Aston Villa’s impressive 11-match winning streak across all competitions was brought to a halt as they suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Premier League leaders Arsenal, who moved five points clear at the top of the table with Manchester City still to play on New Year’s Day.
Boosted by Gabriel’s return to the starting lineup, Arsenal started the match on the front foot. The first real opportunity came when Piero Hincapie delivered a cross for Viktor Gyokeres, who headed over while searching for his first open-play goal since November 1.
Villa appealed for a penalty when Amadou Onana went down under pressure from William Saliba, but referee Darren England waved away the claims and awarded only a corner. The visitors then began to grow into the game, with Ezri Konsa winning possession and setting up Ollie Watkins, whose shot drifted wide.
Villa arrived hoping to repeat their recent 2-1 win over Arsenal earlier in the month, but their plans were disrupted when the influential Onana was forced off through injury and replaced by captain John McGinn.
After the break, Arsenal took control. In the 48th minute, Bukayo Saka’s corner caused problems in the Villa box, and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez spilled the ball under pressure from Gabriel, who forced it over the line.
Villa’s protests were ignored, and their frustration deepened moments later when Arsenal struck again. Martin Ødegaard won the ball from Jadon Sancho and threaded a precise pass to Martin Zubimendi, who finished calmly.
Unai Emery responded with changes just after the hour mark, including bringing on Donyell Malen, but Arsenal continued to dominate. Their third goal arrived when Leandro Trossard fired in from the edge of the penalty area.
Gabriel was later forced off with another injury, but substitute Gabriel Jesus made an immediate impact, curling home a fine effort after being picked out by Trossard.
Bukayo Saka went close to adding a fifth late on, but Arsenal were denied a clean sheet for the third straight match when Watkins scored a stoppage-time consolation for Villa.
