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Arsenal vs. Aston Villa score: Premier League result, stats as Gunners make title statement in lopsided win

Kyle Bonn

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Arsenal vs. Aston Villa score: Premier League result, stats as Gunners make title statement in lopsided win image

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Across a long and arduous football season, it can often be just a few moments that make all the difference.

That was the case as a blistering 10 minutes saw Arsenal take firm control of the Premier League title race as they trounced Aston Villa 4-1, with all the goals coming after halftime. 

The opening 45 minutes were drab. Villa’s low block frustrated Arsenal, who failed to trouble Emiliano Martinez’s goal at any point. That all changed as the second half began, as the Gunners turned the game on its head.

On his return from injury, Gabriel was right back at his set-piece heroics, heading home the opener off a corner just two minutes after the break. As was the case at Chelsea over the weekend, Martinez's keeping under set-piece pressure left much to be desired.

Six minutes after Gabriel’s first, Martin Zubimendi doubled the lead, putting Arsenal well in front and stamping their intent on the title race.

Further goals from Leandro Trossard and substitute Gabriel Jesus rounded out the lopsided scoreline, as Aston Villa’s 11-game winning streak came crashing down.

Ollie Watkins scored a consolation goal in stoppage time, but it made little difference on the eventual outcome.

With the win, Arsenal go five points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the table. City play their game in hand at Sunderland on New Year's Day.

Villa find themselves one more back in third and with plenty of questions to answer about their true capabilities to contend for the title. Indeed, a refocus on securing a Champions League place may be in order as fans readjust their expectations.

AllSportsPeople followed the Arsenal vs. Aston Villa match live, providing score updates, commentary, and analysis.

Arsenal vs. Aston Villa final score

 ScoreGoal scorers
Arsenal4Gabriel (47'),
Zubimendi (53'),
Trossard (69'),
Jesus (78')
Aston Villa1Watkins (90+4')

Location: Emirates Stadium (London, England)
Referee: Darren England

Keep track of every game and every goal via SN's live Premier League scoreboard

Starting lineups:

Arsenal (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Raya (GK) — 12. Timber (White, 83'), 2. Saliba, 6. Gabriel (Lewis-Skelly, 77'), 5. Hincapie— 8. Odegaard, 36. Zubimendi, 23. Merino — 7. Saka (Madueke, 83'), 14. Gyokeres (Jesus, 77'), 19. Trossard.

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1, right to left): 23. E. Martinez (GK) — 26. Bogarde, 4. Konsa, 3. Lindelof, 12. Digne — 24. Onana (McGinn, 46'), 8. Tielemans (Hemmings 82') — 19. Sancho (Garcia, 61'), 10. Buendia (Malen, 61'), 27. Rogers (Jimoh-Aloba 82') — 11. Watkins.

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Arsenal vs. Aston Villa stats

ArsenalStatAston Villa
22Shots10
7Shots on target3
3.16Expected goals2.66
47%Possession53%
304Accurate passes355
3Corners3
18Fouls9
2Yellow cards3

Arsenal vs. Aston Villa live updates, highlights from Premier League match

FULLTIME: ARSENAL 4-1 Aston Villa

Mercifully, there's the final whistle, as Arsenal go five points clear at the top of the Premier League table!

90+7 min: Ollie Watkins is booked as the game winds down.

90+4 min: GOAL! ASTON VILLA! Finally the visitors find themselves with a consolation, as Ollie Watkins puts the finishing touch on a Donyell Malen run past William Saliba.

It won't make a difference in the match, but he scores at the Emirates for the third straight season.

90+2 min: Chance, Aston Villa! JOHN MCGINN WITH THE MISS OF THE CENTURY! Aston Villa are down 4-0, and if they needed any more reason to be miserable, Ollie Watkins crashes a shot off the inside of the post, and it falls right to McGinn two yards out with the goalkeeper nowhere to be found.

All the ball needs is a tap-in....and yet he somehow puts it within range of a recovering David Raya, who gets a hand to the rebounded effort!

90th min: Despite the lopsided scoreline, a whopping eight minutes of additional time is shown, to the groan of the Emirates faithful who know their players will face additional injury risk despite the result being without question.

83rd min: Bukayo Saka is the next Arsenal star to be protected, replaced by Noni Madueke. Ben White also makes his return from injury as Jurrien Timber comes off.

