Aston Villa threw a massive wrench in Arsenal's Premier League title pursuit by claiming a 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
The teams were deadlocked through most of the match, but Villa came out on top with goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins in the 84th and 87th minutes, respectively. The result comes on the same day that title-chasers Liverpool lost at home to Crystal Palace, leaving three-time defending league champions Manchester City alone at the top of the standings with six games remaining.
For Villa, the victory allowed them to reclaim sole possession of fourth place after Tottenham Hotspur had leapfrogged into that spot last week. Spurs' 4-0 loss at Newcastle on Saturday opened the door for Villa take another step forward in their own race for a Champions League berth, and they did so with an emphatic late-game outburst powered by Bailey and Watkins.
"It's massive to come away to Arsenal when they're playing such good football and controlling games, to play like that just shows where we've come and where we're going," Watkins told Sky Sports.
"It was probably a perfect away performance."
Watkins stood by the Arsenal-adorned corner flag in front of the away supporters immediately following his goal, taking in the atmosphere provided by the jubilant Villa faithful. For the 28-year-old, the moment was bittersweet as he knows it could mean bigger things for the club he represents.
"I grew up supporting Arsenal but it's a different story now that I'm playing against them," Watkins said.
"Any win is a big result but considering the other results, we're focusing on ourselves but we're fighting for Champions League and we knew it was going to be tough today but we've shown what a good side we are.
"A lot of people doubted us, they thought we played good football but couldn't get a result here. We've proved a lot of people wrong."
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