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Post-match postbag. “Few things are as joyful as watching someone with the on-pitch persona of Emi Martinez shipping four goals” – Alexander Whitney
“If anyone needed an illustration as to why Lewis-Skelly isn’t starting much this year, his utter abdication of marking the most dangerous player on the pitch for Villa’s goal would serve as a sufficient illustration” – Alexander Whitney again
“I’m pretty sure I would’ve wished all MBMers a happy New Year anyway, and thanked Scott and his colleagues for another year’s worth of terrific commentary, football lore and more than enough wit to keep us going through the duller games. But a win always helps, doesn’t it? So double thanks all round” – Charles Antaki
… and thanks to you, Charles, and indeed everyone else who emails in and/or reads these things. We’d be nothing without you all.
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Arsenal celebrate their most convincing display in a while. The wins here over Wolves and Brighton were unconvincing, and in truth so was their first-half performance tonight. Aston Villa had two or three big opportunities, springing forward on the counter, to establish an early lead. But the league leaders turned it up a notch in the second half. Gabriel’s opener might have been a bit scrappy, but Arsenal’s next three were wonderful free-flowing affairs: so much for this team only being about set pieces and own goals! Arsenal end their year on a high, favourites for the Premier League title; on the evidence of the second half tonight, they might just take some stopping. Aston Villa’s 11-game winning run in all competitions comes to a juddering halt; perhaps talk of a title bid was premature after all. But at the start of the season, they’d have grabbed third place at the end of December with both hands, something that will give them succour when the pain of this defeat subsides.
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FULL TIME: Arsenal 4-1 Aston Villa
Arsenal will end 2025 at the top of the Premier League. Five points clear at the top of the Premier League!
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Martin Zubimendi celebrate after the final whistle. Photograph: David Klein/ReutersShare
Updated at 17.27 EST
90 min +8: The xG is now suddenly a bit daft: 3.05-2.59.
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90 min +7: Watkins is booked for telling it as he sees it.
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90 min +6: No clean sheet for Arsenal, then. They stay on nine for the season. Up the other end, Zubimendi dances around on the right-hand side of the six-yard box but his cross-cum-shot hits Lindelof on the arm. No penalty, even though his arm was up. Nobody knows anything any more.
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GOAL! Arsenal 4-1 Aston Villa (Watkins 90+4)
Malen jinks in from the left. He dribbles all the way to the left-hand corner of the six-yard box, forcing the ball past Raya but prodding it off the base of the post. It sits up for Watkins, who unlike McGinn isn’t missing a tap-in from a couple of yards.
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins taps the ball home from close range to score a consolation goal at Arsenal. Photograph: Alastair Grant/APShare
Updated at 17.19 EST
90 min +3: “David Raya, he’s better than you,” trill the Arsenal fans at their erstwhile custodian up the other end. Still in panto mode after all this time.
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90 min +2: … so having said that, Villa get their first shot on target. It’s farcical, though. A cross comes into the Arsenal box from the left. Watkins flashes a header across Raya and off the base of the right-hand post. The ball comes back across the face of goal, sitting up for McGinn who from a couple of yards, slams a shot straight at Raya. That’s a ludicrous reaction save, though what a miss from McGinn!
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90 min +1: Villa have edged the possession tonight: 51 percent to 49. But they’ve not managed a single shot on target. The current xG is 2.73 to 0.67.
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90 min: There will be eight minutes of stoppage time. Poor Villa just want to go home.
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89 min: Watkins takes a tumble in the Arsenal box, nudged from behind by Hincapie. But the referee’s not interested in awarding a penalty, and nor should he be. There was very little contact. That doesn’t stop Watkins fuming, though.
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87 min: It’s Villa’s turn to stroke it around a bit. Running down the clock, because they need this to be over as soon as.
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85 min: Arsenal knock it around the back in the strolling style. You know the pack drill.
Any Old Excuse pt IIShare
83 min: Arsenal make a double change, replacing Saka and Timber with Madueke and White. What a bench the league leaders boast. Such strength in-depth.
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82 min: Bogarde is booked for a late clank into Lewis-Skelly.
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81 min: Jesus crosses from the left for Saka, who somehow misses his header altogether from six yards out. Timber races in, with a view to blootering goalwards, but his effort is blocked. Villa, who looked dynamite between 10 and 20 minutes, have since been blown to smithereens.
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Updated at 16.57 EST
79 min: Villa have fallen apart like cake left out in the rain. Oh no no. Saka drives in from the right and larrups a shot over the bar. Villa just need to get out of Dodge without any further punishment.
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GOAL! Arsenal 4-0 Aston Villa (Jesus 78)
Zubimendi steals the ball out on the left. He steams down the flank and feeds Trossard on the underlap. Trossard shuttles further infield for Jesus, who takes one touch before steering a delicious curler around Martinez and into the bottom right. He’s been on less than a minute!
Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal scores his team’s fourth goal. Photograph: David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty ImagesHere’s a view of the finish from up in the stands. Photograph: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty ImagesGabriel Jesus pays tribute to his namesake, which earned him a yellow card. Photograph: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 17.08 EST
77 min: Gabriel goes down, always a worry for Arsenal. He doesn’t appear to be in too much discomfort – until Hincapie accidentally steps on his finger, that is – but he’ll be replaced just in case. Gyokeres also makes way, with Lewis-Skelly and Jesus coming on.
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75 min: Rogers spins elegantly on the edge of the Arsenal box, just to the left of the D. He whips a rising shot towards the top right, but Gabriel gets his head in the way, and deflects over the bar. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
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73 min: Merino – who let’s be honest, is pretty lucky to still be on the pitch – finally takes his leave of it. But it’s by Arsenal’s request, and he’s replaced by Norgaard. The Emirates en fête.
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72 min: Nope! And nope! The goal stands, and Arsenal are home and hosed.
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71 min: VAR gets involved. Perhaps either Saka or Hincapie were offside? A long, long, long look at this.
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GOAL! Arsenal 3-0 Aston Villa (Trossard 69)
Game over. Odegaard exchanges passes with Hincapie and crosses from the left. Saka fluffs a header at the far stick. Digne fails to clear the ball, taking a heavy touch and gifting it to Trossard, who immediately whistles it into the bottom-right corner. Crisp finish. What a statement this is by Arsenal.
Leandro Trossard smashes the ball home to give Arsenal a 3-0 lead against Aston Villa. Photograph: Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty ImagesTrossard celebrates. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 16.51 EST
67 min: … and it should be 3-0, Odegaard launching a counter down the middle and freeing Hincapie into the box on the left. But upon taking receipt of the ball, Hincapie clanks it off his left foot and, in falling over, onto his right arm. That’s a slapstick classic.
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66 min: Odegaard threads a shot towards the bottom left. It’s a bobbler, but Martinez makes a meal of fingertipping it around the post for a corner. Trossard’s delivery causes more trouble, a game of pinball in the six-yard box, but eventually Villa clear their lines. Arsenal going 3-0 up looks much more likely than Villa making it 2-1.
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64 min: Garcia whips a cross in from the right. Tielemans shapes to connect, but Gabriel throws himself in the way, John Terry / roll of carpet being dumped out the back of a moving van style, and heads clear. He takes a kick for his trouble, though there’s no blame attached to Tielemans, who was entitled to go for the ball, Gabriel diving so low. Thankfully the defender is fine to continue.
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63 min: Villa think they’ve won a throw. But it’s Arsenal’s ball, and it’s taken quickly down the right. Villa snoozing. Odegaard drops a shoulder to step into the box before lashing a wild effort over the bar. He had enough time and space to do better.
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62 min: Villa make a double change, replacing Buendia and Sancho with Malen and Garcia.
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60 min: Trossard’s corner lands in the six-yard box. Timber sticks out a leg and flays a shot over the bar. He didn’t have much time to react, to be fair, and yet he probably should have scored and put this game to bed.
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59 min: Gyokeres wins Arsenal another corner, this one down the left. Will Martinez deal with this one better? Trossard to curl it in and test him.
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58 min: Nope. The ball’s cleared easily enough. But Villa come back at Arsenal through Rogers, who advances down the inside-right channel. Merino, who has already been booked, grabs him by the arm and yanks him to the floor. He’s very lucky not to be sent packing. The referee rather generous there. Villa are extremely displeased.
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57 min: Rogers is stopped by Hincapie on the right touchline, illegally so. McGinn to send the free kick into the Arsenal box. Can Villa respond in short order?
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56 min: … and it’s nearly a triple. Saka is clipped by McGinn out on the right. Odegaard swings the free kick into the box. Martinez comes out to claim, but again misses the ball altogether. He’s fortunate it doesn’t drop at the feet of Gabriel, who is sensing blood. Villa hack clear. They need to snap out of their funk and quick.
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54 min: That’s such good work from Odegaard, and a cute finish from Zubimendi. Unai Emery, his fellow Basque, stands on the touchline, his head hung low. What a double whammy his team have just suffered!
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GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Aston Villa (Zubimendi 52)
Arsenal double their lead with a lovely goal! Odegaard steals the ball off Sancho in a deep position, just to the left of the centre circle. He drifts infield, advances down the middle, and rolls a defence-splitter into the feet of Zubimendi, who enters the box and guides a glorious first-time prod across Martinez and into the bottom right!
Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi (right) guides the ball home to double the home side’s lead. Photograph: Vince Mignott/EPAWhich he, and the Arsenal fans, are happy about. Photograph: Alastair Grant/APShare
Updated at 16.46 EST
51 min: So much for all that half-time pessimism from the Arsenal fans out there. The league leaders have come flying out of the blocks in this second period. Villa look slightly stunned at falling behind so quickly.
