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Unai Emery hails Arsenal's comeback win

Unai Emery hailed the character of his 10-man Arsenal, who came from behind to beat Aston Villa 3-2 and move back into the English Premier League's top four on Sunday.

An 84th-minute free-kick by forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sealed a vital comeback victory after three winless outings in the league.

"For me, there are two things I will take from today. One is the character, spirit and connection with the supporters. And two, how we can improve defensively," said Emery.

Villa went ahead through John McGinn in the 20th minute, and Arsenal made it tougher for themselves as Ainsley Maitland-Niles was shown a second yellow card just before half-time for a sliding challenge on Neil Taylor.

Pepe equalised from the spot for the Gunners in the 59th minute, but Wesley restored Villa's one-goal cushion a minute later.

Calum Chambers was in the right place nine minutes from time to score his first Arsenal goal since 2016, before Aubameyang drilled his seventh goal of the season beyond the unsighted Tom Heaton.

Villa's failure to use their numerical advantage in the final half hour left manager Dean Smith frustrated.

"We gave three stupid goals away," said Smith. - AFP

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