Ollie Watkins was the thorn in Arsenal’s side once again during their 2-2 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday evening.
Watkins scored Villa’s second to bring the game level at 2-2 with his strike thundering past David Raya, meaning that Arsenal had surrendered a two-goal lead in less than 10 minutes.
Given how depleted his squad was, Mikel Arteta’s side did give a good account of themselves from an offensive point of view, but William Saliba’s absence was glaringly obvious at the back.
Thomas Partey shouldn’t be playing as a right-back, but Arteta ultimately had little choice given that he was without four first-team defenders against Villa.
Arteta didn’t turn to Jakub Kiwior so Jurrien Timber was needed centrally, which was perhaps a mistake in the eyes of some.
