Arsenal 4-1 Aston Villa
by Layth Yousif
at Ashburton Grove

WHILE fireworks invariably appear on New Year’s Eve, it was Arsenal’s superb performance that certainly lit up north London 24 hours before the big night. 

The outstanding Gunners displayed their true Premier League title credentials by routing Unai Emery’s sorry Aston Villa side 4-1 on a night to remember in Islington. 

Villa came to N5 on the crest of a wave after winning a club record 11 games on the bounce — but were absolutely blown away by an astonishing second-half performance full of relentless verve, power and a single-minded determination to achieve victory in such a crucial clash. 

The attitude came in stark contrast to the visitors’ appalling defensive mindset that came through scandalous first-half time-wasting tactics, mostly via former Gunners keeper Emi Martinez, as the sides went in goalless at the break. 

However, two goals in 240 seconds shortly after the interval stunned pretenders Villa. The first coming from Gabriel, before Martin Zubimendi doubled the lead. That was before Leo Trossard and Jesus added two further strikes to light up the stadium, as the home side outclassed the pretenders from Villa Park, despite a late consolation from Ollie Watkins. 

Speaking after the match, a delighted Arteta, shrugging off Emery’s sour-faced decision to walk off the pitch at the end of the match without seeking to shake hands with his Basque compatriot, said: “I’m so happy. 

“We play every three days, we played an opponent today that comes from 11 wins in a row, a superb team, very difficult to play against and we knew that we were going to have periods throughout the game.”

Another big game, another big game injury for Arsenal. 

This time it was Declan Rice, who, as boss Arteta explained before the match, received a ‘big kick’ on his knee at the start of the 2-1 win over Brighton last time out, when, arguably the player of the season so far filled in at right-back. With the knee swelling up, the huge clash against Villa was too early to be considered for selection. 

Rice’s absence was only the fourth Premier League game that the £105 million midfielder has missed for Arsenal since signing for the club in 2023.

By way of compensation, Jurrien Timber returned to the side after missing the victory over the Seagulls, while the influential Brazil defender Gabriel also started after returning from injury in the same game. Meaning the centre-back resumed his partnership with William Saliba, with the pair starting their first match together since the 2-2 draw at Sunderland in early November. The Gunners also received a huge boost with Kai Havertz named on the bench.

Villa were looking for a 12th straight win in all competitions, which would have been their longest winning run since the club were formed in 1874.

Emery made five changes to the side that beat Chelsea to move within three points of the Gunners at the top of the table. Watkins started after his two goals from the bench in that win at Stamford Bridge. No Matty Cash or Boubacar Kamara who missed out through suspension, with injuries to Pau Torres, Ross Barkley and Tyrone Mings.

Amid the smoke from the pre-match fireworks and lightshow involving what seemed to be mostly fans instructed to wave mobile phones in the air — although it was a moot point to ponder why such a big a game required vacuous stimulus — the home side started brightly.

On six minutes Viktor Gyokeres headed over Piero Hincapie’s cross, when well-placed in the box. Leading to boos aimed at former Gunner Emi Martinez, who appeared to be intent on time wasting so early on. 

Such dreadfully negative tactics seemed even harder to fathom when Villa displayed their attacking instincts. Amadou Onana particularly prominent early on in the heart of battle against a home side missing the hugely influential Rice. 

Villa really should have gone ahead amid Arsenal revealing rare defensive vulnerabilities, when Watkins raced through with only David Raya to beat, before the England international snatched at his shot to fire wide when he should have scored. 

On 22 minutes Leo Trossard drilled a low effort that Martinez gathered safely. It was Trossard who helped Arsenal edge even closer to an opener when Gyokeres met the Belgium’s teasing ball into the box, but the Swedish striker’s header once again flew over the bar.

Yet the opening 45 minutes were mostly notable for Martinez’s scandalous time-wasting tactics, that had the home crowd howling in disgust, as the visitors retreated back into a nervous feebleness. 

However, positive attitudes and mindsets make all the difference — because league titles have never been won by cowardice and timidity.

As we were to discover. 

So it was that this Arsenal vintage — powered by the hurt from three years’ worth of second place finishes — decided to up the ante against such a defensive-minded side. 

Their boldness was repaid with Gabriel’s goal on 48 minutes to put Arteta’s side 1-0 ahead. 

VAR decreeing there was nothing wrong with the 28-year-old’s effort, when leaping next to Martinez from Bukayo Saka’s corner. The ball coming off the Brazil defender and into the net, with the only question being whether his elbow interfered with the Argentine net-minder. It didn’t. And so, the goal was given, as the stadium erupted in relief as much as delight. 

Deep joy was to emerge shortly afterwards, when Zubimendi doubled the home side’s lead four minutes later to make it 2-0, finishing with a flourish after latching onto skipper Martin Odegaard’s beautiful slide rule pass that cut through the heart of the Villa backline. 

In the aftermath of home celebrations, it became deliciously evident Martinez had decided to end his infernal time-wasting tactics, now that Villa had to display attacking intent. 

Yet, Martinez is not a World Cup winner for nothing, and underlined the far more acceptable side of his game, when somehow denying Odegaard’s low drive that appeared to be heading into the far corner. 

Yet, rampant Arsenal were not to be denied, and made it 3-0 through Trossard’s effort on 69 minutes, when VAR correctly ruled that Saka was not offside in the build-up to the Belgian’s excellent strike. 

Worse was to come for hapless Villa when Jesus made it 4-0 - leaving the home support in raptures, with Villa’s title challenge ruptured, despite Watkins late strike to make it 4-1. 

Although it has to be said, any team that has pretensions of challenging for the Premier League title should simply not be displaying such cowardice and faintheartedness through embarrassingly awful delaying tactics in the opening 45 minutes of such an important match. 

Justice was done, when Arsenal stepped up and showed their true class to post a statement victory to move five points clear of Manchester City. 

Pep Guardiola’s City — based on Villa’s abject negativity on a chilly evening in north London — are surely the only domestic challengers to the rampant Gunners in 2026, as Arteta’s side doggedly hunt a first league title in 22 long years. 

No wonder Arteta was delighted his Arsenal side “clicked,” reflecting: “Individuals performed in an extraordinary way, we were so efficient in everything we did, and, unlike the last few games, we were so prolific.”