‘Upset’ Leandro Trossard saves the day for Arsenal, Gunners take revenge on Aston Villa

Birmingham — Leandro Trossard was not too impressed. For the second consecutive Premier League game he was benched and had to watch the match. Arsenal Teammates faltered in search of a crucial win Aston VillaIt looked like they wouldn’t get it but then Mikel Arteta turned to his super sub as the game entered its final third.

Trossard didn’t have much to celebrate after scoring with his first touch. William Saliba His sad-faced partner’s glasses had to be taken off. Somewhere between annoyance and anger, this was the energy Arteta wanted from the bench.

“First of all, there are certain ways to react when you are not selected,” Arteta said. “Leo is upset, but he is upset to show how good he is, not to come off the pitch after being upset, and because I was not playing it happened that way. That is a great quality.”

Unfortunately for Trossard, this is an opportunity Arteta could look to capitalise on in the 12th man role in the future. Whether it be a late equaliser Chelsea and against Bayern Munich or the clutch goal liverpool And EvertonThe Belgian has made a habit of coming off the bench last season.

Trossard has a special quality that is particularly valuable for teams like Arsenal, who will often find themselves fighting against a low block over the next nine months (though Villa have tested their visitors with more than just a deep defensive line). He comes on full of energy, without having to play himself into any contest. That’s exactly what his teammates needed in this tight contest.

An hour earlier Arsenal had found themselves in a huge scramble, which has become the norm since Emiliano Martinez moved from north London to the Midlands. He had saved well from his former teammate Bukayo Saka But it was the man who replaced a couple of goalkeepers in the Gunners’ goal who had the most profound impact on the contest. Eight minutes into the second half, Amadou Onana’s shot swerved awkwardly, hit the Arsenal crossbar and trapped David Raya.

This seemed like the simplest thing to me ollie watkins A header into an empty net. When Raya somehow managed to head the ball to safety it was immediately assumed that it must have been a weak effort from the England international. Sure, he could have directed it a little further and kept the first goal of the game to himself, but to even admit that it was out of Raya’s reach is to defend a contender for goal of the season, the second goal in the last few weeks from a player who is justifying the political capital spent by Inaki Cana to make him Arsenal’s No. 1.

Raya had already received help from Watkins to secure a clean sheet, a roll shot wide of goal reminded him Martin Odegaard 18 months ago, a shocking opportunity was missed on this ground. That opportunity came under tremendous pressure morgan rogersWho has already become one of the best stars of this season. Thomas Partey in particular will be having sleepless nights over his encounters, the youngster is adept at receiving, spinning and driving the ball with his back to goal. On any other day, Trossard’s introduction might have come too late. Villa could have made it three wins in a row against the team that won the title last season.

Arsenal looked under pressure when in possession, fearing a repeat of their last two encounters with Unai Emery. Their left flank looked full of players looking to play the ball out from the back, but they did little when they got the ball. Jurion Timber, impressive in his first away league game, often found options that didn’t require him to play a pass through at least one line of the Villa defence. Gabriele Martinelli Was creating some danger, a dart on the byline resulted in a low cross Kai Havertz Could have done better. But Arsenal were trapped on that flank long before Arteta’s first change with 65 minutes on the clock.

Trossard addressed the issue within two minutes. Where Martinelli’s strong desire was to get the ball at his feet and attack his fullbacks, his replacements were perfectly happy to stay back, their distance from proceedings bordering on hesitant. Declan Rice had attracted the attention of Kosta Nedeljkovic.Trossard will just wait.

“I said in the first half — obviously, I’m sitting on the bench and can keep an eye on the game — I knew there was space in behind,” Trossard said. “I’m just hoping the ball will drop around the penalty spot and I’m reading it.”

Then Arsenal did what they would do like anyone else. Ben WhiteThe Odegaard, Saka triangle saw the latter point to the byline, his cutback finding everyone running in the wrong direction. Everyone except Trossard, who ran between the lines. Kai Havertz and Rodgers both stuck out instinctive boots, their combined deflection perhaps doing nothing more than setting the ball up nicely for Arsenal’s best finisher. Since departing from Brighton, 80 shots have resulted in 9.9 expected goals, 14 actual.

The numbers are even more impressive when he comes off the bench. A goal every 75 minutes. A shot every 23 minutes. And many of those shots are exactly what Arsenal need, a player who can get to the penalty spot and score from cutbacks.

Villa had not learned their lessons from their first confrontation with Trossard. Ten minutes after opening the scoring he darted in behind the backline to collect Gabriel’s ball over the top. His low drive flashed across the six-yard line, Saka got to it on the opposite side and rolled the ball for Thomas Partey to head past Emiliano Martinez at his near post. Trossard had changed the game in Arsenal’s favour and it wasn’t the first time it had happened. Arteta might risk falling under the radar a few more times in the coming season, but it will be worth it if they come up with the returns they delivered tonight.