Matty Cash responds to Aston Villa title talk as 'massive test' passed

Matty Cash scored as Aston Villa beat Arsenal in dramatic fashion, but the defender played down Premier League title talk with a festive response

Matty Cash has described Aston Villa's last-gasp victory over Arsenal as one of his most memorable moments at B6, but he's not ready to entertain talk of a potential title bid just yet. The 28-year-old broke the deadlock against Mikel Arteta's side in the first half, only for Leandro Trossard to level the score shortly after the break.

Emi Buendia then clinched all three points for Villa with the final kick of the game, sending the Holte End into raptures.

"Unbelievable. One of the best [moments]. Unbelievable," an ecstatic Cash shared post-match. "Obviously, I'd come off and there were four minutes left, but I was more nervous than watching the game, to be honest.

"Then, when that went in at the end, wow. I went absolutely mental. I think I jumped on the gaffer at one point. First time I've done that!"

"It felt a little bit surreal, to be honest. It was such a good moment. I think we stayed in the game well. We defended the box well. Had moments ourselves as well to maybe win the game before. Unbelievable, and such a great win."

Villa entered the match fresh from a thrilling 4-3 triumph over Brighton at the Amex last Wednesday, having staged a comeback after the Seagulls netted twice in the opening 30 minutes.

"We didn't get back until, what, two, three in the morning, and then obviously you're in the hotel and it all comes quick and fast," Cash explained. "You've just got to try and prepare the best you can, do a lot of recovery.

"They're [Arsenal] in great form as well, obviously, but we are as well. So we went into the game wanting to win the game. The manager made it clear before the game that we're here to win.

"Obviously, at Villa Park we've got our fans with us. Such a fortress here. So that was the message: to win the game.

"It was a massive test. I think they're probably one of the best teams in Europe. You're looking at the Champions League, they're flying the Premier League. They're probably favourites to win it.

"So it was definitely a big challenge for us to see where we were at. We were probably saying the same thing when we played against Man City as well and managed to beat them. But it's still early days. I think they're a fantastic team. They're going to be up there all season. I think we've shown in recent times that we can sort of go toe-to-toe with the top teams.

"It's just about staying resilient, defending. You have to defend the box really well because they're such a good team. They can hurt you at any point."

Asked about the possibility of challenging for the title, Cash said: "It's hard to say. When you look where we are at the minute, obviously we're three points behind Arsenal. We're in a fantastic position, but we're not even at Christmas yet. So I think we've got to have a bit of Christmas dinner first before we think about that!

"Obviously, it's obviously great to be in a position, but we've got loads of football left. So, as I said, talking here and now, it's great to be second. We want to keep being consistent and demanding and hopefully we can have a good run."

Cash went on to explain how the squad is developing through European competition: "I think the manager said it the other day, every game we're learning new experiences and we're getting better from it," he continued. "I think obviously when we first got into Europe, it's obviously new to some players."

He reflected on their continental journey: "Then you have a year in the Conference League and you have experiences there. Then you go into the Champions League and it's like, wow, it's new to some players again."

The defender emphasised the value of these learning opportunities: "But every week we're gaining different experiences, you know? And I think that will better us as a team 100%. Obviously this year we've had a lot of experience in Europe in the last few years."

Looking ahead, Cash remained optimistic about their prospects: "Hopefully we can just be up there a lot in the table, up to fifth, sixth, seventh. And obviously now we're sitting second, so hopefully we can just keep this in mind."