Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes were dealt a huge blow by Unai Emery, who returned to stun his former club as Aston Villa claimed a 2-0 win at the Emirates.
The result may not be quite as devastating as their shock home defeat to Brighton that all but ended their title hopes last May, but Arsenal have once again handed the initiative to Manchester City after a stunning late collapse against Villa.
Mikel Arteta’s side would have returned to the top of the Premier League with victory and were even handed a boost before kick-off when Liverpool slumped to defeat against Crystal Palace.
But after being frustrated by Villa in the first half, Arsenal were outplayed by their visitors in the second period and finally fell behind in the 84th minute through Leon Bailey’s far-post finish.
The hosts were still reeling from that shock when Ollie Watkins scored a magnificent second – a goal that sucked the air out of the Emirates and strengthened Villa’s grip on fourth place.
It also capped a perfect weekend for Manchester City, who thrashed Luton on Saturday and then watched their title rivals suffer what could be highly damaging defeats.
