{"id":39673,"date":"2025-12-30T22:28:41","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T22:28:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/?p=39673"},"modified":"2025-12-30T22:28:41","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T22:28:41","slug":"arsenal-4-1-aston-villa-premier-league-live-reaction-premier-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/?p=39673","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal 4-1 Aston Villa: Premier League \u2013 live reaction | Premier League"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Post-match postbag.<\/strong> \u201cFew things are as joyful as watching someone with the on-pitch persona of Emi Martinez shipping four goals\u201d \u2013 Alexander Whitney<\/p>\n

\u201cIf anyone needed an illustration as to why Lewis-Skelly isn\u2019t starting much this year, his utter abdication of marking the most dangerous player on the pitch for Villa\u2019s goal would serve as a sufficient illustration\u201d \u2013 Alexander Whitney again<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m pretty sure I would\u2019ve wished all MBMers a happy New Year anyway, and thanked Scott and his colleagues for another year\u2019s 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\u2019t it? So double thanks all round\u201d \u2013 Charles Antaki<\/p>\n

\u2026 and thanks to you, Charles, and indeed everyone else who emails in and\/or reads these things. We\u2019d be nothing without you all.<\/p>\n

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Arsenal celebrate their most convincing display in a while.<\/strong> 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\u2019s opener might have been a bit scrappy, but Arsenal\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n

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FULL TIME: Arsenal 4-1 Aston Villa<\/h2>\n

Arsenal will end 2025 at the top of the Premier League. Five points clear at the top of the Premier League!<\/p>\n

<\/span>Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Martin Zubimendi celebrate after the final whistle.<\/span> Photograph: David Klein\/ReutersShare<\/p>\n

Updated at\u00a017.27 EST<\/p>\n

90 min +8:<\/strong> The xG is now suddenly a bit daft: 3.05-2.59.<\/p>\n

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90 min +7:<\/strong> Watkins is booked for telling it as he sees it.<\/p>\n

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90 min +6:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

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GOAL! Arsenal 4-1 Aston Villa (Watkins 90+4)<\/h2>\n

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\u2019t missing a tap-in from a couple of yards.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins taps the ball home from close range to score a consolation goal at Arsenal.<\/span> Photograph: Alastair Grant\/APShare<\/p>\n

Updated at\u00a017.19 EST<\/p>\n

90 min +3:<\/strong> \u201cDavid Raya, he\u2019s better than you,\u201d trill the Arsenal fans at their erstwhile custodian up the other end. Still in panto mode after all this time.<\/p>\n

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90 min +2:<\/strong> \u2026 so having said that, Villa get their first shot on target. It\u2019s 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\u2019s a ludicrous reaction save, though what a miss from McGinn!<\/p>\n

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90 min +1:<\/strong> Villa have edged the possession tonight: 51 percent to 49. But they\u2019ve not managed a single shot on target. The current xG is 2.73 to 0.67.<\/p>\n

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90 min:<\/strong> There will be eight minutes of stoppage time. Poor Villa just want to go home.<\/p>\n

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89 min:<\/strong> Watkins takes a tumble in the Arsenal box, nudged from behind by Hincapie. But the referee\u2019s not interested in awarding a penalty, and nor should he be. There was very little contact. That doesn\u2019t stop Watkins fuming, though.<\/p>\n

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87 min:<\/strong> It\u2019s Villa\u2019s turn to stroke it around a bit. Running down the clock, because they need this to be over as soon as.<\/p>\n

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85 min:<\/strong> Arsenal knock it around the back in the strolling style. You know the pack drill.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/span>Any Old Excuse pt II<\/span>Share<\/p>\n

83 min:<\/strong> Arsenal make a double change, replacing Saka and Timber with Madueke and White. What a bench the league leaders boast. Such strength in-depth.<\/p>\n

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82 min:<\/strong> Bogarde is booked for a late clank into Lewis-Skelly.<\/p>\n

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81 min:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

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Updated at\u00a016.57 EST<\/p>\n

79 min:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

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GOAL! Arsenal 4-0 Aston Villa (Jesus 78)<\/h2>\n

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\u2019s been on less than a minute!<\/p>\n

