Premier League 2024-25: Ollie Watkins helps Aston Villa hold Arsenal to 2-2 draw

Premier League 2024-25: Ollie Watkins helps Aston Villa hold Arsenal to 2-2 draw

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins proved a thorn in Arsenal’s side yet again as he completed his side’s comeback with the equaliser in a 2-2 draw that damaged the London club’s Premier League title hopes on Saturday.

Arsenal was on course to erase the memory of last season’s home defeat by Villa — the last time it lost in the league at The Emirates — when Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz scored from close range either side of halftime.

Victory would have put Arsenal back to four points behind leader Liverpool but Villa burst into life when Youri Tielemans headed them a lifeline on the hour and Watkins met a Matty Cash cross with a volley to level eight minutes later.

It set up a frantic finale in which Arsenal thought it had won it when Mikel Merino’s effort deflected off Havertz into the net but it was ruled out for handball against the German.

Arsenal is on 44 points to Liverpool’s 50 having also played one more game. Villa moved up a place to seventh.

It was England striker Watkins who scored a sublime goal in April to seal a 2-0 Villa win that ultimately proved fatal for Arsenal’s hopes of catching Manchester City in the title race.

His goal on Saturday could have an equally damaging impact on Arsenal’s chase of Liverpool and fans of the north London club might be sick of the sight of him.

Watkins has scored six Premier League goals against Arsenal, four of them away. Since he joined Villa in 2020 no visiting player has scored more goals at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal will contest that it scored a late winner when Merino’s volley bounced down and in via a deflection off the arm of Havertz, but it only has itself to blame for allowing two precious points to slip through its fingers.

“The scoreline is nowhere near a reflection (of the game). I’m not happy, I think the difference between the teams was very obvious,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told reporters.

On the disallowed goal that left him on his knees on the touchline, Arteta added: “The decision is made. It’s difficult because we have so much emotion, the celebration and it’s taken away from you. Not easy.”

Unai Emery’s Villa arrived knowing a repeat of last year’s win would put it fourth, but Arsenal looked determined to keep hanging on to Liverpool’s coattails.

Leandro Trossard was the catalyst for Arsenal and he created both goals in almost identical fashion.

In the 35th minute, he burst down the left and crossed for Martinelli to prod a volley that Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez could not quite prevent from crossing the line.

Trossard lashed an effort just over the bar before finding space on the left in the 55th minute to cross low into the area where Havertz timed his run well to guide an effort past Martinez.

Villa halved the deficit when substitute Lucas Digne crossed for Tielemans to place a diving header past David Raya. Arsenal was suddenly rattled and Tielemans struck the post with a shot before Watkins stunned the home fans.

Cash floated a sublime cross into the area and it was met by the lurking Watkins who guided his volley high into the net before wheeling away to celebrate in front of the visitors’ ecstatic supporters.

After VAR disallowed Arsenal’s effort in stoppage time, the host almost won it at the death when Trossard’s shot shaved the far post.