Watkins, Zinchenko, Hato and more

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Sunday was a disaster for Arsenal, especially following on from the events at Anfield prior to kick-off. Liverpool’s home defeat to Crystal Palace gave Mikel Arteta’s side a chance to take full control of the title race, but they fluffed their lines in a way few of us were expecting.

It was the classic game of two halves really. The first half was actually pretty decent and had Arsenal taken one of the good chances they created, they probably would have gone on and won the game. But they were wasteful in front of goal and Villa made them pay the price after the interval. Villa were excellent and they deserve a lot of credit. Unai Emery adjusted things at half-time and Arsenal had no real answer to it.

And that’s the big worry really. Given what was at stake and the unexpected opportunity that was handed to them by Liverpool, the fact Arsenal couldn’t rouse themselves in the second half and find a way to get themselves back on top was really disappointing. But it has to be remembered that Arsenal have been pretty much faultless in 2024 in the Premier League. The results prior to Sunday had been sensational and it’s so, so hard to maintain that sort of level for months on end.

A setback was always going to happen, the crucial thing now is how they respond. Yes, Manchester City are now in the driving seat, but it’s not over yet and Arsenal do play twice before City are next in action in the league. Win those games and they will be four points clear of Pep Guardiola’s side. That has to be the aim because you never know what can happen. It’s unlikely, but City could always slip up.

I don’t think the defeat should change anything in terms of how Arsenal approach things against Bayern. Mikel Arteta will still believe his team can win both trophies, so he won’t be prioritising either competition yet. It’s going to be an incredibly difficult game for Arsenal. Not taking a lead with them for the second leg has left them facing a really tough task. They don’t exactly have a mountain to climb, but they do have a pretty steep hill to scale.

But what an opportunity it is. A win at the Allianz Arena at this stage of the competition will go down as one of Arsenal’s great European…