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Mikel Arteta speaks to Sky Sports. “It is a beautiful evening … a very tough match … a top opponent to play against … the first ten minutes were a bit shaky and we had to adjust things … they break our press … after that, we grabbed the game … the way we started the second half was amazing … a rocket [at half-time] was not enough … against them you have to be really meticulous … we adjusted … the players were super-efficient in what they did … we have created a lot of chances in the last few weeks … the quality of our finishing was top.”
As for Unai Emery departing down the tunnel at the final whistle without a handshake: “Not an issue … no problem at all.”
… and as for Arsenal’s current situation, sitting atop both Premier and Champions leagues … “It has been a great 2025 … 2026 we know what we want … we will have to work hard for it every single day.
There was one other late kick-off this evening. Wolverhampton Wanderers have claimed just their third point of the season with a 1-1 draw away at Manchester United. After coming so close to getting something at both Arsenal and Liverpool, perhaps that’s not so much of a surprise. Jamie Jackson was at Old Trafford, and here’s his report.
Gabriel Jesus talks to Sky Sports. “It was amazing … always hard to play against [Villa] … they come here all the time and hurt us … at the beginning they tried to delay the game … but the mentality of this team grows … that’s why we won tonight … the moment [Gabriel] stepped on the pitch, you could see the difference to our back line … this guy loves to defend … he loves to score goals as well!”
His defensive namesake Gabriel, the player of the match, adds: “I always want to help the team … I am so happy to be back … today was a brilliant day for everyone … we need to keep working … we are really happy.”
Post-match postbag. “Few things are as joyful as watching someone with the on-pitch persona of Emi Martinez shipping four goals” – Alexander Whitney
“If anyone needed an illustration as to why Lewis-Skelly isn’t starting much this year, his utter abdication of marking the most dangerous player on the pitch for Villa’s goal would serve as a sufficient illustration” – Alexander Whitney again
“I’m pretty sure I would’ve wished all MBMers a happy New Year anyway, and thanked Scott and his colleagues for another year’s worth of terrific commentary, football lore and more than enough wit to keep us going through the duller games. But a win always helps, doesn’t it? So double thanks all round” – Charles Antaki
… and thanks to you, Charles, and indeed everyone else who emails in and/or reads these things. We’d be nothing without you all.
Arsenal celebrate their most convincing display in a while. The wins here over Wolves and Brighton were unconvincing, and in truth so was their first-half performance tonight. Aston Villa had two or three big opportunities, springing forward on the counter, to establish an early lead. But the league leaders turned it up a notch in the second half. Gabriel’s opener might have been a bit scrappy, but Arsenal’s next three were wonderful free-flowing affairs: so much for this team only being about set pieces and own goals! Arsenal end their year on a high, favourites for the Premier League title; on the evidence of the second half tonight, they might just take some stopping. Aston Villa’s 11-game winning run in all competitions comes to a juddering halt; perhaps talk of a title bid was premature after all. But at the start of the season, they’d have grabbed third place by the end of December with both hands, something that will give them succour when the pain of this defeat subsides.
Updated at 17.37 EST
FULL TIME: Arsenal 4-1 Aston Villa
Arsenal will end 2025 at the top of the Premier League. Five points clear at the top of the Premier League!
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Martin Zubimendi celebrate after the final whistle. Photograph: David Klein/ReutersShare
Updated at 17.27 EST
90 min +8: The xG is now suddenly a bit daft: 3.05-2.59.
90 min +7: Watkins is booked for telling it as he sees it.
90 min +6: No clean sheet for Arsenal, then. They stay on nine for the season. Up the other end, Zubimendi dances around on the right-hand side of the six-yard box but his cross-cum-shot hits Lindelof on the arm. No penalty, even though his arm was up. Nobody knows anything any more.
ShareGOAL! Arsenal 4-1 Aston Villa (Watkins 90+4)
Malen jinks in from the left. He dribbles all the way to the left-hand corner of the six-yard box, forcing the ball past Raya but prodding it off the base of the post. It sits up for Watkins, who unlike McGinn isn’t missing a tap-in from a couple of yards.
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins taps the ball home from close range to score a consolation goal at Arsenal. Photograph: Alastair Grant/APShare
Updated at 17.19 EST
90 min +3: “David Raya, he’s better than you,” trill the Arsenal fans at their erstwhile custodian up the other end. Still in panto mode after all this time.
