Aston Villa may have had a major say in the 2023/24 Premier League title race following their stunning 2-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday.
The Gunners were the form team in the top flight heading into the game, going undefeated this year, but Villa shocked the home side with two late goals to secure all three points.
It was precisely the tonic they needed after failing to defeat Brentford last weekend with several players shining against Mikel Arteta’s side, most notably Youri Tielemans.
Youri Tielemans’ stats vs Arsenal
The Belgian may have endured an underwhelming first few months at Villa Park – starting just four league matches until the turn of the year – but he has enjoyed a purple patch of late.
Since January, the former Leicester City gem has grabbed three assists and scored once in the top flight, emerging as a key player for Unai Emery which culminated in a wonderful display against Arsenal.
Assists
1
Big chances created
1
Key passes
1
Total duels (won)
10 (6)
Tackles
4
He was deployed alongside John McGinn at the heart of the midfield and registered an assist along with making one key pass, creating a big chance, and succeeding with 100% of his dribble attempts, proving to be a nuisance going forward.
Tielemans even shone defensively, winning six of his ten ground duels contested while making four tackles and two interceptions during the clash. With no Douglas Luiz due to suspension, this was a vital outing from the former Leicester man.
This performance surely merits another start against Lille in the second leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final tie on Thursday, and he could be joined by Leon Bailey, who also proved he is undroppable after enjoying an excellent cameo from the bench.
Why Leon Bailey is now undroppable at Aston Villa
The Jamaican winger is enjoying a special season for Villa, scoring 13 times along with notching 12 assists across all competitions. He has been Villa’s most dangerous attacking threat alongside Ollie Watkins this term.
Surprisingly, he found himself dropped to the bench against the Gunners, with Emery favouring Moussa Diaby on the right of his midfield.
With just under half an hour to go, Bailey came on for Diaby and immediately looked lively as he attempted two dribbles, won three of his five total duels and lost possession just four times.
With six minutes of normal time remaining, Bailey converted at the far post to put Villa 1-0 up. Watkins doubled the advantage just minutes later to secure a famous victory, which also meant the side had done the league double over the north Londoners.
The winger was given a match rating of 7/10 for his display by Birmingham Live, and he should come back into the starting XI against Lille on Thursday.
Once hailed as a “standout” by journalist Ashley Preece despite a tough start to the season under Steven Gerrard last year, his displays under Emery have allowed him to showcase his true talents, becoming one of Villa's most important players in the process.
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