Arsenal 3-1 Aston Villa
by Layth Yousif
at Ashburton Grove

Arsenal beat Aston Villa 3-1 with a convincing display of firepower at an atmospheric Arsenal stadium on Friday evening. 

In an adventurous and high-tempo performance full of energy, verve, creativity and commitment, Mikel Arteta’s Gunners blew away the tepid visitors to deliver what was arguably the best performance under his management. 

On an entertaining night featuring many excellent performances from the north Londoners, who opted for a 4-4-2 formation – as lively as they were sluggish during the 2-2 draw with Crystal Place four days previously – former academy graduate starlet Emile Smith Rowe shone.