“These are not young players anymore, you should know this” - Martin O’Neill calls out Arsenal star for not being sensible in loss to Aston Villa

Former Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill has criticized Arsenal winger Noni Madueke for his decision-making after the Gunners suffered a 2-1 loss against Aston Villa. The two sides locked horns in the Premier League at Villa Park on Saturday, December 6.

The Villans had an excellent start, taking the lead in the 36th minute through Matty Cash's unstoppable finish. However, Arsenal got back into the game in the second half, with Leandro Trossard leveling the scores in the 52nd minute. Unfortunately for the Gunners, Emiliano Buendia netted in the fifth minute of stoppage time to secure all three points for Aston Villa, ending the visitors' unbeaten run in the process.

O'Neill was far from impressed by the Gunners' game management as they prioritized pushing for the winner over taking a draw. He pointed out how Noni Madueke opted to shoot from a tight angle instead of taking the ball to the corner to waste time, stating (via Now Arsenal):

"I think some players have to take responsibility. You [Wright] mentioned Madueke should have run it into the corner, these are the type of things, the manager would have been encouraging him to do exactly that."

He added:

"So you’re talking about the game management, sometimes it’s not down to the manager, he would’ve been shouting, Madueke wouldn’t have been able to have heard him, but he would’ve been shouting take it to the corner. I think you know this, these are not young players any more, you should know this, you know the last five minutes of a match will be very tight, you know what the manager’s thinking, he would’ve taken a draw."

He continued:

“It’s great to be offensive, and it’s great to be thinking you can score in the last minute, let’s say Madueke had broken through and suddenly something opened up for him and he scored a goal, there would be nobody in the dressing room saying they were going for that."

"Again, you’re away from home against a side who are right up alongside you, and this is a very, very important stage of the season… the last thing you want to surrender is that great record you’ve had in the circumstances you’ve had. Had Villa scored 15 minutes earlier and you’re then desperate to get an equaliser yourself, fine, absolutely change it up, but when you’re holding on to something, and you’ve had a bit of luck 10 minutes earlier, take that luck and just run it into the corner.”

Arsenal remain at the top of the Premier League table with 33 points from 15 games, two points above second-placed Manchester City.

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How did Arsenal fare during their 2-1 loss against Aston Villa?

Arsenal's 18-match unbeaten run came to an abrupt end after Aston Villa secured a last-gasp 2-1 win at home. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams fared:

As per FotMob, the Gunners had more possession with 53 percent of the ball, completing 373 passes with an accuracy of 85 percent. On the other hand, Aston Villa had 47 percent possession and completed 320 passes with an accuracy of 82 percent.

The hosts were more threatening going forward, landing 15 shots in total, with six being on target (xG of 2.27). Meanwhile, Arsenal mustered 15 shots, with nine being on target, garnering a lower xG of 1.84.