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Arsenal headed into a tough away clash against Aston Villa with the knowledge that only a win would see the Gunners return to the top of the Premier League table after a Mohamed Salah inspired Liverpool had earlier leap-frogged them with a 2 1 win at Crystal Palace.

If there is one ground Mikel Arteta wouldn't have wanted to travel to at the time, it would be Villa Park, as Unai Emery's team had just come off the back of an impressive 1 0 win over Manchester City in the previous fixture. The Villans had won 14 successive league games on home turf heading into the fixture that saw second place in the table meet third place.

It was the home side that started the game the quickest as Leon Bailey - the match-winner in the aforementioned success over Man City - tore down the right flank and pulled the ball back to John McGinn in the middle of the penalty area. The Villa captain controlled the ball while turning, before firing past a despairing David Raya into the far corner of the goal. It was the Scotland international's fourth Premier League goal of the 2023/24 campaign, and it was enough to separate the two sides at the half-time break.

The second period was a fiercely contested battle that saw chances fall to either side, with Martin Odegaard and Lucas Digne failing to convert for their respective teams. Continuing to battle away, the hosts were able to keep an energetic Arsenal attack largely quiet. The visitors thought they had snatched a late draw as Eddie Nketiah bundled the ball over the line, but Arteta's men were denied as the referee spotted a handball prior to Nketiah's finish.

The three points see Villa move to just one point behind Arsenal and two behind the new league leaders, Liverpool. While it is still early in the season, fans of the club may be quietly starting to grow in confidence that a special season could be in store.

It will be a bitter pill to swallow for the Gunners, who were coming off the back of a dramatic late win against Luton Town in their last match. All the praise is rightly heading in Aston Villa's direction, however, as Emery is doing a stunning job.

This marked the 15th consecutive home win in the Premier League, a run that extends back to the end of the 2022/23 campaign. The last team to win a league match at Villa Park as the away side was Arsenal - in a 4 2 victory back in February 2023.

Man City, Tottenham and Newcastle have all been conquered by Aston Villa during this sensational run of form. Sheffield United are the next side to visit the home ground of the team that now find themselves in third place in the table, but can Chris Wilder's relegation-threatened side end the run of domination?