Four days before the move to Club Brugge, Arsenal went down 2-1 at Villa Park last Saturday (6/12). Aston Villa, with Tielemans and Onana in the starting lineup, started strongly and had early chances through Watkins and Cash. A goal by Eze was disallowed for offside, but ten minutes before halftime Cash was released and made it 1-0. The home team went into halftime with a lead.
After the break, Arteta intervened with Trossard and Gyökeres. The substitutions brought immediate danger and after Onana lost the ball, Trossard equalized. Arsenal seemed to push on, but both teams still had chances. In the last minute of extra time, however, Buendia decided with a blast: 2-1 for Villa, which meant Arsenal returned home from Birmingham without points.