78th in: GOAL! ARSENAL! GABRIEL JESUS SCORES JUST SECONDS AFTER ENTERING THE PITCH!

Once again Arsenal go right down Aston Villa's throat, as Jesus thrusts forward through the middle and with nobody stepping up to challenge, he plants a shot past Emi Martinez with ease. The Gunners are running riot!

He removes his shirt in celebration to reveal a religious message in English, which not only gets him booked but will surely see him receive a letter in the mail from the football authorities.

Watch Gabriel Jesus goal in USA:

HIGHLIGHT: Watch Jesus goal in UK | Watch in Canada

76th min: On his return from injury, Gabriel is receiving medical treatment and Mikel Arteta will take no chances, replacing him with Myles Lewis-Skelly which sees Piero Hincapie slide back into the middle. There's a slightly humerous moment in it all as Hincapie accidentally steps on Gabriel's hand while he receives treatment.

Viktor Gyokeres also comes off as Gabriel Jesus will enter in his place up front.

69th min: GOAL! ARSENAL! LEANDRO TROSSARD DEPOSITS A LONG-DISTANCE STRIKE AND ARSENAL ARE IN THE CLEAR!

Martin Odegaard delivers a cross from the left that reaches the head of Bukayo Saka, and his touch flicks the ball awkwardly to Jurrien Timber. The Dutchman takes a touch that's meant for himself, but instead squares it perfectly to Trossard where he hammers the ball past Emi Martinez!

Hang on though...there's a VAR check for offside on the Odegaard ball to Saka, and it looks very tight. That one's cleared...but then there's a check on a ball to Piero Hincapie just prior. That one's also quite close...AND IT'S CLEARED! ARSENAL ARE THREE GOALS TO THE GOOD!

Watch Trossard goal in USA:

HIGHLIGHT: Watch Trossard goal in UK | Watch in Canada

66th min: Chance, Arsenal! A big save from Emi Martinez keeps out what would have been a glorious goal from Martin Odegaard with the outside of his foot! Credit the Argentine goalkeeper there, that was an impressive stop.

The ensuing corner by Set Piece FC is yet again dangerous, finding Gabriel planted right at the far post, but his header across the face of goal is blocked and cleared.

61st min: It's all gone to shambles for Aston Villa, as Aresnal are in firm control up 2-0 and hunting for more. Unai Emery is forced to react, bringing on his super-sub Donyell Malen from the bench, as well as Andres Garcia who has yet to play a single minute in the Premier League this season — until now.

They replace Jadon Sancho and Emi Buendia, with Garcia moving to right-back and Lamare Bogard sliding up into midfield.

Martin Odegaard blazes a vicious long-distance shot over the crossbar shortly after the change.

53rd min: GOAL! ARSENAL! MARTIN ZUBIMENDI SCORES ARSENAL'S SECOND! IN A BLINK, THE GUNNERS ARE SUDDENLY WAY OUT IN FRONT!

He runs straight up the Aston Villa gut from deep, and thanks to a gorgeous vertical ball from Martin Odegaard, he finishes with a flick past an onrushing Emi Martinez!

Watch Zubimendi goal in USA:

HIGHLIGHT: Watch Zubimendi goal in UK | Watch in Canada | Watch in Australia

48th min: GOAL! ARSENAL! GABRIEL SCORES FROM A CORNER! JUST HOW MIKEL ARTETA DREW IT UP!

The Brazilian defender out-jumps Emi Martinez, and the Villa goalkeeper spills it off the chest of Gabriel and into the net! While Aston Villa are screaming for a foul they won't get (nor should they), Gabriel wheels away in celebration!

There's a VAR check to make sure Martinez wasn't overtly fouled, but the goal is given, which is absolutely the right call. At the end of the day, he was beaten fair and square. How happy Arsenal are to have their big striker defender back!

Watch Gabriel goal in USA:

HIGHLIGHT: Watch Gabriel goal in UK | Watch in Canada | Watch in Australia

Second half kickoff: The game is back under way, and there's an expected change as Amadou Onana does indeed find himself withdrawn, surely due to the earlier sustained injury, as John McGinn enters.

Arsenal make no changes as of now, but you'd expect Mikel Arteta to keep a close eye on things as Mikel Merino and Viktor Gyokeres are candidates to be yanked, with plenty of potential replacements waiting in the wings.

