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Arsenal's title hopes suffered a significant setback as they squandered a two-goal lead against Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, drawing criticism from club legend Paul Merson who labeled their performance "atrocious."
The Gunners initially appeared to be cruising towards victory after Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz converted crosses from Leandro Trossard on either side of halftime, establishing a comfortable 2-0 advantage. However, their control of the match unraveled as Villa mounted a remarkable comeback through goals from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins.
The collapse has left Arsenal with just one victory in their last five matches across all competitions. More concerningly, they now find themselves six points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, who also hold a game in hand, severely denting their championship aspirations.
Merson, who claimed two First Division titles during his illustrious career with Arsenal, delivered a scathing assessment of his former club's performance on Sky Sports. "It's just too lackadaisical, to win Premier League titles you have to be on it, every day of the week, you have to turn up and make it hard," he stated. The former Gunner was particularly critical of the team's defensive approach, pointing to Thomas Partey's casual positioning before Villa's equalizer. "When we look back at the goal, it's atrocious and I'm not sure Arsenal have what it takes to win the league. It's hard, anybody wins cups, but the league is week in, week out and you have to be prepared to defend."
Mikel Arteta's side will need to regroup quickly as they face Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League midweek, followed by a Premier League clash against Wolves on January 25. These upcoming fixtures present crucial opportunities for Arsenal to regain their momentum and prove their critics wrong in their pursuit of silverware this season.