90 min +2: … so having said that, Villa get their first shot on target. It’s farcical, though. A cross comes into the Arsenal box from the left. Watkins flashes a header across Raya and off the base of the right-hand post. The ball comes back across the face of goal, sitting up for McGinn who from a couple of yards, slams a shot straight at Raya. That’s a ludicrous reaction save, though what a miss from McGinn!
90 min +1: Villa have edged the possession tonight: 51 percent to 49. But they’ve not managed a single shot on target. The current xG is 2.73 to 0.67.
90 min: There will be eight minutes of stoppage time. Poor Villa just want to go home.
89 min: Watkins takes a tumble in the Arsenal box, nudged from behind by Hincapie. But the referee’s not interested in awarding a penalty, and nor should he be. There was very little contact. That doesn’t stop Watkins fuming, though.
87 min: It’s Villa’s turn to stroke it around a bit. Running down the clock, because they need this to be over as soon as.
85 min: Arsenal knock it around the back in the strolling style. You know the pack drill.
Any Old Excuse pt IIShare
83 min: Arsenal make a double change, replacing Saka and Timber with Madueke and White. What a bench the league leaders boast. Such strength in-depth.
82 min: Bogarde is booked for a late clank into Lewis-Skelly.
81 min: Jesus crosses from the left for Saka, who somehow misses his header altogether from six yards out. Timber races in, with a view to blootering goalwards, but his effort is blocked. Villa, who looked dynamite between 10 and 20 minutes, have since been blown to smithereens.
Updated at 16.57 EST
79 min: Villa have fallen apart like cake left out in the rain. Oh no no. Saka drives in from the right and larrups a shot over the bar. Villa just need to get out of Dodge without any further punishment.
ShareGOAL! Arsenal 4-0 Aston Villa (Jesus 78)
Zubimendi steals the ball out on the left. He steams down the flank and feeds Trossard on the underlap. Trossard shuttles further infield for Jesus, who takes one touch before steering a delicious curler around Martinez and into the bottom right. He’s been on less than a minute!
Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal scores his team’s fourth goal. Photograph: David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty ImagesHere’s a view of the finish from up in the stands. Photograph: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty ImagesGabriel Jesus pays tribute to his namesake, which earned him a yellow card. Photograph: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 17.08 EST
77 min: Gabriel goes down, always a worry for Arsenal. He doesn’t appear to be in too much discomfort – until Hincapie accidentally steps on his finger, that is – but he’ll be replaced just in case. Gyokeres also makes way, with Lewis-Skelly and Jesus coming on.
75 min: Rogers spins elegantly on the edge of the Arsenal box, just to the left of the D. He whips a rising shot towards the top right, but Gabriel gets his head in the way, and deflects over the bar. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
73 min: Merino – who let’s be honest, is pretty lucky to still be on the pitch – finally takes his leave of it. But it’s by Arsenal’s request, and he’s replaced by Norgaard. The Emirates en fête.
72 min: Nope! And nope! The goal stands, and Arsenal are home and hosed.
71 min: VAR gets involved. Perhaps either Saka or Hincapie were offside? A long, long, long look at this.
ShareGOAL! Arsenal 3-0 Aston Villa (Trossard 69)
Game over. Odegaard exchanges passes with Hincapie and crosses from the left. Saka fluffs a header at the far stick. Digne fails to clear the ball, taking a heavy touch and gifting it to Trossard, who immediately whistles it into the bottom-right corner. Crisp finish. What a statement this is by Arsenal.
Leandro Trossard smashes the ball home to give Arsenal a 3-0 lead against Aston Villa. Photograph: Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty ImagesTrossard celebrates. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 16.51 EST
67 min: … and it should be 3-0, Odegaard launching a counter down the middle and freeing Hincapie into the box on the left. But upon taking receipt of the ball, Hincapie clanks it off his left foot and, in falling over, onto his right arm. That’s a slapstick classic.
66 min: Odegaard threads a shot towards the bottom left. It’s a bobbler, but Martinez makes a meal of fingertipping it around the post for a corner. Trossard’s delivery causes more trouble, a game of pinball in the six-yard box, but eventually Villa clear their lines. Arsenal going 3-0 up looks much more likely than Villa making it 2-1.