HALFTIME: Arsenal 0-0 Aston Villa

Unai Emery will be the happier manager as the halftime whistle blows. Arsenal have had plenty of final third possession, but have hardly forced any effort from Emi Martinez, with only the two Gyokeres headed misses to speak of.

Villa, meanwhile, have been outstanding defensively, and have countered with venom on a number of occasions, with Amadou Onana, Jadon Sancho, and Youri Tielemans all impressing at various times. It will be interesting to see if Onana can continue after the break given his injury niggle, but otherwise Villa seem settled.

It would behoove Mikel Arteta to consider bringing on Eberechi Eze or Noni Madueke in the hopes of attacking the Villa low block more effectively.

45th min: Chance, Aston Villa! Jadon Sancho is sprung free down the right, and looks to be in on goal! He squares it for Ollie Watkins, who is only put off by a heroic sliding tackle by William Saliba that just nicks the ball off him before it can get there! Eventually the flag went up on Sancho's run, but none of them knew that!

A yellow card is shown to Mikel Merino after play restarts for a bad tackle, and then Morgan Rogers gets booked shortly after for blocking a free kick.

41st min: Oh boy, it's getting chippy! Amadou Onana, who is still pressing on after his earlier injury, is fouled lightly by Mikel Merino but doesn't take kindly to the Arsenal midfielder tripping over him in the aftermath. He gets up and shoves Merino to the ground, but the referee has it sorted and does not issue any official punishment.

36th min: Chance, Arsenal! Viktor Gyokeres, who has been wasteful on the ball today, gets another headed chance by diving across the face of his defender and reaching the cross by Leandro Trossard, but he puts this one off target too! He's been quite poor today, both heading the ball and holding up possession.

27th min: Aston Villa have a real problem here, as Amadou Onana has an issue and needs treatment, sitting on his rear end on the turf. His loss would be significant, as he has looked very bright on the counter so far in this match, and Villa are thin in midfield thanks to a number of injuries and other absences.

Off he comes after treatment, wincing a bit, but it looks as if Onana will try to give it a go before giving way to John McGinn.

22nd min: Arsenal have themselves back in control of the match, but look frustrated in the final third. Leandro Trossard fires a speculative shot from outside the top corner of the penalty area, and it's an easy one for Emi Martinez to snatch up off the ground.

13th min: Chance, Aston Villa! OLLIE WATKINS FIRES WIDE! Viktor Gyokeres loses possession in midfield, allowing Villa to counter, and they feed one pass to get Watkins free at the near post...but he misses the target from eight yards! That's a terrible whiff by the Villa frontman! He would have needed a well placed effort to get the ball by David Raya from that angle, but he has to at least be hitting the target!

Villa have looked much more comfortable of late, compared to their shaky start, countering through the Arsenal midfield on a few opportunities.

11th min: There's a huge shout by Aston Villa for a penalty as a counter-attacking Amadou Onana goes down under a challenge from William Saliba in the penalty area. Onana didn't protest himself, and he was right not to, as he seemed to be felled by the turf monster more than the Arsenal defender.

The ensuing corner is successfully punched away by David Raya, and Arsenal push Villa possession back to their goalkeeper.

7th min: Chance, Arsenal! Gyokeres heads just inches over the crossbar! Arsenal work a chance for their No. 9 via a cross from the left, and he out-jumps Victor Lindelof who ends up sucked up just a hair in too close. It's a good chance that goes begging!

6th min: Aston Villa have been a bit nervy to start the match. They have tried to play out of the back a few times and nearly given Arsenal gift on a few occasions.

There's some needle to this match as well as a few challenges have come in hard, forcing referee Darren England to have a conversation with multiple players on both ends.

Kickoff: They're under way in the capital! Who will make a statement in the Premier League title race?

Arsenal vs. Aston Villa: Pre-match commentary, analysis, more

15 mins to kickoff: There are plenty of storylines for this match, but in the end, the three points at stake will be massive in the title race regardless of who potentially snags them. Kickoff is right around the corner! 

30 mins to kickoff: It's Ollie Watkins' birthday today, as the Aston Villa striker officially crosses the 30-year-old threshold.

