Aston Villa were immensely relieved to haul themselves out of the league’s relegation zone with one match left to play after beating Arsenal 1-0 on Tuesday evening.
The winning goal was netted by Trezeguet in the 27th minute with Villa one above Watford on goal difference and out of the bottom three for the first time since February.
This has resulted in the setting up of a dramatic relegation avoidance clash finale on Sunday, with Villa, Watford and Bournemouth locked in a three-way fight against the drop. Villa and Watford sit three points ahead of Bournemouth, with all three teams facing away games in the last round.
Arteta’s Arsenal will now need to secure a win the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Aug. 1 at Wembley to secure a place in the Europa League next season, with a possible finish as low as 10th place in the Premier League despite hoping to achieve a top four finish.
The visitors came close on a few attempts with the closest hitting the post through Eddie Nketiah in the 77th minute but never reached the heights they hit in beating Liverpool, in the league, and Manchester City, in the FA Cup semifinals, in their previous games.
Adding spice to the occasion, a plane towing the message “Back Arteta Kroenke Out” – a reference to Stan Kroenke, the Arsenal owner – flew above Villa Park at the start of the match and served as a reminder of the simmering anger felt by some fans against Kroenke, with the Gunners now facing a trying fourth season outside the Champions League.