Martinelli caps dramatic 4-2 win for Arsenal at Villa

Sports Desk, Feb 18 (EFE).- Arsenal scored two late goals to win 4-2 in a thrilling match against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday.

Jorginho’s excellent shot from outside the box struck the underside of the bar and cannoned in off the helpless goalkeeper Emi Martinez in stoppage time, before Gabriel Martinelli raced clear from a Villa corner that Martinez had gone up for to tap into an empty net.

It was a chaotic finish to an entertaining and wide open match.

Aston Villa took an early lead through Ollie Watkins’ left-footed finish, but Arsenal soon equalized thanks to Bukayo Saka’s strike.

The home side regained the lead after 30 minutes when Coutinho finished off a flowing counter attack, as a second consecutive defeat looked on the cards for Arsenal after their home loss to title rivals Manchester City in midweek.

But Arsenal showed plenty of grit and determination during the second half as they piled forward in search of an equalizer, although they also had goalkeeper Aaron Ramsey and the post to thank after Villa squandered several presentable chances of their own.

The leveler came on the hour mark through Oleksandr Zinchenko’s brilliant near-post shot after a short corner routine.

The win sees Arsenal return to the top of the table and keeps the London side firmly in the hunt for their first Premier League trophy since 2004, while Villa, who more than played their part in a fantastic match, have now lost three in a row. EFE

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