<\/span>Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal scores his team\u2019s fourth goal.<\/span> Photograph: David Price\/Arsenal FC\/Getty Images<\/span>Here\u2019s a view of the finish from up in the stands.<\/span> Photograph: Alex Burstow\/Arsenal FC\/Getty Images<\/span>Gabriel Jesus pays tribute to his namesake, which earned him a yellow card.<\/span> Photograph: Alex Burstow\/Arsenal FC\/Getty ImagesShare<\/p>\n

Updated at\u00a017.08 EST<\/p>\n

77 min:<\/strong> Gabriel goes down, always a worry for Arsenal. He doesn\u2019t appear to be in too much discomfort – until Hincapie accidentally steps on his finger, that is \u2013 but he\u2019ll be replaced just in case. Gyokeres also makes way, with Lewis-Skelly and Jesus coming on.<\/p>\n

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75 min:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

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73 min:<\/strong> Merino \u2013 who let\u2019s be honest, is pretty lucky to still be on the pitch \u2013 finally takes his leave of it. But it\u2019s by Arsenal\u2019s request, and he\u2019s replaced by Norgaard. The Emirates en f\u00eate.<\/p>\n

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72 min:<\/strong> Nope! And nope! The goal stands, and Arsenal are home and hosed.<\/p>\n

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71 min:<\/strong> VAR gets involved. Perhaps either Saka or Hincapie were offside? A long, long, long look at this.<\/p>\n

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GOAL! Arsenal 3-0 Aston Villa (Trossard 69)<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Leandro Trossard smashes the ball home to give Arsenal a 3-0 lead against Aston Villa.<\/span> Photograph: Catherine Ivill\/AMA\/Getty Images<\/span>Trossard celebrates.<\/span> Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane\/Arsenal FC\/Getty ImagesShare<\/p>\n

Updated at\u00a016.51 EST<\/p>\n

67 min:<\/strong> \u2026 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\u2019s a slapstick classic.<\/p>\n

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66 min:<\/strong> Odegaard threads a shot towards the bottom left. It\u2019s a bobbler, but Martinez makes a meal of fingertipping it around the post for a corner. Trossard\u2019s 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<\/em> more likely than Villa making it 2-1.<\/p>\n

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64 min:<\/strong> 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\u2019s no blame attached to Tielemans, who was entitled to go for the ball, Gabriel diving so low. Thankfully the defender is fine to continue.<\/p>\n

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63 min:<\/strong> Villa think they\u2019ve won a throw. But it\u2019s Arsenal\u2019s ball, and it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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62 min:<\/strong> Villa make a double change, replacing Buendia and Sancho with Malen and Garcia.<\/p>\n

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60 min:<\/strong> Trossard\u2019s corner lands in the six-yard box. Timber sticks out a leg and flays a shot over the bar. He didn\u2019t have much time to react, to be fair, and yet he probably should have scored and put this game to bed.<\/p>\n

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59 min:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

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58 min:<\/strong> Nope. The ball\u2019s 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\u2019s very lucky not to be sent packing. The referee rather generous there. Villa are extremely displeased.<\/p>\n

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57 min:<\/strong> 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?<\/p>\n

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56 min:<\/strong> \u2026 and it\u2019s 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\u2019s fortunate it doesn\u2019t drop at the feet of Gabriel, who is sensing blood. Villa hack clear. They need to snap out of their funk and quick.<\/p>\n

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54 min:<\/strong> That\u2019s 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!<\/p>\n

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GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Aston Villa (Zubimendi 52)<\/h2>\n

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!<\/p>\n

<\/span>Arsenal\u2019s Martin Zubimendi (right) guides the ball home to double the home side\u2019s lead.<\/span> Photograph: Vince Mignott\/EPA<\/span>Which he, and the Arsenal fans, are happy about.<\/span> Photograph: Alastair Grant\/APShare<\/p>\n

Updated at\u00a016.46 EST<\/p>\n

51 min:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

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49 min:<\/strong> 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\u2019s corner. And there are a lot of delighted people in the stand who will be aware.<\/p>\n

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48 min:<\/strong> That\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Aston Villa (Gabriel 47)<\/h2>\n

Saka tries to release Timber down the right. There\u2019s 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\u2019s trousers, and into the net!<\/p>\n

<\/span>There merest of touches from Gabriel after Emi Martinez drops the ball, gives Arsenal the lead against Aston Villa.<\/span> Photograph: Catherine Ivill\/AMA\/Getty Images<\/span>Gabriel celebrates putting the home side ahead.<\/span> Photograph: Alex Burstow\/Arsenal FC\/Getty ImagesShare<\/p>\n

