Arsenal were haunted by their former manager Unai Emery as Aston Villa put in a pitch-perfect away performance to stun the title-chasers at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
As has become usual, it was Martin Odegaard who dictated Arsenal's high-intensity start as he constantly looked to drive his side forward. Both Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz saw their clever runs spotted by the Norweigan but shots were fired into the side netting when a pull-back was on.
Aston Villa stayed resilient as the Gunners dominated possession, creating a half-chance for themselves when Ollie Watkins was set through, only to be tackled by an energetic Leandro Trossard tracking back.
As the match opened up, Arsenal enjoyed a flurry of chances before half-time. Gabriel Jesus' enthusiasm wasn't matched by his final product while Saka curled wide and Trossard saw a shot saved at point-blank range for Emi Martinez. Meanwhile, Watkins pounced on a Gabriel error and saw a shot ricochet off the post.
It was the Villains who seized the initiative after the break with Arsenal slow off the mark. A promising period culminated in Youri Tielemans latching onto an Oleksandr Zinchenko mistake to rocket a shot off the crossbar and onto the post.
Heartbreak was coming for the home side as Aston Villa grew in confidence and it came with just 10 minutes left to play. The Gunners defence was skittled from a cross and Leon Bailey couldn't miss a tap-in at 84 minutes before Ollie Watkins shrugged off Emile Smith-Rowe to brilliant lob David Raya minutes later.
Here's how the Arsenal players rated on Sunday afternoon.
1. David Raya - 6
Started well with a calm presence and nice footwork. Came out too early as Watkins delivered that huge blow with a second Villa goal.
2. Oleksandr Zinchenko - 6
Caused some problems for Aston Villa with his movement, but the visitors also had joy with him defensively at times. His lacklustre closing down allowed Tielemans to cannon his shot onto the crossbar and post.
3. Gabriel - 5
Lucky not to see a mistake punished by Ollie Watkins and clumsy at times - gave away a dangerous free-kick on the edge of the box and saw yellow for it.
4. William Saliba - 6
Commanding performance in general but one who could be questioned for the first Villa goal.