Buendia stuns Gunners in stoppage time at Villa, champions blow two leads at Leeds amid Egyptian’s explosive interview
Arsenal suffered their first defeat in 19 matches, losing 2-1 at Aston Villa as Emiliano Buendía smashed home a stoppage-time winner after Leandro Trossard’s equalizer canceled out Matty Cash’s opener. The Gunners trailed at halftime due to Eberechi Eze’s lapse allowing Cash’s far-post finish, despite David Raya’s early heroics denying Ollie Watkins. Mikel Arteta’s halftime changes injected life, but Villa’s intensity prevailed in a chaotic finale, exposing Arsenal’s fragile away form with first-half concessions in their last three road games.
Elsewhere, champions Liverpool blew a 2-0 lead and then a 3-2 advantage deep into stoppage time, settling for a 3-3 draw at Leeds United that halted their mini-recovery. Ibrahima Konaté’s needless foul gifted Dominic Calvert-Lewin a penalty, Anton Stach leveled soon after, and Ao Tanaka’s corner strike sealed the comeback, capping Leeds’ strong week with victories over Chelsea. Conor Bradley’s rash booking adds defensive woes, while Slot defended Konaté’s inconsistency amid set-piece vulnerabilities.
The result paled besides the Mohamed Salah post-match outburst, accusing Liverpool of “throwing him under the bus” after three straight benchings and claiming “someone doesn’t want me in the club.” The 33-year-old, absent from the Inter Champions League squad, hinted at a January exit amid Saudi and MLS interest, despite his new deal to 2027. Slot retains FSG backing, viewing the omission as tactical for compactness with Dominik Szoboszlai on the right, but Salah’s frustration stems from squad changes post-Diogo Jota’s loss and reduced service in a revamped attack featuring Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.
Arteta lamented Arsenal’s “unusual giveaways” and failure to capitalize on dominance, praising Villa’s quality while urging a bounce-back in a tight title race. Slot dismissed mentality issues at Liverpool, highlighting positives bar the result, but the Salah calculated assault, bracing for Jamie Carragher criticism, threatens dressing-room harmony ahead of AFCON. Both leaders sit close atop the table, their slip-ups handing rivals breathing room.
Leeds harnessed Elland Road spirit under Daniel Farke, with substitutes Wilfried Gnonto, Brenden Aaronson and Tanaka pivotal despite early errors from Joe Rodon and Gabriel Gudmundsson. Liverpool’s chaos underscores a season of defensive lapses, while Arsenal must sharpen focus away from home to sustain their challenge.
