Ratings and reactions: Villa 1-2 Arsenal

[Pelle]

Much better. Best game of the season, despite the loss.

Yes, we've been bad at defending set pieces this season, especially corners, but that goal wasn't because we're bad at it. Things like that happens a lot when a team out of form plays better of a good team in form but can't make it count. When the game is reaching the end they start to feel nervous, they're low on confidence, and when they get the 11th corner against them at the end of the game a mistake is very likely to happen. Especially that a tired striker gets a bit lazy in the marking. Shouldn't happen, but it does quite often and not just when Villa play. But it's a valid point ifAML told Gabby to go down to defend the corner instead of staying up for a counter attack. That too happens a lot in situations like this, but I still think that was a mistake. Didn't notice that but some says that was what happened.

Over all we deserved at least a draw but I'm pleased with the way we played. I really hope the players can keep this up and play the same against Stoke. We have some good players in the squad, we should do better than we have so far.

[lexicon]

Anyone moaning about that performance has an agenda plain and simple.

After all the shit performances this season, if we can serve up a few more of them bad boys we'll do fine.

And the Zog not the worse player ever then?

Fans in being wrong shocker!

Agreed - you have to give credit where it's due.

[Pelle]

Forgot to mention the excellent crowd. Heard you all the time. Just wish we could be like that even if we play badly as I think that might help, but I really can't blame anyone for not cheering like that when we play like against liverpool. But for last night, excellent.

[Hanky]

Van Persie was a clear dive to me. Was a free kick outside the box to which the ref played the advantage he ran in the box and was on the way down before Warnock made contact looking for a penalty.

[Soobax]

It was desperatley unlucky to leave that game without one point, let alone three, as our performance deserved much better than that. Yet it all falls down to a set piece again, which is shocking to concede at the best of times, but especially against a midget like Benayoun and a team like Arsenal who aren't exactly renowned for their corner taking.

I was so thankful hearing that Collins was out of this game before hand, and Heskey as well, as it allowed the three players I've wanted to see in the Villa starting team all season (Cuellar, Clark & Ireland) get a chance in the team. If tonight proved one thing it is that Collins should finally leave us as Dunne was a beast without him and Cuellar played a neat game as well, while Ireland if fit can play the position behind the striker perfectly. Clark did well and was a tad unlucky with the penalty I thought if a bit naive, but on the whole we were great.

[wedge]

So much better, we actually went out to win a game against a so-called top team for once. Ireland and N'Zogbia were very good. So frustrating that we still cannot defend set-pieces. The crowd were brilliant, I said before the game that a positive atmosphere can boost the players and we were rewarded with a spirited performance. If we play like that every game we'll be fine.

[AngryToast]

MoTM - Albrighton

Honourable mention - Dunne, N'Zogbia, Ireland.

[Shillzz]

Here's my full player ratings report:

Guzan - 8 - Has improved immensely this season. If he comes for a cross, he tends to deal with it, which was always his biggest failing in the past. Couple of nice saves, looks OK on the ball.

Hutton - 6 - Became one of our best attacking outlets when Albrighton tired. Wasn't responsible for either goal, though like Warnock, is guilty of giving the opposition winger too much space to run at him.

Cuellar - 7 - Very Solid, particularly good positionally, as has always been the case. Was prone to tracking Van Persie deep at times, which played havoc with the offside trap.

Dunne - 8 - Was everywhere, and put in a real lion-heart performance.

Warnock - 6 - Lot's of effort. Little too much aggression at times, and was surely a penalty. Couple of wayward crosses from promising positions, but tried as hard as anyone.

Clark - 5 - Did very little during the game. Gave away a silly penalty and doesnt have the turn of speed required to play central midfield.

Petrov - 7 - Lot's of energy and some nice forward runs. Did as Petrov does, nothing more, nothing less.

Albrighton - 8 - Good goal of his own making. Some great crosses, and looked to be regaining some confidence. Tired towards the end, and probably stayed a little too wide for my liking.

NZogbia - 9 - Best player on the pitch yesterday. Some fantastic jinking runs infront of the Holte during the second half. Crossing ability wasn't quite there, otherwise we'd have won the game.

Bannan - 8 - Barely put a foot wrong. Should have taken a couple more shots on though perhaps. Lot's of energy from the wee man.

Gabby - 4 - Bent-esque performance. Didn't look fit or immensely interested. Passed on the opportunity to take his man to the by line several times, but did make plenty of effort to get himself into what he perceived to be the right position for incoming crosses. Didnt see much of their 2nd, but gather it was his fault.

[walesavfc]

can`t remember a game v arsenal in recent years where we have had 57% possession and them just 43%, work to be done on set pieces but this is how we want Villa playing, one of huttons best games for us apart from sending off, dunne though was class

[chappy]

Posted after the game but just to re-iterate:

Collins shouldn't play again, Dunne is so much better without him.

Nzogbia might just be coming good! Ditto Ireland!

Best performance of the season by a long way.

Great atmosphere.

[Villastine]

It’s an indictment of our recent form that our players putting in an noticeable effort is encouraging.

When I saw the team sheet and the inclusion of Cuellar, Clark And Ireland was like a breath of fresh air and it seemed to have the same effect on the rest of the players.

Heads did not drop, we pressed them high up the pitch and we played our game at pace all big improvements on what we have been doing recently.

That said we still could not retain possession, we still created very little in the way of a goal threat and we still couldn’t defend a f**king corner.

The manger is to blame…there is no excuse.

