Arsenal came crashing back down to earth on Tuesday night, as they lost 1-0 away at relegation-threatened Aston Villa.
The Gunners had beaten Liverpool in the Premier League as well as Manchester City in the FA Cup, leaving fans hugely excited about life under Mikel Arteta.
However, Arsenal fell flat against Villa, and went behind in the first half as Trezeguet slammed home a superb strike that left Emiliano Martinez with no chance.
Arsenal tried to haul themselves back into the game, but didn’t even manage a shot in target in a dour showing at Villa Park.
They dominated possession with 69% of the ball, but couldn’t do anything with it in an unsurprisingly disjointed display given that Arteta bizarrely went with three strikers.
There weren’t many positives to take from the performance, but half-time substitute Granit Xhaka did at least have a positive impact.
Xhaka came on for Lucas Torreira at the break, and at least brought some composure and structure to the Arsenal midfield, helping the Gunners gain some territory.
The Swiss ace was something of a villain at Arsenal earlier this season, but fans appear to have turned all the way around on him and his importance.
Fans suggested that Xhaka was ‘immense’ last night, praising him for his progressive play and making Arsenal look more dangerous going forward, adding that he is ‘under-rated’ ad so integral to the way Arsenal play.
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