In round 22 of the Premier League, Arsenal hosted Aston Villa at home. They had a good start, with Martinelli and Kai Havertz scoring two early goals against their opponents. However, Aston Villa came back with two equalizers from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins, thereby sealing the match at 2-2.
In this match, midfielder Thomas Partey made a mistake. In the 68th minute, his indecisive clearance turned into an assist, allowing Watkins to easily score a goal past goalkeeper Raya.
After the match, former player Paul Merson criticized both Partey and Arsenal, according to Metro: "They didn't need that explosion, they were 2-0 up. They didn't defend well enough, especially the Partey situation.
You're 2-1 up, the opposition are back in the game, you have to be steady. You have to try everything, you have to pick players and I think Arsenal looked weak there. Look at the second goal and the way Partey worked, it was terrible."
This season, Arsenal continues to be in the Premier League championship group. When Man City declined, it was thought that Arteta and his team would seize the opportunity, but they continued to rank behind Liverpool. Currently, the Gunners are 6 points behind The Kop and have played one more game.
Paul expressed doubts about Arsenal's character: "I'm starting to think they're missing something now to win the Premier League. To win any title is always very difficult, you have to change constantly.
A draw might not be bad in the cup competitions, but it is not good in the Premier League. You have to know how to defend and make sure the opponent does not score.”
