Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 1: Club record streak ended by rampant Gunners

Though Villa’s remarkable winning streak was always going to end at some point, there is some irony in the fact it did so due to a second half collapse on the road.

Unai Emery’s team had been masters of the away day comeback during a club record-equalling 11 match run, doing so in four straight matches.

Yet after being comfortable for the first half at Arsenal, they imploded in the second to fall to one of the heaviest defeats of the Spaniard's reign.

An error by Emi Martinez, who dropped the ball into scorer Gabriel Magalhaes at a corner, allowed the Gunners to take the lead early in the second half.

Further goals from Martin Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus, the latter just seconds after coming off the bench, saw Arsenal cruise to a victory which extended their advantage at the top of the Premier League to five points over Manchester City, who play on New Year’s Day. 

Villa, for whom Ollie Watkins netted a stoppage time consolation, are a further two points back and while the manner of this defeat may have been chastening, they would have taken the position in August and not least September, when they still hadn’t won a game. 

Heading into 2026 third in the table, with a nine-point advantage over fifth-placed Chelsea, is hardly a bad place to be.

Ultimately, the second half here was where a Villa team on one of the best runs in club history finally ran out of steam against talented and desperate hosts.

Already without Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara due to suspension, the visitors also lost Amadou Onana at half-time due to injury and finished the match with teenagers George Hemmings and Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba on the pitch.

Onana had been among their best performers in a first half in which Watkins missed a golden chance to put the visitors ahead. The Belgium international's exit allowed Martin Odegaard more space and he was the standout player as Arsenal blew the visitors away after the break.

Martinez’s blunder, from the home side's first corner of the night, was another key moment as it brought what had until then been a subdued Emirates Stadium to life.

While Villa complained the keeper had been fouled by Gabriel, by the finish they were well beaten and could have no complaints about the result. 

Two changes to the Villa line-up were already guaranteed with Cash and Kamara both suspended after picking up their fifth bookings of the season in Saturday’s win at Chelsea.

Lamare Bogarde replaced Cash at right-back, with Onana coming into midfield in place of Kamara.

Yet the shake-up did not finish there. Emery’s decision to bring in Ollie Watkins for Donyell Malen after the striker’s match-winning double at Stamford Bridge was no surprise, while the inclusion of Lucas Digne at left-back for Ian Maatsen was only marginally more eye-opening.

The unexpected move was a first Premier League start in Villa colours for Jadon Sancho, with captain John McGinn dropping to the bench.

There was also significant news for Arsenal, who had Declan Rice unavailable due to an injury sustained in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Brighton.

But there was positive news for the Gunners in the shape of Jurrien Timber and Gabriel returning to the starting line-up while their bench, on paper, looked markedly stronger than that of the visitors.

Arsenal made the brighter start and carved out the first big chance with Viktor Gyokeres looping a header onto the roof of the net from inside the six-yard box.

Yet then suddenly it was all Villa, with players running at the home defence at will.

Onana was the first, charging to the edge of the box and then cutting inside Gabriel before losing his footing and falling to the ground.

That seemed to give the visitors with confidence and when Ezri Konsa stepped up to win the ball in midfield, he too found acres in which to run before finding Watkins. The striker should have done far better than drag the finish wide.

Villa got another chance when Youri Tielemans’ pass sent Rogers tearing into the home half. He opted to roll a pass to Sancho, who was robbed trying to beat Gabriel. 

When Watkins then curled an effort wide of the far post the home fans were getting audibly restless.

Trossard was proving the biggest threat for the Gunners and he delivered a cross which Gyokeres headed wide of the near post.

Otherwise Villa, while under pressure, were comfortable and the happier of the two teams at the break.

Onana, who required treatment late in the half, did not reappear for the restart and was replaced off the bench by McGinn.

It is doubtful the Belgium international could have done anything about the opener. Saka swung in Arsenal’s first corner of the match, Martinez jumped to claim it but under pressure from Gabriel dropped the ball against the Arsenal defender and watched as it rolled into the net. The keeper protested loudly but replays showed little reason for the goal to be overturned.

Villa have shown brilliant powers of recovery during a run which had seen them win 17 of the last 19 matches but Arsenal did not give them time to catch their breath, doubling the lead within four minutes.

Odegaard stepped up to intercept Tielemans’ pass in front of Sancho, strode forward and slipped in Zubimendi, who poked a finish past Martinez. From being comfortable, Villa now had a mountain to climb.

It would have got steeper even more quickly had Timber not hooked over from close range. Martinez then partially redeemed for his earlier error when he tipped Odegaard’s shot round the post.

But there was nothing the keeper could do about Trossard’s swept finish from the edge of the box which ended the game as a contest just past the midway point of the half, the goal standing after a lengthy VAR check for offside.

Jesus added the fourth just seconds after coming on before Watkins tapped home from close range to give Villa a little cheer, moments after David Raya had denied McGinn.

Arsenal (4-3-3): Martinez, Timber, Gabriel (Lewis-Skelly 77), Saliba, Hincapie, Odegaard, Merino (Norgaard 73), Zubimendi, Saka (Madueke 83), Gyokeres (Jesus 77), Trossard Subs not used: White, Eze, Martinelli, Havertz, Kepa (gk).

Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez, Bogarde, Konsa, Lindelof, Digne, Onana (McGinn HT), Tielemans (Hemmings 82), Sancho (Garcia 61), Rogers (Jimoh-Aloba 82), Buendia (Malen 61), Watkins Subs not used: Maatsen, Routh, Hemmings, McGinn, Jimoh-Aloba, Wright (gk), Bizot (gk).