Arsenal got the better of Aston Villa as they grabbed vital three league points in a tricky away game.
It was not one of the best performances from Mikel Arteta’s side but they made the Villians pay for their missed chances in the first half.
The Gunners dominated possession against last year’s bogey team
The hosts were ecstatic in their buildup play but Ollie Watkins’ poor finishing kept the Gunners in the game. Bakayo Saka was impressive going forward and he tested Emiliano Martinez on several occasions.
Leandro Trossard’s game by numbers vs. Aston Villa:
13 touches
4 touches in opp. box
3 shots
2x possession won
1 tackle
1 goalSuper sub. 🦸#AVLARS pic.twitter.com/LgyDyM8wbK
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) August 24, 2024
The Reds had the ball for a long time but couldn’t deliver the goods in the first 45 minutes.
The Spanish manager decided to search the bench for a player capable enough to turn the game around in the second half. Gabriel Martinelli should have hit them hard on the counter but it wasn’t his day, to say the least.
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Hence, the gaffer decided to bring on Leandro Trossard, a fan favourite. He is an attacker who can turn things around quickly with his first-time finish and clever link-up play.
He did the same against Villa as he scored within two minutes. The Belgian was the first to respond to the rebound tackle and made no mistake slotting the ball past Martinez to make it 0-1.
The 29-year-old was involved in the team’s second and final goal just 10 minutes later. He combined with Saka before the English winger pushed the ball to Thomas Partey. The defensive midfielder did the rest with a powerful low drive past the helpless Villa keeper.
While speaking to the Premier League, Highbury legend Wright showered praises on Trossard and called him a ‘difference maker’. He said:
“We expected Arsenal to dominate possession. Arsenal didn’t have too many problems even though they should have conceded. Trossard was the big difference for me.”
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Super Sub- Trossard delivering yet again with an impactful second-half display
It is not new for the Gooners to hear the commentators and pundits call Trossards name out loud. The ‘super sub’ has helped Arteta’s side to extract a goal when it was least expected to come.
Whether it is the late away winner against Manchester United and Everton, firing his side ahead against Chelsea or the Community Shield cracker against Manchester City last season, the veteran star is a man of big moments.
He saves his A-game for the most elite teams. Villa were notorious for costing Arsenal crucial points in both fixtures in the previous campaign. It hit a huge dent in their aspirations. Arteta now has his second win over Emery, and this shows that the club are not going to repeat the same mistakes.
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Saliba telling Trossard to do his celebration! pic.twitter.com/dUPp8qMPs8
— AFC World 🌍 (@AfcWorld) August 24, 2024
The manager has to thank Trossard for this but the player himself was not so happy after breaking the deadlock. He was calm and showed no emotions before his teammates came rushing in to celebrate.
Arteta acknowledged that his action indicated that he wanted more game time. As quoted by Football London, the 42-years-old said:
“When you don’t get picked there are certain ways to react. Leo is upset, but he’s upset to show this on the pitch. When you put him in the starting line up he does the same. He’s an example.”
“He’s upset when he doesn’t play, he’s upset when he enters the pitch, but he still gives you what you need. He’s a great example to others.”
Mikel Arteta praises Leandro Trossard’s mentality when speaking to @carriebrowntv.#beINPL #AVFC #AFC pic.twitter.com/aOojtVnRcl
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) August 24, 2024
The manager has a chance to hand a starting XI spot to the Belgian ace in their next match against Brighton and Hove Albion. What’s better than watching Trossard score against his former side next weekend
