New Delhi: Aston Villa faced Arsenal at their home stadium Villa Park on Friday, in a game that could prove to be extremely significant towards who finishes in the top four the end of the season.
Just five minutes in, Steve Sidwell was inches away from giving Villa the lead with a bullet-header that found the crossbar. The former Arsenal man peeled away from his marker Alex Song to produce the effort which would be the first of many Villa attempts that would bounce back off of the sticks.
Not long after, an important touch from Zat Knight denied Robin Van Persie a clean strike at the ball and made sure Villa stayed in the driving seat.
Luke Young was the next to challenge Manuel Almunia with a 22 yard drive that was intercepted on it's way towards goal by a deflection from French veteran Mikaël Silvestre. Almunia looked uncomfortable throughout anytime a delivery came near his goal.
Things just wouldn't cool down for Arsenal, as minutes after Young's deadly strike, Sidwell popped up again to force a corner. The midfielder found the ball at his feet after a scramble in the visitor's box, but failed to convert the 12 yard strike. Villa were certainly asking all the questions at this point.
A frustrated Alex Song found himself in the book after a succession of unnecessary tackles, ending with Stilian Petrov. This would prove not to be the Cameroonian's game as an injury he suffered late in the first half saw him be replaced by Aaron Ramsey.
James Milner appeared from nowhere just after the half hour mark, almost converting a beautiful cross from Ashley Young. The sliding attempt from the winger was subsequently kept out of the net by a combination of Almunia's gloves and the goalpost.
Forty minutes into the first half, and completely against the run of play, Arsenal took the lead. Denilson, who admittedly had become more and more involved as the game unfolded, pickpocketed a clumsy Nigel Reo-Coker on the edge of the box and ended his time on the ball with a low finish past Brad Friedel.
The excitement was not over yet in the first half. Gabriel Agbonlahor was denied just moments later, what looked to be a clear goal by Frenchman Bacary Sagna. The defender produced a spectacular bicycle kick on the Arsenal goal-line to deny the home side once more. The scoreline as the half came to an end definetly did not reflect the teams' performances.
Three minutes into the second half, Arsenal found the back of the net once more. An Arsenal counterattack saw Abou Diaby jink past two defenders on the half way line and send the ball down the line to Emmanuel Eboué. Diaby continued his run and connected with a return pass from Eboué after entering the box to put the Gunners 2-0 up.
The run of play seemed to have taken a complete one-eighty. Robin Van Persie almost sealed the deal with a drive that looked a cert for goal. The Dutchman's ferocious strike would only richochet back off the post, much to the releif of the Villa fans.
Arsenal were denied again soon after, when Curtis Davies intercepted a clean shot by Eboué, set up by Samir Nasri. Villa were once again very close to going 3-0 down.
Sagna was proving to be a bit of a hero as he produced another goal-line clearance, this time from a Villa build-up ending with a shot from point blank range by Ashley Young.
William Gallas finally got his name on the notability list, but for all the wrong reasons. The French centreback cut Agbonlahor's run short as he chopped the striker down from a nasty angle, resulting in a penalty for the home side. Gareth Barry stepped up to the plate to produce a no-nonsense strike from the spot to put Villa back in the game. Villa 1 - Gunners 2.
Midway through the half, the clubs' managers found the attention of the referee. The gaffers were forced to shake hands after the tussle before the game progressed. Things were heated even on the sidelines.
In the first minute of four added to the second game, Aston Villa found themselves level with the visitors after an emphatic left-footed finish from defender Zat Knight. Petrov's cross was flicked into the path of Knight by Agbonlahor and the home side were once again on level pegging with Arsenal.
The game finished 2-2, which saw Arsene Wenger leave the side of the pitch in a rage, and Villa retaining their top four spot.
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