Villa stuns Gunners with late winner, as City closes gap

The Premier League title race was blown open after Aston Villa struck in stoppage time to beat Arsenal 2-1 on Saturday.

Emiliano Buendia scored at the death in a thrilling finish at Villa Park that stunned first-placed Arsenal.

The Gunners' lead was cut to just two points after second-placed Manchester City beat Sunderland 3-0.

Villa was left sitting a point further back in third.

Liverpool's troubled title defense hit another stumbling block when it dropped more points at Leeds. Arne Slot's team blew a two-goal lead and conceded an equalizer in the sixth minute of added time at Elland Road in a 3-3 draw.

Chelsea dropped points for the third game in a row with a 0-0 draw at Bournemouth.

Buendia's winner came in the fifth minute of added time. The substitute kept a cool head during a goalmouth scramble, lifting a shot through the crowded box.

"In the manner that happened at the end, (it is) really difficult to take," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told TNT Sports.

It is the third consecutive away game that Arsenal has dropped points, after draws with Sunderland and Chelsea. Those results have opened the door to rivals such as City and Villa.

Villa's ninth win from its last 10 games followed a dire start to the campaign when Unai Emery's team was winless after its first five.

"At the minute we're on a great run," said Matty Cash, who put Villa ahead in the 36th. "We know it's not even Christmas yet, so we have to keep being demanding, keep being consistent, and then we'll see where it takes us."

Leandro Trossard was a halftime substitute for Arsenal, and he made a quick impact by leveling the game seven minutes later.

Buendia went on in the 87th minute and proved an inspired substitution.

"We fight until the last minute, the last second, it was a really incredible win," he said.

Arsenal's second loss of the season was its first since August at Liverpool. "We are 18 games unbeaten, and, yet, still the margin is so small," Arteta said. "The effort was absolutely there and (we must) use that pain to go again."

Liverpool blows it

Deep into stoppage time at Leeds, Liverpool was set to move into the top five.

That was until Ao Tanaka arrived at the far post from a corner to deny Slot's team a much-needed win.

"The only ones to blame are ourselves, because we concede these chances," Slot told Sky Sports.

Liverpool was poised for just a third league win in 10 games when Hugo Ekitike scored twice in two minutes shortly after halftime. But, Leeds responded with its own quickfire double, as Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted from the penalty spot and Anton Stach leveled two minutes later.

Dominik Szoboszlai put the visitors in front again in the 80th, but when the fourth official indicated nine minutes of added time the home crowd sensed another comeback, and Tanaka delivered.

Mohamed Salah was on the bench for a third straight game, and the Liverpool icon was an unused substitute.

"We have to accept the situation we are in, and I make my choices based on that," Slot said.

Dogfight heats up

Man City will be a familiar sight in Arsenal's rearview mirror.

In back-to-back campaigns in 2023 and 2024 Arteta watched City chase his team down, then go on to win the title — and this season is shaping up to be another dogfight.

Even after four losses in the league, City is just two points behind Arsenal after beating Sunderland.

"We had the feeling that Arsenal were going to drop few points, and if you want to be there, you have to win games. That comes from the way you perform — not just a lucky day or a lucky move," City manager Pep Guardiola said.

Ruben Dias, with a brilliant long-range goal, and Josko Gvardiol gave City a 2-0 lead at the break at Etihad Stadium, and Phil Foden headed in a third in the second half.

Agencies via Xinhua