18 Unbeaten Run Ended

December 06, 2025

Villa Park, Birmingham

Aston Villa entered the night on six consecutive victories, a run that had revived their campaign and restored Villa Park’s reputation as an inhospitable ground: only one league defeat in twenty-five home matches, that lone blemish inflicted by Arsenal last August. Unai Emery—whose North London tenure ended under a cloud—seemed driven by a private grievance, shared by the ever-combustible Emiliano Martínez. Their intensity shaped Villa’s posture: disciplined, antagonistic, relentlessly focused.

Winless in their first five fixtures, including a 3–0 capitulation at home to Crystal Palace, they had since recalibrated with startling efficiency, taking eight of their last nine league games. Bournemouth, Leeds, Wolves and Brighton fell in succession. They had risen quietly to third—six points behind us, but gathering speed.

Arsenal in white, Villa in claret. Both sides pressed with a severity that made every touch uncertain. Martínez flirted with danger near his line; Raya looked uneasy under pressure. The match became a vigil, each side waiting for the other to break.

Ødegaard issued the first warning with a low strike in the eighth minute. Moments later, Watkins burst through as Calafiori slipped; Timber and Hincapié failed to contain him, but Raya’s superb save held the line. Our passing remained blunt, ceding initiative to Villa. Timber soon redeemed himself, sparking a sequence in which Saka tested Martínez twice—one shot, one header. Eze scored minutes later, but the flag rose; Konsa, rattled, was losing every duel.

Villa countered with purpose. Cash forced a heroic block from Rice. Onana’s cynical foul on Merino drew no card, nor did Tielemans’ challenge on Calafiori. Their physical grammar went unpunished. The breakthrough arrived on 37 minutes: a neglected cross, Eze slow to track, Cash ghosting in to slip the ball beneath Raya. 1–0.

Arteta reacted at halftime: Gyökeres and Trossard entered. The reward came quickly—Saka’s surging run, Ødegaard’s support, Trossard’s finish: his fiftieth Premier League goal.1–1.

Yet precision eluded us. Ødegaard’s 68th-minute rocket was clawed away by Martínez. Errors mounted. Malen nearly punished Calafiori; Timber almost scored an own goal. And in the final seconds, amid a chaotic scramble, Buendía struck. Our first loss since August.

The players fell—angry, exhausted, alive to the weight of defeat. A hard night. The only answer is the next win.

Aston Villa 2 – 1 Arsenal

(M. Cash 36’, L. Trossard 52’, E. Buendía 90+5’)