At the beginning of the season it appeared as though Watkins had begun to fall off early, with basically all his output nosediving hard. Yet Aston Villa's winning streak has coincided with a return to form for the England international, even if he's not exactly finding the net with regularity.

It's the shots which have returned for Watkins, which is a positive sign for a striker. For the first 10 matches of the season, Watkins managed three or more shots in a Premier League match just once. In the last eight, he's done it five times. The goals should start flowing soon, and what a time to get the ball rolling quite like his birthday against the league leaders in the midst of a title race.

45 mins to kickoff: Arsenal have a big boost on the bench as Kai Havertz is available for the first time since he went down 30 minutes into the first match of the season. Arsenal have rarely had all their first-choice attacking players on the field at the same time, and today could be a chance for that if Havertz enters play and makes his return from injury.

1 hour to kickoff: Mikel Arteta's decision to go with Piero Hincapie at left-back is a big one, considering natural full-backs Miles Lewis-Skelly and Ben White are both on the bench. He's been excellent in the middle of defence since signing for Arsenal, but this will be his first start out wide.

1 hour 15 mins to kick: Lineups are in! Unai Emery has gone with an attacking setup, sitting John McGinn and moving Youri Tielemans back in midfield to fit Emi Buendia in as the No. 10.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have installed Piero Hincapie at left-back instead of deploying Miles Lewis-Skelly, while Leandro Trossard starts on the left over Gabriel Martinelli or Gabriel Jesus.

1 hour 30 mins to kick: Aston Villa won the previous meeting between these two clubs by a 2-1 score, with that victory coming just three weeks ago back on December 6.

It was quite a sight to see Arsenal's rock-solid defence coughing up 2.16 expected goals on 15 shots to an Aston Villa side that has only put up the 12th-highest xG total in the Premier League. Can they make the necessary adjustments to lock down Unai Emery's crew this time around, or will history repeat itself?

1 hour 45 mins to kick: Arsenal fans received some difficult news hours before the match as it was reported Declan Rice would miss the game after picking up a knock to his knee while deputising at right-back against Brighton. He reportedly signaled to the bench on the hour mark but eventually played the full 90 minutes.

Thankfully, Arsenal are deep in midfield as Mikel Merino will likely step in to take his place. The question now is how long might Rice be absent?

2 hours to kickoff: Two opposing trends clash today, as Arsenal are unbeaten at home all season long while Villa are on a remarkable 11-match winning streak. Which will come to an end today?

Arsenal vs. Aston Villa kick off time

This Premier League match kicks off from Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, December 30 at 8:15 p.m. Local time in London, England. Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:

 DateKickoff time
USA/CanadaTue, Dec. 303:15 p.m. ET
USA/CanadaTue, Dec. 3012:15 p.m. PT
UKTue, Dec. 308:15 p.m. BST
AustraliaWed, Dec. 317:15 a.m. AEST
IndiaWed, Dec. 3112:45 a.m. IST

Arsenal vs. Aston Villa lineups, team news

Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber sat out the Brighton match after an awkward fall in training, but he is expected to be part of the squad today. Riccardo Calafiori experienced the same, but he was not spotted with the team ahead of the match and could miss out.

Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera need a few more weeks before they are back, while the status of Kai Havertz is still unknown.

Reports in the run-up to the match indicated that Declan Rice would miss out after deputising at right-back against Brighton and picking up a knee issue.

Arsenal  starting lineup (4-3-3): Raya (GK) — Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie— Odegaard, Zubimendi, Merino — Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard.

Arsenal subs:  Kepa (GK), White, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Havertz, Madueke, Eze, Martinelli, Jesus.

Aston Villa have a significantly reduced squad thanks not just to injuries, but also other unavailabilites.

Evann Guessand is the lone AFCON absentee in the Aston Villa squad, but Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara are both suspended due to yellow card accumulation and therefore unavailable to play in today's match.

Pau Torres, Ross Barkley, and Tyrone Mings are all out due to injury, while Harvey Elliott is ill and may miss out.

Aston Villa starting lineup (4-2-3-1): E. Martinez (GK) — Bogarde, Konsa, Lindelof, Digne — Onana, Tielemans — Sancho, Buendia, Rogers — Watkins.

Aston Villa subs:  Bizot (GK), Wright, Maatsen, Garcia, Routh, Hemmings, McGinn, Malen, Jimoh-Alboa.

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