Arsenal0 - 2Aston Villa

Both teams had chances to take the lead in the first period as Ollie Watkins hit the post before ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made a superb reaction save to deny Leandro Trossard.

The Gunners were ultimately punished for allowing the game to drift in the second period, with Leon Bailey scoring in the 84th minute before Watkins registered his 19th goal of the Premier League season.

The Villans saw out the closing stages to complete a league double over Arsenal and boost their hopes of securing a top-four finish.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are left sitting in second place and two points adrift of leaders Manchester City after entering the weekend in pole position.

Mikel Arteta's side were the last of the title contenders to play on matchday 32 after Manchester City thrashed Luton Town 5-1 on Saturday and Liverpool suffered a surprise defeat in their home meeting with Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

With the Gunners looking to make a positive start, Gabriel Jesus was presented with a promising opportunity in the opening 20 minutes, but he could only send his far post header into the side netting.

Despite receiving little of the ball in the first period, Watkins still managed to threaten the Arsenal goal, with his right-foot strike bouncing off the post to the relief of the home faithful.

Just moments later, Arsenal went agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock when Trossard was denied by Martinez at point-blank range.

Bukayo Saka then fizzed an effort wide of the Argentine's goal, ensuring the two sides went into the break on level terms.

While the second period got off to a cagey start, both teams had opportunities to open the scoring just after the hour mark.

Youri Tielemans picked up the ball on the corner of the box, before seeing his thunderous strike hit the crossbar before brushing the post on the way down.

Jesus then threatened at the opposite end of the pitch, forcing Martinez to make a strong stop down low to his left.

Just as it seemed as though the game would finish goalless, former Arsenal boss Unai Emery saw his Aston Villa side produce a strong finish to snatch all three points.

First, Bailey arrived at the back post to meet Lucas Digne's low cross and guide home his ninth Premier League goal of the season.

Moments later, Watkins latched onto Tielemans's long pass, before driving towards the box and calmly lifting the ball over David Raya.

While the Villans are now three points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal have significant work to do if they are to end their 20-year wait for the Premier League title.

The Gunners will have to quickly pick themselves up for Wednesday's trip to the Allianz Arena for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie with Bayern Munich.