Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal put their treble cup heartbreak behind them to climb into
the top three of the Premiership - with a fortuitous goal from Abou
Diaby sinking Martin O'Neill's side.
Diaby, whose only other goal for the Gunners was against Villa at
Highbury last season, inadvertently deflected a mishit shot from
Julio Baptista past Thomas Sorensen after 10 minutes.
It enabled the visitors to move ahead of Liverpool in the battle to
claim a Champions League spot.
Arsenal had been beaten in the Carling Cup final and then crashed
out of the FA Cup and Champions League in the space of 11 dismal
days.
But if they could have hand-picked a fixture in which to bounce
back the treble blow then it would have been Villa and they are now
unbeaten in 17 matches with the midlands club.
Arsenal, lacking four players through suspension plus the injured
Thierry Henry, were not at their free-flowing best.
But they still would have won more comfortably and Jeremie
Aliadiere could have finished with a hat-trick had he shown more
clinical finishing.
Cesc Fabregas impressed in the centre of midfield for the Gunners,
who are now two points in front of Liverpool and with a game in
hand.
Villa's main threat came from John Carew - whose goals had twice
eliminated the Gunners from the Champions League when with Valencia
- although captain Gareth Barry also impressed.
But two wins in the last 17 league games means Villa are still
looking over their shoulder at the wrong end of the table rather
than contemplating a late surge for a European spot.