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UPDATE: ARSENAL 4-1 VILLA: WHY MIKEL ARTETA’S HALFTIME TALK CHANGED EVERYTHING: THE SECRET BEHIND ARSENAL’S FOUR-GOAL BLITZ
Arsenal enter 2026 with a 5-point lead after a 4-1 win over Villa. Gabriel and Zubimendi lead the charge for the title dream.
So, Arsenal is going to head into 2026 with a five-point lead in the Premier League as they chase that title they've been after forever. After watching them play against Villa, who could be title contenders, they might just need that cushion.
The first half was rough, all nerves and scrappy play. But then, Arsenal came out firing in the second. Gabriel Magalhães and Martín Zubimendi scored two goals in five minutes to get things rolling. Later on, Leandro Trossard scored, and then Gabriel Jesus, who came off the bench, added another. Villa got their first loss in 12 games, putting them six points behind Arsenal in third.
Arsenal had to grind out five wins after losing to Villa a few weeks ago, so they needed to make a statement—and they did.
Mikel Arteta's team really missed Declan Rice in the first half. Villa could've been ahead if Ollie Watkins had better aim, but Arsenal took advantage of Amadou Onana getting hurt and took over in the second half.
Gabriel was able to start after being out for a while, and Jurriën Timber was back, too. But Riccardo Calafiori was still out, and Declan Rice joined him on the bench.
Rice played right-back against Brighton and even kept playing after hurting his knee. Maybe he regretted that when he couldn't play.
Emery also had some problems. Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara were suspended, and he made some changes from their win against Chelsea. Watkins started, who scored twice in the last game. Jadon Sancho, Amadou Onana, Lucas Digne, and Lamare Bogarde were also in the starting eleven.
Arsenal's nerves in recent games usually kick in during the second half. They usually started strong. Villa were happy to sit back and counterattack; Arsenal had the ball a lot but didn't do much with it. Viktor Gyökeres headed a cross over the bar. His five league goals aren't looking so great for Arsenal's big-money signing.
After dealing with Arsenal's early pressure, Villa got into the game. It was pretty clear Arsenal missed Rice in midfield. Onana was causing problems, winning the ball and pushing forward. Villa should've been ahead, which would have made Arsenal fans nervous.
Onana showed how dangerous he could be when he ran into Arsenal's box, but Gabriel stopped him. Watkins missed two good chances to score.
Arteta was getting more and more stressed. Onana's hamstring injury gave Arsenal a chance to regroup.
Trossard found some space on the left, shooting at Emiliano Martínez and crossing for Gyökeres, who missed again. That was pretty much it for Arsenal in the first half.
Arteta was so worked up that the ref had a word with him, suggesting he calm down.
Arteta was much happier when Arsenal scored early in the second half with a messy goal. Martínez dropped Bukayo Saka's corner under pressure from Gabriel, who headed it in.
The VAR checked it out but didn't see anything wrong. Arsenal's second goal came from their pressing and attacking ability. Martin Ødegaard stole the ball from Jadon Sancho and passed to Zubimendi, who scored to make the fans go wild.
Villa had an impressive run of wins, but they didn't look like they were going to come back.
Trossard sealed the win, and then Jesus scored after coming on. Watkins scored a late goal for Villa.
MIKEL ARTETA HAILS "BELIEF AND ENERGY" AS ARSENAL HUNT FIRST TITLE SINCE 2004
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal dismantled Aston Villa 4-1 to enter 2026 with a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.
Arsenal's boss, Mikel Arteta, thinks his team is finally seeing their effort pay off as they finish 2025 leading the Premier League.
After Tuesday's big 4-1 victory against Aston Villa, who are also chasing the title, Arsenal is now five points ahead of Manchester City. City plays Sunderland on New Year's Day.
Arsenal hasn't won the Premier League since 2004. When asked if this might finally be the year they break their twenty-year title drought, Arteta praised his team's belief and energy.
We're playing like every other day. The schedule is really packed, and we've got some tough games and injuries. But the guys are still winning, and that helps, he said.
All the hard work and dedication you put in shows in the results and how well we're playing. That feels great, but we know there's still a lot left to play.
He added, "It's a fantastic way to wrap up the year, for sure." We'll have a nice New Year's Eve with family, but then we're back at it the next day. We've got to go to Bournemouth on Saturday, and we know what that's all about.
After winning their last three league games against Wolverhampton, Everton, and Brighton by just one goal, Arsenal scored four for the first time since beating Tottenham in the north London derby at the Emirates Stadium back in November.
“We needed this game,” said Martin Zubimendi. He, along with Gabriel, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus, scored against Villa in a game Arsenal controlled in the second half.
We were at home, and we wanted to end the year at the top, especially against Aston Villa, who are a really strong team tactically. So, we're happy with how we played.
We had some trouble with their counterattacks in the first half. At halftime, we tweaked a few things, and in the second half, once we got the first two goals, the game opened up, and we got four.
We could feel the crowd's support; they were always pushing us, always wanting more.
STOP STARTING VIKTOR GYOKERES: JAMIE CARRAGHER DEMANDS ARTETA BENCH £55M STAR FOR GABRIEL JESUS OR KAI HAVERTZ NOW
Jamie Carragher claims Viktor Gyokeres isn't good enough to lead Arsenal, insisting Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz are better.
Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender, thinks Arsenal should start either Gabriel Jesus or Kai Havertz at striker over Viktor Gyokeres. He says they're both better players.
Gyokeres joined the Gunners for £55 million this summer, and a lot of people thought he could complete the team. But the Swedish striker hasn't settled in, only scoring five goals in 17 Prem appearances.
The 27-year-old has been the main focus of Arsenal's attack, which hasn't been great lately. He wasn't very good, even though they beat Aston Villa 4-1.
Adding to that, Jesus replaced Gyokeres and scored a really great goal late in the game, making it 4-0.
Carragher, a Sky Sports expert, said after the game that he's a big fan of Jesus and that either he or Havertz should be starting instead of Gyokeres.
The only bad thing tonight for Arsenal is that Gyokeres shouldn't be starting when they have players like this, Carragher explained.
In a couple of games, when Jesus is in better shape, he should start. He's better than Gyokeres; that's just how it is.
Jesus and Havertz have just returned from being injured for a while. Jesus scored his first goal in over a year against Villa after recovering from ACL surgery.
Even though Gyokeres was signed to lead Arsenal's attack after doing well at Sporting, he hasn't played that well in England. Carragher said that Jesus and Havertz are better choices to lead the line right now.
People have asked if [Jesus] is good enough for Arsenal to win the league, the former England player added. But now, he's better than the guy they brought in, who they thought would win it for them.
Either he or Havertz is better than Gyokeres as a striker. He's not as skilled or good as the guys they have on the bench. I think Arsenal needs to get someone better than Gyokeres, and they already have that player in Jesus.
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