Unai Emery missed the chance to go within four points of Arsenal in the Premier League table as Aston Villa lost to Everton.
Matchday 22 wasn’t just a weekend of missed opportunities for Villa, but for Arsenal too, who recorded another winless week in the Premier League.
Arsenal’s attacking frailties cost them against Nottingham Forest, as the match ended 0-0, leaving Declan Rice frustrated that the Gunners couldn’t extend their lead at the top of the table to nine points.
It was a disappointing performance, but Mikel Arteta’s side still ended the matchweek seven points clear in the title race, with the action elsewhere being as good as a win.
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Unai Emery’s bizarre view on Aston Villa emphasises the opportunity Arsenal have
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City looked awful at Old Trafford, losing 2-0 in the Manchester derby.
The result would’ve delighted Arsenal, but Aston Villa’s defeat was even more significant, as after the game, Emery exposed a weakness at Villa.
In an interview with Sky Sports, which Jamie Redknapp described as ‘the oddest’ he’d ever seen, Emery stated that Villa aren’t title contenders, nor top five contenders.
“We are not contender to be in the top five. We are still not being contenders,” Emery said.
“There are other teams with more potential than us,” he concluded, before the interview was wrapped up.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  ArsenalArsenal | 22 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 40 | 14 | 26 | 50 |
| 2 |  Manchester CityManchester City | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 45 | 21 | 24 | 43 |
| 3 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 33 | 25 | 8 | 43 |
| 4 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 33 | 29 | 4 | 36 |
What the former Arsenal manager was trying to get across was unclear, but from the outside, it suggested that there’s a level of fragility behind the scenes at Villa.
From an Arsenal point of view, it made one thing so clear: Arteta has to win the league.
With all of the big six underperforming and Emery combating a bigger issue behind the scenes at Villa, the wheel is there for Arsenal to take.
Already being seven points clear has given Arteta an element of control that cannot be squandered.
Putting points aside, Arsenal’s title rivals are miles behind the Gunners in terms of where their respective projects are, so now, it really is time for the North Londoners to claim what is theirs.
Arsenal’s clash with Manchester United could be the most important game of the season
Before the action kicked off against Nottingham Forest, Steven Gerrard said that Arsenal had one hand on the title, and he’s right.
There’s no way to sugarcoat it; no team is up to Arsenal’s standard, so now, the Gunners must respond.
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What better way to respond than in their next Premier League match against Manchester United, which will be tougher than anticipated with Michael Carrick at the helm.
It’s not that a victory would be a statement-sender, but more that avoiding dropping points is absolutely essential to show that the mentality of champions is there.
The idea of going three games without a league win when sitting so comfortably at the top would be a nightmare for Arsenal, who need to beat United to relieve pressure above anything else.
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