Mikel Arteta urged his wounded Arsenal stars to show character and leadership after their Premier League title challenge suffered a hammer blow in Sunday’s 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa.

Arteta’s side would have gone back to the top of the table with a victory at the Emirates Stadium. But instead, Arsenal were beaten for the first time in 12 league games as two goals in the last six minutes from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins rocked their title dreams. The second-placed Gunners are two points behind leaders Manchester City with six games left.