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Arsenal will enter 2026 with a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League as they continue their quest for the club’s very own holy grail, and judging by this game of two halves against putative title rivals they may need it.
A scrappy, angst-ridden opening 45 minutes was followed by a performance of complete dominance kickstarted by two goals in the space of five minutes from Gabriel Magalhães and Martín Zubimendi at the start of the second half. Leandro Trossard added a third with 20 minutes left before the substitute Gabriel Jesus rubbed salt in Aston Villa’s wounds to compound their first defeat in 12 matches and leave them six points adrift of the leaders in third.
Arsenal had fought their way to five unconvincing wins since losing the reverse fixture to the last kick of the game at Villa Park 25 days ago so needed a statement victory, and delivered emphatically.
Mikel Arteta’s side had missed the injured Declan Rice badly during the first half, and without some poor finishing from Ollie Watkins would have fallen behind, but capitalised on an injury sustained by Villa’s midfield talisman Amadou Onana to run riot in the second half.
While Arteta was able to select Gabriel from the start after the centre-back returned from a 10-match layoff from the bench against Brighton last weekend and Jurriën Timber was also back, he remained without the left-back Riccardo Calafiori, who was joined on the sidelines by Declan Rice.
Arsenal’s totemic midfielder had provided an unusual demonstration of his value by filling in for Timber at right-back against Brighton, even playing on after sustaining a knee injury, which he may have been regretting when he was ruled out in Monday’s team meeting.
Emery’s hands were also tied to an extent, with Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara missing through suspension, while the Spaniard made three further changes from Saturday’s 2-1 win at Chelsea, most notably starting Watkins, who had scored two goals from the bench at Stamford Bridge. Jadon Sancho, Amadou Onana, Lucas Digne and Lamare Bogarde also returned to the starting lineup.
The nerves that have blighted Arsenal’s recent performances – pray for the good people of Islington if they stay in the title race until the bitter end this season – do not usually take effect until the second half of games, and true to form they started brightly. With comeback kings Villa happy to sit in and play on the counterattack, Arsenal initially dominated possession without creating a great deal. A Piero Hincapié cross was headed over the bar by Viktor Gyökeres, whose five league goals (and just two since September) are looking like an extremely poor return for Arsenal’s £64m investment.
After weathering the early storm Villa grew into the game, as it became increasingly clear that Arsenal were badly missing Rice in midfield. The athletic Onana in particular was a real menace, winning the ball in his own half and carrying it forward with purpose, and with better finishing the visitors should have taken a first-half lead, which would have really worried the locals.
Onana served notice of his attacking threat in the 12th minute when he ran from his own half into Arsenal’s penalty area only to be halted by Gabriel’s trailing leg, but Darren England rightly concluded that the accidental contact was insufficient to warrant a penalty. Villa’s real chances fell to Watkins, who spurned two great opportunities in five minutes to put them in front. Ezri Konsa caught Gyökeres in possession and released Watkins, who shot wide at the near post, before then shooting across goal from a similar position on the left after being released by another smart pass from Emi Buendía.
Arteta was pacing the touchline with more agitation than usual by this point midway through the first half, and with good reason. A break in play caused by a hamstring injury to Onana, who played on after some judicious stretching, helped Arsenal regain their equilibrium if not any fluency.
Trossard found some occasional openings down the left, aiming a tame shot at Emiliano Martínez and crossing for Gyökeres to miss the target yet again with a diving header, but that was the sum total of Arsenal’s disappointing first-half efforts.
By the brink of half-time Arteta’s antics had degenerated sufficiently for England to have a quiet word, which seemed to involve the suggestion that he return to his seat, a futile act akin to asking New Year’s Eve revellers to leave the pub before midnight.
Arteta’s mood improved considerably two minutes into the second half, when Arsenal took the lead with the kind of scrappy goal that is becoming their trademark. Four of Arsenal’s past six goals had been own goals, and this was another festive gift, with Martínez spilling Bukayo Saka’s corner under pressure from Gabriel, who headed in from close range.
The video assistant referee, Jarred Gillett, took a close look as Gabriel’s arm was raised and close to his former teammate’s face, but correctly took no action. Arsenal’s second goal five minutes later showcased their other qualities, coming from high pressing and impish attacking play. Martin Ødegaard dispossessed Jadon Sancho and fed his namesake Zubimendi, who beat Martínez with a clinical finish with the outside of his right foot to spark delirium tinged with relief.
Villa’s remarkable run of 11 successive victories had included five straight wins from losing positions away from home, but they did not threaten a fightback on this occasion.
Trossard made sure of the points after Digne had failed to clear Ødegaard’s cross from the left in the 69th minute, while 10 minutes later the Belgian created the fourth for Jesus, who beat Martínez with a curling shot just a minute after being brought on by Arteta. Watkins later scored an injury-time consolation.
