Aston Villa 2 Arsenal 4: Gunners Still in Title Race Through Arshavin and Nasri

Goals: Andrei Arshavin (Arsenal) 39, Samir Nasri (Arsenal) 44, Cieran Clark 51 (Villa), Marouane Chamakh (Arsenal) 55, Ciaran Clark (Villa) 70, Jack Wilshere (Arsenal) 90 + 2 

Arsenal maintained their superb away form in the Premier League as they emerged triumphant in an exciting contest against Aston Villa at Villa Park. The Gunners were without their influential talisman Cesc Fabregas due to a recurrence of a hamstring injury and Tomas Rosicky took his place in the team and was also the Captain for the encounter, surprising considering the fact that he had made very less number of starts this season.

The Gunners reigned supreme right from the opening minutes of the game with Brad Freidel having to make a good save hardly 30 seconds after the start of the game from a low shot struck by Marouane Chamakh. It was a dominant start from the visitors, who showed no signs of any lasting effects of their last two disastrous performances. Aston Villa were chasing shadows for most of the first half hour and their lack of pace upfront meant that Arsenal were comfortable with their high back-line.

However, as it has happened so often this season, the Gunners suffered a lapse in concentration as they allowed Ashley Young to sneak in at the far post to meet a cross from Stewart Downing. He could only manage to hit it over the bar and there was a sense of relief for the Gunners, who continued their dominance even after that miscued effort. Though the Aston Villa defence had an experienced look about it, it was an 'Arsenal-esque' error that led to the opener.

A long punt by Lukasz Fabianski was attacked by both the central defenders, who also failed to meet the ball. The loose ball was picked up by the revitalised Arshavin and he still had some work to do. He cut in past Richard Dunne on the left flank and fired a low, powerful shot past the hapless Brad Friedel who could only manage to get a weak hand which was not enough.

Arshavin, who has not been in the best form, was at his effervescent best at Villa Park and looked like he had gained a lot of confidence from the goal. Just a few minutes after the goal, Arshavin produced a scintillating defense splitting pass to Samir Nasri who rounded the keeper before losing his balance and firing it wide. Nasri was frustrated with that effort but atoned for it just minutes as he produced a powerful volley from an Arshavin corner which gave the Gunners a deserved two goals lead at the break.

Robert Pires who made his first Premier League start in almost four years was substituted at the end of the first half and Nathan Delfouneso was brought on to inject some pace to the Aston Villa attack. Arsenal did not start the second period very strongly and the Villans looked to pull a goal back to get into the game.

Arsenal's "soft centre" was much discussed in the pre-match analysis and conferences leading up to the game at Villa Park and it certainly was on display when Arsenal put themselves in grave danger of frittering another two goal after their absymal performance against Tottenham. Sebastien Squillaci's weak header to clear the ball found youngster Ciaran Clark who hit a superb shot which found the top corner of the net. The goal did not come as a surprise but it certainly showed that a number of problems did exist with the mentality of the Arsenal defence when they conceded yet again in face of an onslaught.

The Arsenal captain, Tomas Rosicky was not too shaken up by the goal at the other end, and proceeded to provide Marouane Chamakh with a perfect defence splitting pass which Chamakh toe poked below Friedel to grab his 10th goal of the season. He has been a great addition to this Arsenal squad and he showed his worth yet again by retaining his composure to ensure that Arsenal regained the two goal lead.

Though the Gunners seemed to have the upper hand of the battle, they looked vulnerable while defending set pieces and crosses. Ashley Young's corner was flicked on by Dunne and Clark was on hand to grab his brace by nodding it on the underside of the bar. Arsenal were now defending for their lives as they strived to hold off Aston Villa's attacks.

Arsene Wenger decided to substitute his two of his best players of the game, Andrei Arshavin and Samir Nasri late in the game to bring on the talented Kieran Gibbs and Denilson to bring more stability to their game. Koscielny and Squillaci managed to repel many attacks and hold on to their precious one goal till the 90th minute and in injury time, Arsenal sealed the three points with a good move finished off by the talented Jack Wilshere.

Andrei Arshavin was again the instigator of the move as he produced a good pass to pick out Chamakh, who unselfishly lifted the ball for Wilshere to finish the move easily with his head. It was the teenager's first Premier League goal for the Gunners, and the youngster kissed the Arsenal badge relieved and happy that he had opened his account in the Premiership for the Gunners.

Arsene Wenger will be pleased with the result after their disappointing performances in the last couple of games, and winning at Villa Park is not an easy task for any team. However, he will have his concerns about the quality of the defence after he saw his defence squander a two goal advantage against the opposition in two successive games. Johan Djourou has been one of the decent performers in defense, this season after making a slow start following his long-term injury.

Squillaci has been unimpressive though he has been relatively error free in comparison to Koscielny. Koscielny was good at dealing with crosses today, and Wenger must try with Djourou and Koscielny at the heart of the defence.

Andrei Arshavin was close to his imperious best in this game after being much criticised for his lacklustre displays in the earlier games. Wenger decided to rest him for Braga, and the rest seems to have given him the break he desperately needed and Arsenal supporters will hope he can maintain his impressive form for the whole of December as Arsenal play many important games in that period.

It should not be forgotten that a lot of credit should go to Tomas Rosicky for marshalling his troops and Arsenal may have found a solution to their problem of not having enough leaders on the pitch. Rosicky is an experienced campaigner and he did not allow himself to be bothered by the Aston Villa goals, and urged his team mates to play better after the goals. He was extremely helpful in defence as well and was involved in the compact organization of the team, late in the match when Villa were searching for an equaliser.

Though he did squander one or two decent openings in the first half, Rosicky had a good game and is slowly but surely recapturing his best form. It was an interesting decision by Wenger to play Rosicky in the centre and Nasri on the wings for this game, but the both of them share a superb chemistry and do interchange positions in order to stretch the defence.

Arsene Wenger and Arsenal will not have many qualms about this game, and they will be happy to have all the three points from a difficult encounter. The Gunners remain only two points below the leaders, Manchester United  and should Arsenal hit consistent good form in December, they could start as the favourites for the EPL title by the turn of the new year. But for now, they must focus on beating Wigan Athletic to reach the semi-finals of the Carling Cup.