Arsenal dealt a hammer blow in the Premier League title battle on Tuesday evening. At the Emirates Stadium, the leader convincingly dealt with number three Aston Villa, which put them six points behind. After an even, goalless first half, Arsenal finished it off after halftime with goals from Gabriel, Martin Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus. Ollie Watkins scored a goal of honor for Villa in injury time after excellent work by Donyell Malen: 4-1.
At Arsenal, Jurriën Timber returned to the right back position after a minor injury, while Lamare Bogarde started in the same position at Aston Villa. Malen came on for the visitors in the second half.
The match started with a lot of intensity, but little danger on goal. Aston Villa had the biggest chance of the first half through Ollie Watkins, when he pushed the ball wide, face to face with David Raya. Arsenal gradually created opportunities, with a header from Victor Gyökeres and a blocked attempt from Trossard as highlights.
Shortly after halftime, Arsenal broke the ban via a corner. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez released the ball after a duel with Gabriel, after which the Brazilian scored via a carom. Villa protested fiercely, but after a VAR check the goal was allowed, much to the dismay of the Argentinian goalkeeper.
Just four minutes later the ball was in the net again. A bad pass from Youri Tielemans was intercepted by Martin Ødegaard, who set Zubimendi free in front of the goal. The Spanish midfielder remained cool and pushed the ball past Martínez into the far corner: 2-0.
Aston Villa completely lost control and had to watch as Arsenal became more and more dangerous. Ødegaard, Timber and Trossard had good opportunities to extend the score, but it took until minute 69 for the third goal to be scored. Trossard shot in beautifully low from outside the penalty area: 3-0.
Things got even worse for Aston Villa when substitute Gabriel Jesus scored brilliantly with his very first touch. The Brazilian shot in from a fantastic position on a pass from Trossard: 4-0. It was the Brazilian’s first official goal since January 1, 2025, almost a year ago, for the injury-plagued Brazilian.
A brilliant preparatory action by Malen gave Villa a goal of honor in injury time. After an impressive acceleration, Malen tapped the ball against the post, after which Watkins finished the rebound: 4-1.
With this win, Arsenal increases their lead over Manchester City to five points, although the Citizens one more game in hand against Sunderland. For Aston Villa, the defeat means that the gap with the leader is now six points. The title ambitions of Unai Emery’s team are thus dealt a blow.
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