A breathless second half, with a vastly more energised Villa performance, was not enough to prevent Arsenal leaving Villa Park with the spoils, the two unanswered goals during the first period being the difference at the final whistle.

Goals from Arshavin and Nasri during the final 6 minutes of the half capped an irresistible display from Arsenal, Ashley Young’s half-volley over the bar the only reply. Villa threatened to make a fist of things when Ciaran Clark got one back with an emphatic shot to the top corner helped in no small measure by John Carew’s blatantly offside position, but Marouane Chamakh finally put away one of his numerous surges into the box just minutes later.

Clark again reduced the lead to a single goal, directing Richard Dunne’s header in off the underside of the crossbar with just under 20 minutes left, but Jack Wilshire took advantage of the reduced numbers in Villa’s back line as the home side chased for a desperate equaliser deep into injury time, nodding into an empty net.

Overall, a muted and listless opening 45 minutes from Villa up against an Arsenal side clearly determined to make amends for losing the last two games; slick passing and movement, wasp like pressing without the ball. Better after the break with Nathan Delfouneso replacing Pires, making a slightly surprising start, but Arsenal never really looked like collapsing in the manner they had done in the face of Spurs’ comeback last Saturday.

Pires starts

Gérard Houllier demonstrated just how little faith he has in Stephen Ireland (rightly so in my opinion) by handing a starting place to Robert Pires, playing as the central attacking play maker ahead of Barry Bannan and Ciaran Clark. Ashley Young on the left, Stewart Downing on the right and John Carew the focal point, but the focal point of very little of any note.

Villa had just 37% possession in the first half, but crucially next to nothing in the final third of the pitch; the action almost exclusively contained within the middle and first third of the field. Without the ball, the Arsenal players swarmed the home side, preventing any outlet and rhythm being established. Mistakes, forced and unforced, errant passes and just poor application littered Villa’s play.

Arshavin’s opener came from a long ball sent up the pitch by Fabianski, missed by Luke Young and James Collins getting in each others’ way leaving acres of space for the Russian to cut into. A quick jig past Richard Dunne and a powerful, driven shot to the far post that Friedel got a hand on, but couldn’t prevent nestling into the side netting. Another defensive slip up, Luke Young won’t want to watch the video.

The second came just six minutes later in the final throes of the half, sound familiar? A long corner by Arshavin cleared everyone in the Villa box, falling nicely to the criminally unmarked Samir Nasri to fire in a sweetly hit volley that took a fortunate deflection from Luke Young attempting to charge the shot down.

2-0 at the break then, and no more than Arsenal deserved after turning their domination into no less than 13 attempts on goal; five on target, Friedel saving three times.

2nd half

Houllier did the right thing during the interval, bringing Nathan Delfouneso on to replace Pires, conceding that the gamble wasn’t paying off, and switching Ash to the right and Downing to the left, but, more importantly, sending his side out with some energy and belief that they could get at Arsenal.

The changes showed from the whistle, Ash immediately down the right before sending in the sort of cross you’d want to see John Carew hungry to dine out on. Unfortunately, lacking fitness or interest, you decide, but the big man was never really at the races today.

Clark leads the way

Instead, another big man, considerably younger though, Ciaran Clark showed composure and class beyond his years collecting a headed clearance just outside the box on his chest before waiting patiently for the ball to sit back up nicely to blast into the top corner. It was an exquisite strike that deserved a goal. Unfortunately, Arsenal fans will point to John Carew standing in front of Fabianski, on the edge of the 6 yard box, having just picked himself up from the last phase of attack, clearly offside and interfering with play.

The comeback seemed on, but only for four minutes; Chamakh taking advantage of another example of bizarre defending from Villa leaving himself a short foot race against Richard Dunne, his pace enough to toe poke it past the advancing Friedel. Sadly, on watching the replays, it looks as if Dunne was prevented from playing Chamakh offside by careless positional sense from Barry Bannan covering the right back position vacated by Luke Young in trying to snuff out the attack.

Stephen Ireland

Stephen Ireland came on for John Carew 10 minutes later, Houllier’s reluctance to make the switch not just down to lack of faith perhaps, but possibly also due to the fact that Villa were finally starting to win things in the air and removing the best weapon we had (potentially) to take advantage didn’t make much sense. In the end though, and who can blame him, Carew’s apparent lack of effort gave Houllier little option.

In fairness to Ireland, although still a long way from what we’re all hoping for and only a brief opportunity once more, he was much better than what we’ve seen for a while. The fact that he was at least more willing to apply himself added a new dimension to Villa’s attack.

Ireland almost turned provider in the 70th minute, a delicate cross from the right meant for Delfouneso cut out at the near post, but the corner won did lead to he 2nd goal. Ashley Young picked out Dunne who headed back toward the near post where Clark had drifted into space and stretched in the air to get enough on the ball to redirect it in. Curiously, the defender had spurned a chance to add a 2nd goal, dragging his shot just wide, minutes earlier and could well have taken the match ball home otherwise.

Barnstormers

That set up a barnstorming finish and surely every onlooker must have had serious questions about Arsenal’s ability to see this out. Wenger withdrew his key attacking threats, Nasri and Arshavin, with five minutes left on the clock, Kieran Gibbs and Denilson their defensive replacements and Houllier responded by sending Chris Herd in to replace Bannan, his lack of height clearly not conducive to the big finish.

Richard Dunne was dispatched forward as an auxilery striker, Collins playing as the long ball distributor ahead of Young and Warnock as temporary centre halves.

Villa were positive to the end, but it was clearly no more sophisticated than hit and hope. Arsenal, to their credit, probably don’t know how to shut up shop and continued to attack, the danger always being that they had every tool necessary to take advantage of such a slack defensive set up.

Unsurprisingly then, once again with practically the last kick of the game, despite desperate and extremely tired defending from the home side, Arsenal found themselves with an overlap in the box and Chamakh was able to loft a simple rainbow ball over to Wilshere to nod in his first Premiership goal.

Where now?

So what to make of this one then? Arsenal were fantastic during the first half, take nothing away from them, but Villa were awful. Arsenal played their part, they harried Villa at every chance, but the pace seemed deliberately slow, almost as if designed to accommodate Pires.

Although there was little choice; they had to chase the game, the injection of pace after the break, with Delfouneso replacing Pires, was palpable. Once again, as discussed in the preview, with Arsenal being the side they are, Ash and Downing were always going to enjoy a little more space to get round the outside on their natural sides, but I’m not sure the first half would have been radically different had Houllier elected to go that way from the outset.

Unfortunately, and this was always the concern, that wraps up November as far as the Premier League is concerned and we now look forward to a December programme that begins with a trip to Anfield and ends with a trip to Eastlands, Tottenham paying their visit to Villa Park beforehand and only Wigan and West Brom offering anything to feel much optimism about.

The fact that those games against Wigan and West Brom are likely to be six pointers that may well decide whether we’re in the bottom three at the start of 2011 might take a little shine off any optimism, but I don’t see us in any danger of being there come the end of the season.

Aston Villa: Friedel; Young, Dunne, Collins, Warnock; Bannan (Herd), Clark, Pires (Delfouneso), Downing, Young; Carew (Ireland). Unused subs: Guzan, Beye, Hogg, Lichaj.

Arsenal: Fabianski; Koscielny, Squillaci, Sagna, Clichy; Song, Wilshere, Nasri (Gibbs); Arshavin (Denilson), Rosicky (Djourou), Chamakh. Unused subs: Szczęsny, Walcott, Van Persie, Bendtner.