Updated at\u00a016.34 EST<\/p>\n

46 min:<\/strong> Arsenal had pulled the xG round in their favour, if not the actual scoreline. Just. At the break it read 0.57-0.54.<\/p>\n

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Aston Villa get the second half started.<\/strong> Onana isn\u2019t able to continue after picking up that injury, so the captain McGinn comes on in his place.<\/p>\n

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Half-time postbag o\u2019pessimism.<\/strong> \u201cArsenal 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\u2019s 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 \u2013 Emi Martinez is always a good candidate, but in truth it\u2019s probably Unai Emery \u2013 but if Arsenal are going prove their ability then they\u2019re going to have to be a bit less princess-like and wake up\u201d \u2013 Charles Antaki<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps I\u2019m being a stereotypically pessimistic Arsenal fan, but it hasn\u2019t escaped my notice that Villa tend to be much improved in second halves\u201d \u2013 K\u00e1ri Tulinius<\/p>\n

\u201cMart\u00ednez\u2019s time-wasting is a joke. Is Dibu the most South American pantomime villain in the Premier League since Luis Su\u00e1rez?\u201d \u2013 Juan Paullier<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/span>Any old excuse to crowbar in one of the tracks of the year.<\/span>Share<\/p>\n

Half-time entertainment.<\/strong> Just in case you missed it earlier. Andy Bull on top form.<\/p>\n

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HALF TIME: Arsenal 0-0 Aston Villa<\/h2>\n

Defences on top. Villa fans seem much the happier. The home fans boo the referee off.<\/p>\n

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45 min +2:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

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45 min:<\/strong> 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 \u2026 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\u2019t matter, but Saliba wasn\u2019t to know that at the time. Magical defending.<\/p>\n

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44 min:<\/strong> 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\u2019s no card.<\/p>\n

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43 min:<\/strong> Martinez and Gyokeres collide under a high ball in the Villa box, the former fluffing a catch, the latter extending a leg. It\u2019s six of one, etc., but the decision goes in the keeper\u2019s favour. You can just imagine how that\u2019s gone down with the crowd.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Viktor Gyokeres and Emiliano Martinez both stretch for the ball.<\/span> Photograph: Peter Cziborra\/Action Images\/ReutersShare<\/p>\n

Updated at\u00a016.03 EST<\/p>\n

41 min:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

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Updated at\u00a016.02 EST<\/p>\n

40 min:<\/strong> Saliba knees Buendia in the coccyx as the pair contest a ball in midfield. Accidental, but still, that\u2019s going to hurt. Ooyah. Oof.<\/p>\n

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39 min:<\/strong> Arsenal haven\u2019t achieved much in the final third of the pitch. But at least they\u2019ve stopped Villa parading up the middle of the park, which they did on several occasions between the 10th and 20th minutes. The visitors haven\u2019t done a whole lot in attack since.<\/p>\n

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37 min:<\/strong> Saka again with the cheeky leg-hang, this time stopping Digne advancing down the left. He\u2019s a saucy one.<\/p>\n

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35 min:<\/strong> 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 \u2026 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\u2019d have been quite the finish. He\u2019s not had many touches in this game so far, but he\u2019s gone close on a couple of occasions.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres heads at goal.<\/span> Photograph: Peter Cziborra\/Action Images\/ReutersShare<\/p>\n

Updated at\u00a015.58 EST<\/p>\n

34 min:<\/strong> 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\u2019s skelped clear.<\/p>\n

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33 min:<\/strong> Digne can\u2019t beat the first man, Gyokeres, and the striker blooters clear. This game was very open for a while; not so much now. \u201cThe BBC are reporting that geologists are investigating the reported appearance in north London of a Declan Rice-shaped hole,\u201d quips Alan Baverstock, because somebody had to.<\/p>\n

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Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Post-match postbag. \u201cFew things are as joyful as watching someone with the on-pitch persona of Emi Martinez shipping four goals\u201d \u2013 Alexander Whitney \u201cIf anyone needed an illustration as to why Lewis-Skelly isn\u2019t starting much this year, his utter abdication of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[3366,7075,3504,132,1706,3179,3098],"class_list":{"0":"post-39673","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-arsenal","9":"tag-aston","10":"tag-league","11":"tag-live","12":"tag-premier","13":"tag-reaction","14":"tag-villa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/39674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}