Former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor has expressed his disappointment following Aston Villa’s narrow 2-0 loss to Arsenal, a result he believes was not a fair reflection of the match, Soccernet.football reports.
Villa, who began the season with a hard-fought victory over West Ham, faced another challenging fixture against Arsenal at Villa Park on Saturday. Despite a promising start to the season under Unai Emery, Villa could not secure their third consecutive league win.
The match saw Aston Villa outplay Arsenal in several key areas, including registering a higher expected goals (xG) figure — 1.28 to Arsenal’s 0.87 — highlighting their attacking efforts. However, clinical strikes from Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey in the 67th and 77th minutes sealed the victory for the Gunners.
Agbonlahor, Villa’s all-time Premier League top scorer, voiced his frustration on social media, stating, “Let’s be honest, we didn’t deserve to lose that game. Arsenal were satisfactory!” He added, “Enjoy the win Arsenal, you were very poor against a top Villa side!”
The result, while disappointing, does not reflect the overall performance of Villa, with many players, particularly Morgan Rogers in his new role, standing out.
Emery’s meticulous approach will have him analyzing the fine margins that led to the defeat, but there is confidence within the camp that Villa can rebound.
Looking ahead, Emery’s side will aim to capitalise on this solid performance and secure a win against Leicester City in their next match, which would leave them with six points heading into the international break — a respectable tally for the opening weeks of the season.