Arsenal legend Ian Wright has criticised the Gunners players for their lack of game-management after their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa.

Mikel Arteta’s side went behind at Villa Park as Matty Cash opened the scoring for the hosts but Leandro Trossard struck in the second half to pull the Gunners level.

Villa pushed for a winner and it eventually came in the fifth minute of injury time as Emi Buendia pounced on a loose ball in Arsenal’s penalty area to fire past David Raya.

The defeat still leaves Arsenal top of the Premier League but their lead has been cut to just two points following Manchester City’s 3-0 win at home to Sunderland.

Wright believes Arsenal’s players should have been more conservative in the closing stages of the game against Villa in order to secure a point away from home.

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“I think you’ve got to look at the substitutions he [Emery] made, Malen coming on, offensive, Buendia coming on, offensive, I think that should have been the signal to Arsenal to say, ‘right, ‘let’s shut up shop now because they’re going for it’,” Wright told Premier League Productions (via Metro).

Asked if that meant Arsenal’s game management was not right, Wright replied: ‘No, it was not.

“I think once you get past 85 minutes I think Arsenal going there, let’s face it, Villa with the chances they had could have won the game, you then say, ‘let’s take what we’ve got now and get back to London’.”