Emiliano Buendía snatched a dramatic stoppage-time winner to give Aston Villa a thrilling 2–1 victory over Premier League leaders Arsenal, securing a sixth straight home league triumph and sending a powerful message to the rest of the division.

The tempo was fierce from the first whistle, with both goalkeepers tested early. Emiliano Martínez was called into action when Jurrien Timber dispossessed Morgan Rogers to play in Martin Ødegaard, while at the other end Ollie Watkins wriggled into space inside the Arsenal area only to be denied by a sharp save from David Raya.

Bukayo Saka soon began to impose himself, forcing Martínez into a smart stop from distance before heading wide and seeing another effort blocked by Amadou Onana. Arsenal thought they had broken through midway through the first half when Saka squared for Eberechi Eze to finish, but the flag quickly ruled the winger offside.

Villa refused to be intimidated by Arsenal’s pressure. One sweeping move from Boubacar Kamara led to Matty Cash striking fiercely, only for Declan Rice to make a crucial block. But Arsenal couldn’t keep Cash quiet for long — in the 37th minute Pau Torres’ cross was flicked by Timber into the full-back’s path, and he drilled a low finish between Raya’s legs to send Villa Park into raptures.

The visitors tried to respond before the interval, with Ben White and Rice both seeing efforts comfortably saved.

Mikel Arteta reacted with a double substitution at half-time, and Arsenal came out energised. Leandro Trossard peppered Martínez’s goal twice before finally making the breakthrough seven minutes after coming on, pouncing on a loose ball after the Villa goalkeeper could only parry Saka’s cut-back.

Unshaken, Villa went hunting for a second of their own. Watkins continued to threaten while Ian Maatsen sliced wide in a frantic spell following the equaliser. At the opposite end, Martínez produced a brilliant stop to tip over Ødegaard’s strike, and Kamara blocked Saka’s effort from the resulting corner as the contest remained breathless.

As the final minutes approached, Donyell Malen dragged inches past the far post and Noni Madueke hit the side netting, hinting that a draw might be the fair conclusion to an end-to-end battle.

But Villa had one more twist left. Deep into added time, Arsenal failed to clear their lines and Buendía kept his composure amid a scramble in the box, steering home a finish that sent Villa Park into delirium and lifted Unai Emery’s side to second — for the moment — in the Premier League table.

The result cuts Arsenal’s lead at the top to just three points and brings an end to their 18-match unbeaten run in all competitions, while Villa celebrate a seventh consecutive victory to underline their title-race credentials.