Arsenal thrash Aston Villa to extend Premier League lead: Stats
What's the story
Arsenal delivered a stellar second-half performance against Aston Villa, winning 4-1 and extending their lead at the top of the Premier League table. The Gunners are now five points clear of second-placed Manchester City with the latter having a game in hand. Matchweek 19 saw an evenly matches first half, but Arsenal took control after the break with two quick goals in five minutes. Here's more.
Goal spree
Zubimendi and Trossard extend Arsenal's lead
Gabriel Magalhaes opened the scoring from a corner after an error by Villa's goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Martin Zubimendi doubled the lead with a clinical finish from Martin Odegaard's precise through-ball. Leandro Trossard then added a third with a superb first-time finish from the edge of the box. Just after coming off the bench, Gabriel Jesus scored Arsenal's fourth goal with another well-taken strike. Aston Villa managed to score through Ollie Watkins late in the game but it was too little too late on a night when their 11-game winning streak came to an end.
Team changes
Arsenal's injury woes and tactical adjustments
Arsenal's recent form has been impacted by injuries, with key players like Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori missing out. Despite these challenges, manager Mikel Arteta was able to field Gabriel from the start after a long layoff. Aston Villa also had their share of absentees with Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara suspended. Despite the first half being tense, Arsenal dominated possession but struggled to create clear-cut chances.
Match highlights
Arsenal's 2nd-half dominance and Villa's missed chances
The second half saw Arsenal take the lead with a scrappy goal from Gabriel. Zubimendi then scored a brilliant goal to double their advantage. Despite Villa's impressive run of 11 straight wins, they failed to mount a comeback this time. Trossard sealed the victory with a goal in the 69th minute while Jesus added another just after coming on as a substitute.
Information
Arsenal race to 45 points
After 19 matches, Arsenal own 45 points. Arteta's men collected their 14th win of the season (D3 L2). Villa suffered their 4th defeat of the campaign after a run of 11 wins. Villa remain third with 39 points on board.
Match stats
A look at the match stats
Arsenal had an xG of 3.17 compared to Villa's 2.67. From 22 shots, Arsenal managed 7 of them on target. Villa had three shots on target from 11 attempts. Unai Emery's men had 53% ball possession and hit the woodwork twice. Arsenal created three big chances wth Villa managing one. In terms of touches in the opposition box, Arsenal (38) outnumbered Villa's 20.
Arsenal
Key numbers of Gabriel, Zubimendi and Trossard
Gabriel scored his 17th Premier League goal and now owns 20 goal involvements (A3) from 173 appearances. In the ongoing season, he has two goals and two assists. Zubimendi, who joined Arsenal in the summer, made his 19th Premier League appearance. He scored his 3rd goal (A1). Trossard scored and assisted in this contest. In 223 Premier League matches, the former Brighton man owns 51 goals and 35 assists. He has 5 goals and 4 assists this season.
Do you know?
Odegaard makes his 33rd assist; Jesus gets to 77 goals
Odegaard's 52nd-minute assist is now his 33rd in the Premier League from 165 matches (G35). Former Manchester City forward Jesus bagged his 77th Premier League goal in what was his 233rd appearance (A40).
Records
Massive records for Arsenal
As per Opta, Arsenal's 4-1 win was the biggest margin of victory in a Premier League match between two sides starting the day in the top three since Manchester City 4-1 Arsenal in April 2023. Arsenal are just the second team to score 20+ set piece goals (excluding penalties) in consecutive years in the Premier League (21 in 2024, 20 in 2025), after Wimbledon between 1993 and 1996.
Do you know?
A unique record for Jesus
As per Squawka, Jesus (55 seconds) is just the third player to score within a minute of coming on as a substitute in the Premier League this season, along with Donyell Malen vs Brighton (32 seconds) and Enes Ünal vs West Ham (53 seconds).
Twitter Post
End!
🔴 @Arsenal's dominant victory ends Aston Villa's run of 11 consecutive wins pic.twitter.com/tm7GijPkYb
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 30, 2025