Still I walked away in better form than I have in along time

RATINGS

Guzan: Played well. 7

Hutton: Combined some great play with some truly awful play and sending off really was stupid. I would try him out as a DCM! 2 (6)

Dunne: Great game. Some brilliant recovery tackles when we were left exposed. 8

Cueller: Very Solid. Made good decisions. 7

Warnock. Some great play but crossing was terrible which is so frustrating for everyone else and really lets him down. Cannot fault his effort. 6

Albrighton. Excellent. His game is quiet simple but so effective. If he keeps if up he could make the England squad! 8

Clark. Inexperience caught him out. He is industrious and can pass the ball but not sure if he is a DCM. Still probably the best option we have at the moment. 6

Petrov. Solid player, gives it his all. Shouldn’t be let near a free kick in future though. 7

Ireland. Not match fit and it showed. He is a complete conundrum. He needs to play to find his form but we cannot afford to carry him while he finds it. Showed glimpses of what he can do. Month loan might be the best option. 6

Bannan. Made an impact from the minute he was introduced. Hopefully more to come. 7

N'Zogbia. Brilliant game. Keep it up. 8

Gabby. Done ok but looked completely wasted and indifferent in the final 20mins. Should of being sub for the Fonz at that stage. McL bottled the decision. 6

Crowd. 10 out of 10. Showed what we are all about if given anything to cheer.

Manager. Beaten by a corner again!! Should of taken Gabby off when he became a spectator. Should of calmed Hutton down as the world could see that card coming. Should not of allowed us to invite them on at the end. I will give him credit for changing the team. If he does not learn from this match I give up! Fast running out of excuses. Possession stats, goals stats and defensive stats all very very worrying….on his last legs now. 5

[hogso]

Had the best time at VP last night that I can rememeber for quite sometime - if only we had held on for the draw I would have been even happier. And we probably deserved more. If we perform like that in every of the remaining home games of the season, I will feel very optimistic for next year.

The piece of skill by Zog in the first half to beat 2 men who were right on him was just outrageous. It was pretty much right in front of were I sit, and even that close up I couldnt figure quite how he did it. Left em for dead, and a great cross too - shame no one was on the end of it. It's easy to say things like this in hindsight, but I just wonder if if Bent had been playing he think he may have gotten on the end of 1 of those yesterday, that stuff is his bread and butter as they say.

Very encouraged by the perfomances of Albrighton and Zog especially, and when Bent is back in the team it will give McLeish something to think long and hard about. Gabby didnt do well up top, seems to have prospered in the winger role this year though, so personally I'd start Gabby and Zog on the wings as use Alby as an impact sub in the 2nd half

[Dchitz]

Played well and played football because the likes of Ireland, nzogbia and albrighton played in a formation they were comfortable in, could play like this week in week out if mcleish played to our strengths instead of banging heskey etc in there because they are "disruptive"

Ireland was a long way off his best but still made a number of nice passes, two excellent runs and could of nicked 2 goals, he made team look more dangerous the they have for a while, his off the ball movement really is very good, perhaps with a bit more game time he would of finished one of them,

That said it was a solid performance, wingers played like wingers, dunne was exceptional,

Happy to see a good attacking performance despite score, a lot of mediocre teams would of been beaten by that performance

[pacbuddies]

Dude, it was a 100% certain penalty. By trying to argue it wasn't is just making you look a fool.

By the way, was you calling the referee "rubbish" when 35000 people thought Van Persie had been wiped out in the area - only for the ref to book him for a dive (I'd like to see that again, coz I thought it was a certain penalty.

The ref had a good game tonight, stop being a sore loser.

Christ Calling a Villa fan a sore loser? Don't think so mate, I'm more than used to seeing us lose by now to be "sore" over anything. If I was a sore loser why am i saying Arsenal should have had another penalty given, which wasn't?

When you get fouled in the box, it is only a foul if the player being impeded still has the ball under control. Look up the rules if you don't believe me. Now watch the incident again and tell me Walcott still has the ball under control? He quite clearly kicks it too far in front of himself in the box, and therefore Clark's subsequent raised arm, in the rules of the game, is irrelevant. It was never a penalty, despite the petty insults you throw at me. I've backed my argument up with facts, thanks.

The referee also failed to send Mertesacker off despite him committing three bookable offences during the match. So no, he did not have a good game in the slightest. Three big decisions all wrong, two of them against Villa.

Actually a foul can be committed some considerable distance away from the ball. In fact a foul can be committed against a player who is not even in possession of the ball. It has nothing to do with who has the ball or where the ball is in relation to the foul being committed.

[Morpheus]

If we had played as well as that against Man U then we would have taken something from that game. We were a tad unlucky last night not to take at least a point and when you play your best eleven available AM then you always stand a better chance of winning a game.

However it was still a defeat and if we get nothing against Stoke then we're in big trouble.

[cbr600rr]

well done AMC, dropping collins at last,clarke added some steel in the middle,dunne looked at his best,shocking marking from gabby from the resulting corner they scored,played very well on the whole.

[AndyBM]

the players need to realise that they dont work 45 hour weeks like us normal folk, they work for 90 minutes a week (putting aside training, etc) so they need to really work hard, yesderday they done that, against liverpool they didnt, rewards comes with hard work

if they give it all they have for those 90 minutes every week, then we as fans wouldnt be on their backs and will give credit where deserved whether win, lose or draw, you cant ask much fairer than that

[Richard]

We got beat as I felt we would

We didn't get hammered as I felt we would but I take no consolation in what was still a defeat.

One of many yet to come.

[coda]

The manner of the performance didn't console you at all?

[Hereford-Villan]

Collins wasn't dropped he was injured wasn't he??