Arsenal’s hopes of grabbing a Europa League qualifying spot on the Premier League table were dashed following an embarrassing 1-0 by the struggling Aston Villa. Now, the Gunners will have to rely on winning the FA Cup to have any chance of participating in European football next season.
From the kick-off, Arsenal established their dominance at the empty Villa Park stadium, controlling the majority of ball possession. Any feeling of comfort was dashed in the 27th minute, however, as David Trezeguet found the back of the net to put the underdogs in the driving seat.
For the remainder of the clash, the Gunners turned in a lackluster performance, failing to register a single shot on target. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had this to say following the loss:
“We need to improve in many areas. First of all, it is my responsibility to improve the team individually, the mentality, of course, as well. And after that, in certain areas we need to get better because the top teams are better than us. The uncertainty is the reality. We have uncertainty because the coronavirus hit everybody hard, we don’t know how we are finishing in Europe and there is uncertainty with a few players. I have to try to be honest.”
Aston Villa, on the other hand, have been handed a lifeline from their victory. Villa now sits in 17th place, avoiding the relegation zone by way of superior goal difference.
