Gary Lineker mocks Arsenal after Aston Villa collapse with brutal verdict on title race twist

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker has compared Arsenal to Tottenham Hotspur after a late collapse against Aston Villa in the Premier League.

The Gunners went into the clash with Villa knowing they could return to the top of the league with a victory. Earlier in the day, Liverpool lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace to keep Manchester City at the top of the division.

However, Arsenal struggled to break down a resolute Villa side and were punished in the final five minutes of normal time. Leon Bailey bagged the opener on 84 minutes when he converted a cross which flashed across the face of the goal.

Three minutes later the game was pushed out of the reach of Mikel Arteta's team as boyhood Arsenal fan Ollie Watkins produced a magnificent chip to strengthen his team's top-four ambitions. After the second goal went in, Lineker could not help but poke fun at the Gunners with an adaptation of the 'Spursy' insult which haunts their North London rivals.

He tweeted: "It’s all gone a bit Gunnersy." This was followed by praise for the visitor's head coach and ex-Arsenal boss Unai Emery.

Lineker later added: "Unai Emery is absolutely an elite coach. Master class."

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Sunday's result leaves the Gunners second in the Premier League table, two points behind leaders City with six games of the season remaining. The top three clubs will not face each other between now and the end of the campaign.

Arteta's men must now dust themselves off ahead of the trip to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday night before returning to Premier League action next Saturday away at Wolverhampton Wanderers.