about how we react. Some respite from injuries would certainly help too.

2 - Has Emery got the measure of Arteta:

– this was the sixth meeting of the two clubs since Unai Emery took charge in the West Midlands, and he now has three wins and just two defeats in that time.

Arsenal’s remarkable run in the league in 2024 was checked by a 0-2 home defeat to Villa as we eventually finished two points behind Champions Manchester City.

Last season having already won 2-0 early in the season at Villa Park we then led 2-0 at home against them in January only to surrender that lead in a 2-2 draw that further cemented Liverpool’s runaway title charge.

This was a game where I would have taken a draw before kick off and yet having got back on level terms early in the second half through the ever-reliable Leandro Trossard, we sat back and allowed Villa onto us.

This defeat allied with City’s victory reduces our lead to two points and only three from Villa themselves with a quick return game to come on 30th December where a home victory is crucial.

3 - Rest and rotation vital in midweek:

– after five straight wins in the Champions League, we can afford to rest some players for the trip to Club Brugge on Wednesday.

Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori notably were out on their feet. There are plenty of players in need of minutes – partly for fitness, partly for match sharpness and partly to ensure that they stay motivated as part of this squad.

Wolves at home on Saturday looks a winnable game however a good result and performance on Wednesday would help to banish the memories of this game and rebuild some momentum for another encounter with a Midlands team.