Match Attendance: 59,496
Who was Man Of The Match? Emile Smith Rowe
Arsenal hosted Aston Villa on the back of a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace. While one can draw many parallels between the way Villa and Palace side, Arsenal were far better than they were on Monday night, and came on top as they defeated Dean Smith’s side 3-1. Emile Smith Rowe is today’s man of the match for his one assist, a goal, and his off the ball play that led to a fine Arsenal victory at the Emirates.
Arsenal dominated the game, and had the best chances in the first half, but failed to find the back of the net until the 23rd minute when Thomas Partey scored off the corner. Thomas had hit the post earlier, but he was clinical this time, as he opened the scoring for Arsenal.
Arsenal threatened the Villa goal numerous times, and Villa had to thank former Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez for pulling out fabulous saves to keep Villa in the game. Arsenal were rewarded right on the stroke of half time as Alexandre Lacazette was brought down inside the penalty box. Referee Craig Pawson had initially refused to point to the spot, but VAR said otherwise, and pointed to the spot after blowing the half time whistle. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed the penalty as Martínez saved the original shot, but Aubameyang scored off the rebound, and Arsenal went into half time leading the game 2-0.
Emile Smith Rowe added to Villa’s misery by scoring Arsenal’s third goal in the second half to put the game beyond Villa’s reach. Smith Rowe deserved that goal for his outstanding man of the match performance.
Jacob Ramsey did score for Villa, preventing a clean sheet for Arsenal and Aaron Ramsdale, but it turned out to be a consolation as the game ended 3-1.
Lets check out Smith Rowe’s MOTM worthy stats:
Rating: 9.2
Minutes played: 90
Pass accuracy %: 87
Touches: 66
Goal contribution: 2
Shots (on target): 1
Dribbles: 3
Key Passes: 4
Tackles: 1
Interceptions: 2
MyMOTM 