Mikel Arteta praises two Arsenal stars after Aston Villa loss

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on two players following the 2-1 Premier League defeat to Aston Villa on the road.

The Gunners faced a tough outing at Villa Park and they looked on course for a hard-fought point before a last-second winner for the hosts.

Speaking after the game, Arteta said that Hincapie and Timber were exceptional as a centre-back pair in the absence of Gabriel and William Saliba.

He said: "Obviously, we know what those two [Gabriel and William Saliba] bring, especially in a game like this. But the other two [Piero Hincapie and Jurrien Timber], I think they were exceptional as well today."

Despite the defeat, Arsenal remain top of the league table with 33 points from 15 games, but they are now just two points ahead of Manchester City in second place.

Meanwhile, Villa are only three points behind the Gunners, and they look serious contenders for the title too after a five-match winning streak.