Arsenal fight back to lift pressure

Jan 29, 2012, 19:33 GMT

London - Arsenal scored three times in seven second-half minutes as they overturned a 2-0 half-time deficit to beat Aston Villa 3-2 in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday.

First-half goals from Richard Dunne and Darren Bent gave Villa a two-goal half-time cushion, but by the 61st minute, Arsenal were ahead as two Robin van Persie penalties and a goal from Theo Walcott turned the game on its head.

'It was very important,' Van Persie told ESPN. 'At 2-0 down, it's always going to be a hard task to come back.

'But a crazy (few) minutes in the second half changed the game.

'Credit to the team. We all did it. Credit to all of them because we worked hard and we're still in it.'

Dunne headed Aston Villa into a 33rd-minute lead from a Robbie Keane cross as Arsenal failed to defend a short-corner routine.

And 12 minutes later it got worse: Bent finishing from a narrow angle after his initial shot had been saved by Lukasz Fabianski as Arsenal's defence capitulated once again.

Arsenal were booed off at half-time, but hit back nine minutes into the second half, Dunne tripped Aaron Ramsey, and Van Persie converting.

Two minutes later, Walcott bundled in a second, Alan Hutton's clearance bouncing in off him after his initial shot looked like being cleared.

And then Bent fouled Laurent Koscielny, giving Van Persie another goal from the spot.

'We still had chances to at least get a draw,' said Villa boss Alex McLeish. 'A terrible eight minutes we had. I thought the second penalty was a bit harsh.

'We've just got to take it on the chin and move on to the next league game.'

Arsenal face either Sunderland or Middlesbrough in the fifth round after the north-east rivals drew 1-1 in their tie at the Stadium of Light.

Fraizer Campbell ended 18 months of injury frustration as he came off the bench to score Sunderland's equalizer.

Barry Robson volleyed the Championship side into a 16th-minute lead as John O'Shea twice failed to clear Faris Haroun's cross.

Robson had probably been the best player on the pitch, but it was his mistake that led to the equalizer.

James McClean intercepted his slack pass and laid in Campbell to score 14 minutes into his return after more than 500 days out.

'I'm delighted for Fraizer Campbell,' said Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill. 'I'm very pleased indeed; he's been out for a long time. His enthusiasm has never waned and neither has his determination.

'He has had a lot of setbacks, so it was fantastic for him to go and get the equalizing goal and great to see him celebrating.'

The teams meet again in 10 days at the Riverside.