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49 min: Yep, the goal stands. Martinez shakes his head, but not with any real conviction. He’ll be aware as much as anyone that he flapped horribly at Saka’s corner. And there are a lot of delighted people in the stand who will be aware.
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48 min: That’s an awfully scrappy goal, and a terrible rick from Martinez. The Arsenal fans will enjoy that. Villa are arguing that Gabriel shoved him, but this will surely stand.
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GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Aston Villa (Gabriel 47)
Saka tries to release Timber down the right. There’s not a lot of room for Timber to work with, but he wins a corner nonetheless. Saka swings it into the six-yard box. Martinez comes off his line and tries to catch. He fails, the ball rolling down his arm, onto Gabriel’s trousers, and into the net!
There merest of touches from Gabriel after Emi Martinez drops the ball, gives Arsenal the lead against Aston Villa. Photograph: Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty ImagesGabriel celebrates putting the home side ahead. Photograph: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 16.34 EST
46 min: Arsenal had pulled the xG round in their favour, if not the actual scoreline. Just. At the break it read 0.57-0.54.
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Aston Villa get the second half started. Onana isn’t able to continue after picking up that injury, so the captain McGinn comes on in his place.
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Half-time postbag o’pessimism. “Arsenal are looking distinctly uncomfortable, rather like the princess and the pea in the fable. The good news is that, according to Han Christian Anderson anyway, being able to tell that there’s a pea under your mattress was a sign of nobility, and got the princess the princely marriage she was looking for. Not sure who the pea is in this game – Emi Martinez is always a good candidate, but in truth it’s probably Unai Emery – but if Arsenal are going prove their ability then they’re going to have to be a bit less princess-like and wake up” – Charles Antaki
“Perhaps I’m being a stereotypically pessimistic Arsenal fan, but it hasn’t escaped my notice that Villa tend to be much improved in second halves” – Kári Tulinius
“Martínez’s time-wasting is a joke. Is Dibu the most South American pantomime villain in the Premier League since Luis Suárez?” – Juan Paullier
Any old excuse to crowbar in one of the tracks of the year.Share
Half-time entertainment. Just in case you missed it earlier. Andy Bull on top form.
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HALF TIME: Arsenal 0-0 Aston Villa
Defences on top. Villa fans seem much the happier. The home fans boo the referee off.
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45 min +2: The first two of three added minutes sees Merino and Morgan go into the book in short order, the former for a mistimed challenge, the latter for stopping a free kick being taken.
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45 min: Sancho is sent barrelling down the right touchline by Tielemans. He rolls the ball into the centre. Watkins opens his body with a view to sidefooting home … only for Saliba to slide in and poke the ball away from his toe at the very last nanosecond. What an intervention! The flag pops up for offside on Sancho, so it kind of doesn’t matter, but Saliba wasn’t to know that at the time. Magical defending.
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44 min: Mikel Arteta steps out of his technical area once too often, and the referee Darren England comes across to have a word. The crowd holler and hoot, but in fairness the exchange between manager and referee is civil, approaching jovial. Smiles all round, and there’s no card.
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43 min: Martinez and Gyokeres collide under a high ball in the Villa box, the former fluffing a catch, the latter extending a leg. It’s six of one, etc., but the decision goes in the keeper’s favour. You can just imagine how that’s gone down with the crowd.
Viktor Gyokeres and Emiliano Martinez both stretch for the ball. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 16.03 EST
41 min: Onana thinks Merino deliberately kneed him in the back of the head as the pair tangled on the halfway line. So he gently shoves Merino over. Before the referee arrives to tell them to act their age, Trossard splits the pair and issues the instruction instead.
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Updated at 16.02 EST
40 min: Saliba knees Buendia in the coccyx as the pair contest a ball in midfield. Accidental, but still, that’s going to hurt. Ooyah. Oof.
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39 min: Arsenal haven’t achieved much in the final third of the pitch. But at least they’ve stopped Villa parading up the middle of the park, which they did on several occasions between the 10th and 20th minutes. The visitors haven’t done a whole lot in attack since.
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37 min: Saka again with the cheeky leg-hang, this time stopping Digne advancing down the left. He’s a saucy one.
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35 min: This is much better from Arsenal. Trossard sashays in from the left and curls a glorious ball towards Gyokeres, diving in at the near post. Gyokeres fires a header wide left and high … but not by very much. That was closer to the top corner than it looked on first viewing, and had he planted that one home, it’d have been quite the finish. He’s not had many touches in this game so far, but he’s gone close on a couple of occasions.
Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres heads at goal. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 15.58 EST
34 min: Gyokeres cuts in from the left, entering the box before driving low and hard. But there are so many players in the way. The ball bagatelles around a bit before it’s skelped clear.
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33 min: Digne can’t beat the first man, Gyokeres, and the striker blooters clear. This game was very open for a while; not so much now. “The BBC are reporting that geologists are investigating the reported appearance in north London of a Declan Rice-shaped hole,” quips Alan Baverstock, because somebody had to.
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