‘Anything could happen’ – Gary Neville tips Aston Villa to ‘shock the world’ ahead of Arsenal clash
Aston Villa have seemingly appeared from nowhere after rising to third in the Premier League table with a victory over Brighton on Wednesday.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side threw away a two-goal lead at the Amex Stadium on 3 December, with out-of-form Ollie Watkins scoring twice before half-time to rule out Jan Paul van Hecke‘s effort and a Pau Torres own goal.
Donyell Malen continued his potent Villa form, but only after Amadou Onana gave the Villans a lead, rendering Van Hecke’s second goal on the night completely meaningless.
After such a horrendous opening few games of the 2025-26 campaign, fans feared the worst for Unai Emery and his players, but they have since pulled it back to be just six points behind Arsenal.
Although the Gunners are favourites for the Premier League title, Gary Neville is not ready to rule out anything.
Aston Villa could cause chaos against Arsenal at Villa Park
Speaking on The Gary Neville podcast (5 December), he said: “They’ve got some talented players. Any form of performance or consistency is going to see you travel quite quickly up that table.
“They deserve to be where they are. Why not? Everyone else is dropping points; go and do what you have to do. Take the opportunity that is there in front of you.
“Shock the world. Go and finish second. Anything could happen. I really like Villa as a football club, and I like Unai Emery. I think he’s a fantastic, great coach, and he’s one of the best in the league.”
Despite winning none of their first league matches of the current campaign, the Villans are now on a six-game winning streak across all competitions, closing the gap on Arsenal at the top of the league table.
Ollie Watkins can haunt Mikel Arteta after failed transfer
Watkins has returned to form at the perfect time, with Villa having the perfect chance to really cement themselves as title contenders this season.
Fans across the Premier League are aware of the Gunners’ failed bid to sign the England international, and that could come back to bite Arteta as his side lead the title race currently.
Man City beat Fulham in a nine-goal thriller to move within five points of their rivals, with the London club making light work of their home game against Brentford on Wednesday, 3 December.
If Watkins has anything to say about the game, the Gunners should be rather concerned, given that the striker has six goals in 11 meetings against them, two of which have come in the last three games.
Neville is certainly right when it comes to only worrying about your own results and performances, and Emery’s side have done exactly that.