Arsenal vs. Aston Villa: 7 Lessons from FA Cup 4th Round Clash

Throw your sports clichés away. Something new is needed.

Arsenal defeated Aston Villa 3-2 on Sunday in an FA Cup fourth-round match at the Emirates Stadium in London. A game of two halves? No way. This was a game of two 15-minute spells as riveting as anything you'll see in football.

Aston Villa took their turn first, stunning the home team by taking a two-goal lead into the half. Richard Dunne powered a header into Arsenal's goal in the 33rd minute, and Darren Bent doubled the visitors' advantage on the counter-attack one minute into stoppage time.

Arsenal planned their retort at halftime and executed it beautifully, scoring three times in 15 minutes to earn a spot in the final 16 of England's storied cup competition. Robin Van Persie scored twice from the penalty spot on either side of a fluky equalizer that might just have done wonders to restoring Theo Walcott's sagging confidence.

The losing streak: over. The dissension from inside and out: eased. The mood around North London: cautiously hopeful.

And Arsene Wenger? Maybe, just maybe, still in the know.

Same Song, 37th Verse

The win will serve as a boost, but it can't hide the most glaring of Arsenal's faults. The Gunners still cannot defend high balls into the box. And Villa's opening goal unlocked Arsenal's defense, as have so many other opponents, with alarming ease.

After an opening 30 minutes largely dominated by Arsenal, Villa won a 33rd-minute corner and took it quickly. As the visitors began to work their short-corner routine, a crowd of Arsenal players flitted aimlessly around the box.

And why not? The set piece was nothing special: a short pass here, another there and a couple central defenders lurking at the far post.

But then, the same old story: For what must seem to the fans like the millionth time this season, Arsenal's defense capitulated to the simplest of attacks—the long, high, hopeful ball into the box.

Suddenly Villa led 1-0 and Arsenal were exposed again. And, for the home crowd, the whole incident reeked of ineptitude.

Just look at the positioning of the Arsenal defenders. Koscielny was busy being manhandled by Richard Dunne—a defender who could give Arsenal a few pointers on aerial challenges—but at least he was trying.

Francis Coquelin, who was otherwise solid, did little more than look timid. Alex Song ball-watched. Per Mertesacker, the tallest man on the pitch and thus Arsenal's worst offender, watched from a safe distance.

Arsenal did recover, allowing Villa only one more goal on a lightning-fast counter-attack, but the visitors' aerial threat never subsided entirely. Villa came close again twice more with back-to-back aerial balls into the box in the 78th minute. And when they did, Arsenal's fans must have cringed from their own negative anticipation.

Which is why every Arsenal opponent the rest of this season must be plotting a similar strategy. Play the ball early, frequently and directly into the Arsenal box, and there will be goals.

What Took so Long?

Aside from the defensive struggles, Arsenal did not play poorly in the first half. The Gunners dominated possession, created chances and seemed most likely to score until Villa's opener.

But something was missing, and it only appeared after halftime with Arsenal trailing by two goals. In a word, it was urgency, which served as the biggest difference between Arsenal's pre- and post-halftime performances.

Before the break, Arsenal lacked the cutting edge. They dilly-dallied around the fringes of Aston Villa's box, playing safe passes either to the sides or behind, but only rarely toward goal. Central defender Thomas Vermaelen served as his side's most dangerous attacker while the wing play went lacking.

After the break, Arsenal cut out the cute stuff. They played it direct and they played it simple, tearing through Villa with speed and purpose. The wings awoke, with Theo Walcott turning into his old self and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain adding to his growing fame.

Before the break, Alex McLeish was starting to look like Arsene Wenger's cup-match boogie man. After the break, Wenger and his boys had their swagger back.

Football Can Be a Funny Game

Theo Walcott entered the match out-of-form, a fact reflected by the Arsenal man's first-half performance. While working himself into dangerous positions—since speed, it seems, never suffers from bad form—Walcott's finishing fell woefully flat in the final third.

How, then, did he leave the pitch to well-earned applause as a second-half substitution?

By finishing even worse, of course.

With his fluky equalizer—off his chest, or perhaps his arm, after a weak Walcott shot and a botched Villa clearance—Theo became a new man. Where he had formerly shot wild and wide, he now stung Shay Given's hands with rasping shots. Where he once stuttered and wasted, he now stormed through the box with purpose, creating chances for himself and his teammates.

It's a funny game, football, and Villa showed it too. Richard Dunne and Darren Bent scored the two goals that put the visitors into a shocking halftime lead, and they also conceded the two penalties that book-ended Arsenal's second-half rally.

As a Hollywood script, it would have been deemed too fantastical. In real life, it's just football.

Arsene (Still) Knows?

The current season has been the most dynamic of Arsene Wenger's career in terms of popular opinion.

Maligned as stubborn and ineffectual after a turbulent summer transfer window and the first loss to Manchester United, Wenger reclaimed his beatified status after a breathtaking run took Arsenal back into the top four. The critics returned following the second loss to United and a dour run of three consecutive (and still counting) league defeats.

One could almost hear them licking their chops at halftime as Wenger's team trailed by two goals. But after Arsenal's superb comeback, it would be fascinating to hear what they would say tonight.

Counter to conventional footballing wisdom, Wenger changed neither his tactics nor his teamsheet when trailing 2-0, at home, at halftime. Stubborn as he might have seen, Wenger had seen it, as we all had: Arsenal had actually played well in first half aside from letting in two soft goals.

Yes, that sounds counter-intuitive, but, as Wenger showed, sometimes the larger picture is more important. Instead of changing his tactics or turning on his players, Wenger stayed the course. Only a few dozen Arsenal players and officials will know what Wenger said to his men at halftime, but this much is clear: It gave his team stability and confidence.

And it worked.

With a big comeback win in hand, the losing streak over and one first-teamer—fullback Bacary Sagna, who could be the first of many—back from injury, there are signs that the tide is turning for Arsenal.

Now the question is, will the fans continue to trust Wenger?

The Ox Is Quality

His substitution-shortened performance against Manchester United was no fluke. At 18, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is an excellent top-flight player.

This time, in an 89-minute outing the Ox flashed skills, embarrassed defenders and, most importantly, managed to keep Andrey Arshavin off the pitch entirely. With Sunday's latest performance the Ox showed he's truly on his way to becoming the latest promising youngster to prosper under Arsene Wenger's distinguished tutelage.

Oxlade-Chamberlain oozed confidence in 77th minute when he casually accepted a pass, waited for his marker to find him, then blew past him with a devastating speed move. It was exhilarating, and, for his manager, it was instructive.

As of now, Wenger has no reason to start Arshavin ahead of Oxlade-Chamberlain. Here's guessing that will become a rarity.

Same for Coquelin

It's not just the Ox.

In Oxlade-Chamberlain and fellow youngster Francis Coquelin, Arsenal have two players worth fawning over. A central midfielder by trade, Coquelin's sensibilities for distribution and end-to-end play in the fullback position gave Arsenal a Total-Football-like feel on Sunday.

The current season has been by no means a success for Arsenal. But if talented young players like Oxlade-Chamberlain, Francis Coquelin and the on-loan Emmanuel Frimpong continue to progress, it could prove valuable nonetheless.

There's Still Magic in the FA Cup

Liverpool and Manchester United showed it with their captivating clash on Saturday.

Arsenal and Aston Villa underlined it with a match that was even better.

The FA Cup is still magical. It might not hold the cachet of yesteryear anymore, but it still produces excellent matches with its win-or-go-home ethos.

After an engrossing fourth round, one can only wonder what lies in store ahead.