Mikel Arteta had acknowledged the hazards that awaited Arsenal, the Premier League’s pacesetters, at Villa Park. Aston Villa inflicted irrecoverable damage on his side in January, Unai Emery’s team rallying from two goals down to earn a point at the Emirates Stadium, a result that left Arsenal lagging behind Liverpool and with too much ground to make up in the title race. Two seasons ago Villa did the double over Arsenal, two late goals earning an away victory in the final weeks of the season that paved the way for Manchester City to pip Arteta’s side to the crown. So Arteta and Arsenal knew the challenge of unpicking a Villa side that had won 12 of their previous 14 matches in all competitions, including eight of their previous nine league matches. Emery equally knew the difficulty of overcoming an Arsenal side who had won 17 of their 21 matches this season and seemingly addressed perceived weaknesses in the summer. Even with Cristhian Mosquera absent with an ankle injury, meaning Jurriën Timber partnered Piero Hincapié at centre-back, they did not look short of quality. It was, of course, Emery whom Arteta succeeded six years ago, tasked with the ultimate aim of reclaiming a title that has eluded them since 2003-04. Continue reading...

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