Gary Neville picked up on a ‘strange’ moment involving Ben White during Arsenal’s clash against Aston Villa today.
It turned out to be a frustrating afternoon for Arsenal as they struggled to break down a resilient Aston Villa side.
The Gunners went close in the first half as Leandro Trossard was denied by an exceptional save from former Arsenal man Emiliano Martinez.
Bukayo Saka also saw an effort fly just wide of Martinez’s goal but it was Villa who stepped things up in the second half.
The Villains started to enjoy more possession after the break and it’s fair to say that Unai Emery’s men deserved a 2-0 victory in the end.
Leon Bailey struck first and Ollie Watkins wrapped up the victory with a delightful chipped effort to beat David Raya.
Mikel Arteta did attempt to swing the game back in his side’s favour with a couple of substitutes in the 67th minute.
The Spaniard opted to bring on Takehiro Tomiyasu for Ben White, while Trossard was also replaced by Gabriel Martinelli.
And Gary Neville spotted a ‘strange’ moment involving White just moments before he was replaced.
Neville on ‘strange’ White moment
Speaking on Sky Sports’ coverage of today’s game, Neville claimed that White pulled out of a challenge on John McGinn just minutes before he was taken off.
“Ben White pulled out of a 50/50 with McGinn probably about two minutes ago and I was wondering if there was something up with him,” Neville said.
“It may be tactical but I thought it was a strange thing for Ben White to do. It doesn’t look like he’s limping or carrying anything.”
Arsenal suffer huge blow in Premier League title race
With Liverpool losing earlier on Sunday, the pressure was on for Arteta’s side to capitalise.
Despite a dominant first-half display, you have to credit Villa for their second-half performance at the Emirates.
Manchester City will be delighted with the weekend’s results and with just six games left to play, Pep Guardiola’s men lead the way.
Arsenal will have to recover quickly following a disappointing result as they remain just two points adrift of league leaders City.
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