‘Poor’: PL pundit says what Arsenal man did in first-half v Villa was really bad

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Arsenal eventually ran out 4-2 winners against Aston Villa today in what was a thrilling game in the Premier League’s early kick off.

The Gunners twice came from behind before two goals late on sealed it. A dramatic effort from Jorginho rebounded off Emi Martinez into the net, before Gabi Martinelli was left with an open goal to seal the deal deep into added time.

Of course, things might have been different. Arsenal had to show real resilience and came from behind twice to good effect. Villa, meanwhile, had caused problems with their movement up front.

And watching on for Premier League Productions, former Villa midfielder Andy Townsend pointed out a poor piece of play from Ben White that allowed Villa to score today.

“Fantastic goal from Aston Villa that is, brilliant finish from Philippe Coutinho, had all the composure to send Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way completely. Ben White just gets caught in a poor position there and allows Moreno to nip behind him, the little dummy from Buendia, and the cool and composed finish from Coutinho is top class,” Townsend said.

White eventually recovered and had a much better second half. But it was another example of a minor detail not quite being right and it costing Arsenal.

TBR’s View: Arsenal learning about fine margins

This last week has been a wake up call for Arsenal. They were beaten by City after the Champions showed a ruthless display of finishing. And today, defensive mistakes nearly cost Arsenal.

This one from Ben White was a minor one but at the top level, they matter a lot.

White got away with it today thanks to the result. But on another week, he might not be so lucky.