Emery’s Villa show Premier League top four race credentials

Unai Emery's rehabilitation has reached new heights. Emery left Arsenal in November 2019 mocked and humiliated, but on Saturday night his Aston Villa side beat the Gunners 1-0 to record a club record 15th consecutive Premier League home victory and confirm their status among the four best challengers.

Those more ambitious in this part of the Midlands could aim even higher given this is a win that takes them two points off top spot. It is only the fifth time Villa have won 35 points or more after 16 games in a top-flight campaign and on three of the previous four occasions they have finished champions. Yet Emery isn't about to start talking about a title attempt even after beating last season's top two in the space of four days.

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“I'll talk again when we're in the 30-32 game and if we're in the same position as we are now, maybe I can talk about it,” Emery said. “At the start, we are not contenders, it is only match 16. We are in [the top four] and we must try to preserve it. It's difficult, we don't dominate matches like we are here.”

Publicly at least, Emery remains respectful of Arsenal despite a harrowing experience taking over from Arsène Wenger. It was also not the first time he had come back to haunt his former team, having knocked them out of the Europa League semi-finals in May 2021, at a time when his replacement at Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, was wondering if 'he was right. man to move Arsenal forward.

Arteta has proven unequivocally since then that he was and after replacing Steven Gerrard at Villa Park in September, Emery silenced questions about his abilities, primarily shattering the notion that his methods would ever be incompatible with the English game. He delighted in it. At full time, Emery clenched both fists in celebration, took a brief glance at the Arsenal bench and opted not to shake hands, but instead waved to the supporters in the front row as he was heading towards the tunnel.

“No [I didn’t shake hands] but because Arteta was not on the bench,” Emery said. “I respect it a lot. I shook hands with some of the workers inside because they were there when I was there. But only with people I meet who worked with me. Nothing personal because it wasn't Arteta but I respect Arsenal a lot, I respect Arteta a lot and I respect the workers there a lot. I have nothing against them.”

There was a sense of history repeating itself in the manner of this defeat. Arsenal needed a late double salvo to win here in February – Villa's last home defeat – and before that, Martin Odegaard missed a keeper, William Saliba lacked his usual composure and Villa scored early .

It all happened again on Saturday, but this time Arsenal failed to come back. Villa's goal was a perfect encapsulation of the football Emery has Villa playing these days. A decision that began with Villa taking risks by playing out from the back, releasing in-form winger Leon Bailey to terrorize Oleksandr Zinchenko and cross for John McGinn, who turned smartly in the box to fire past David Raya after just seven minutes.

The move included 12 passes, from back to front, and was reminiscent of the style of football that had Arsenal fans chanting “We've got our Arsenal back” early in Emery's reign before things got worse. undone.

Odegaard wasted two glorious chances, one in each half and both on his left foot with the goal seemingly at his mercy, but it was a night where Arsenal captain Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus were far from their best.

Arsenal could have snatched a point at the death when Kai Havertz pushed the ball from close range following a challenge with Matty Cash, but referee Jarred Gillett ruled that the Germany international had handled the ball when he was falling. With an earlier penalty call for a Douglas Luiz foul on Jesus, the decision prompted a thinly veiled dig at the officials from Arteta.

When asked for his opinion on these incidents, Arteta replied “Clear and obvious”, apparently highlighting the phrase used to describe the threshold set for VAR to step in and overturn decisions. Pressed to clarify whether he meant both calls were incorrect, he continued: “No, no. Plain and obvious, that's what I mean.” And when asked again to explain whether he felt either decision met the threshold needed to overturn it, Arteta replied: “No, no, that's my opinion. C That's all I can say.”

Whenever a manager as active as Arteta is banned for a defeat, the temptation is to assume his team missed that touchline presence. Sitting next to assistant coach Miguel Molina and with chief executive Vinai Venkatesham behind him, Arteta looked like a caged animal in Villa's directors' box.

Emery certainly made more of an impact here. Arteta has often cited a familiar pattern in Arsenal's matches with opponents sitting deep and trying to defend in numbers, but he has no complaints on that score; Villa played with a high line which initially seemed to put the visitors off before they could no longer find any rhythm, particularly either side of half-time.

Emery's substitutions were undeniably more effective. Villa were visibly tired after their effort against City on Wednesday – 24 hours after Arsenal beat Luton – but Emery refreshed his side at half-time, in the 56th minute, in the 66th minute and in the 78th minute with changes which slowed Arsenal's momentum. Arteta waited until the 70th minute to act and the changes did not help their rescue efforts.

“They are there and with their home record they fully deserve to be where they are because when you win that many games at home they deserve the credit,” Arteta said. Emery will feel that the credit took a long time to arrive.