NOT since the days of Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry have we seen anything like this from Arsenal in the Premier League.
And that was in a different stadium.
Here at a bouncing Emirates, a sporting venue which at long last finally found its voice, Arsenal continued an outstanding start to the season.
Yes, their fixtures could have been tougher. But this club has not been very good at consistency, recently, regardless of the opposition.
But a screaming and gesticulating Mikel Arteta, who will once again have lost his voice, should be proud of the way his team came back swinging at Villa after suffering a freak setback.
Arsenal should have been out of sight at half-time but only led with a goal from Gabriel Jesus. But after conceding directly from Douglas Luiz’s corner, they snapped back, scoring through Gabriel Martinelli.
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No wonder Arsenal will have been sorry to say goodbye to August.
There are certainly no Bergkamps, Vieiras or Henrys in this team. Certainly not yet.
But now, the Arsenal fans appear as though they have a new generation of heroes. From Jesus, to Bukayo Saka to Martinelli.
Certainly, as Arteta’s and his team left the pitch to another standing ovation, the atmosphere was louder than anything we have witnessed since the club moved here to the Emirates in 2006.
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The noise at their previous home is now taking on mythical status for being a cauldron of noise when, ultimately, it was known as the Highbury Library for one very obvious reason.
But finally, the club’s fans are buying into Arteta’s team and they now have reason for more belief.
The new ‘anthem’ played before games, North London Forever, is a bit cringey. So too are the so-called ultras, the Ashburton Army, lads dressed all in black who now gather in the Clock End.
Whether they will still be at games when the schools go back remains to be seen.
But despite making life ridiculously difficult for themselves, Arsenal were deserved winners.
As for Steven Gerrard, he now finds himself in trouble.Big trouble. The last thing he needs is a home game with Manchester City on Saturday.
But that game away to Leicester on September 10 will be a massive game both for Gerrard and also, his former manager at Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers.
Villa were lucky not be be out of sight at half-time as Arsenal started with so much power and intensity
Tyrone Mings, despite a VAR check, was lucky to avoid conceding a penalty after he manhandled Saka off the ball, having already delivered a pull to the shirt.
But in a breathless start, Jesus had a couple of shots blocks, Gabriel Magalhaes went close with two chances as did Martin Odegaard.
Saka should have scored from close range after Martinez failed to cut out Martinelli’s far post cross.
And Arsenal could have been home and dry before Villa managed an effort, a tame Buendia effort straight at Aaron Ramsdale.
Yet almost immediately, Arsenal took control. Granit Xhaka’s cross took a deflection off Ezri Konsa and a surprised Martinez spilled the ball into the path of Jesus.
A step ahead of Mings, Jesus was never going to miss a chance like that.
Matt Cash cleared off the line just as Saka was about to pounce and then Martinez delivered a stunning save in first half injury-time to keep out a flying effort from Martinelli.
The best comedy of the night came from former Arsenal keeper Emi Martinez.
He made an idiot of himself by tumbling to the floor trying to claim he had been fouled when he was the one putting his arms around Jesus’s striker’s neck.
In fairness to Villa, they improved in the second half by taking the sting out of Arsenal’s attack and keeping the ball much better but their equaliser was still a surprise.
Just a minute after arriving as a sub, Luiz did what he did in pre-season against Bolton and Walsall by scoring directly from a corner.
Arsenal claimed Ramsdale was being fouled by Boubacar Kamara but it was weak goalkeeping and despite a VAR check the goal stood.
But credit to Arsenal who proved that they now have some cojones. Martinelli started and finished a move as delivered a decent finish from Saka’s cross with Martinez unable to scramble the ball away.
The end to this game should not have been anywhere near this tense.
And in future matches, starting with Sunday’s trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United, they will have to be more ruthless.
But the fans who left the stadium, chanting “we are top of the League,”were not worrying about that.
They have long talked about getting their Arsenal back. Maybe now, they actually have.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
