This was a real big boy performance from Arsenal, the type of win they could look back on should they lift the Premier League title, as expected, at the end of the season. Mikel Arteta gave the home fans the perfect send off to a great 2025.
Gabriel scored Arsenal’s first with an obligatory set piece goal, capitalising on some really poor goalkeeping from Emi Martinez who dropped the ball while under pressure right one the giant centre-back.
It was another mistake that allowed Arsenal to double their lead just four minutes later. Martin Odegaard was alert to latch onto a misplaced pass before slipping a lovely pass through to Martin Zubimendi who scored.
Leandro Trossard has his and Arsenal’s third goal ruled out on the pitch but after a VAR intervention, the decision was overturned. Gabriel Jesus then came off the bench to get Arsenal’s fourth and put the game to bed.
Ollie Watkins, who loves a goal against Arsenal, managed to pull on back for Villa but it was nothing more than a consolation.
No Rice, no problem
A lot of the talk ahead of the game was about how Arsenal would cope without arguably the best midfielder in the Premier League, as Rice was ruled out with injury. As it turns out, they were fine, no dramas at all.
It really is a testament to Arsenal’s strength in depth that they can lose a player as good as Rice and then still have a midfield three of Odegaard, Zubimendi, and Mikel Merino. It was the goalscorer that filled in for Rice primarily, and he was great.
Zubimendi ended his game with a goal, two chances created, 61 touches, five of which were in the opposition box, and eight passes into the final third. It was the complete performance, no notes.
Gyokeres struggles again
Now, we run the risk of raining on a lot of Arsenal fan’s parade here, but there needs to be a serious conversation about Viktor Gyokeres. Again, he looked too heavy, not up to speed with his teammates, and to add insult to injury, Jesus, who replaced him, ended up scoring.
Gyokeres didn’t complete a single dribble, won just one of his six ground duels, and missed a header that should have been the opening goal Trossard played a delightful cross into the striker from the left.
Perhaps the most damning indictment, however, is the fact that Gyokeres only had four touches in the Aston Villa box. When your striker either isn’t getting into the right positions, or his teammates aren’t giving him the ball, there is a genuine problem.
Trossard is Arsenal’s most underrated player
He may not be a new shiny signing, and he may not be as internationally known or loved as Bukayo Saka, but Trossard has been one of Arsenal’s best performers this season. Losing him in the summer would have been a MUCH bigger deal than many fans think.
Trossard’s goal makes him Arsenal’s joint top Premier League goal scorer with five, alongside Gyokeres, and his assist means the Belgian is the North London club’s best provider too, with four.
His overall game today was fantastic. He created three chances, had a 93% pass accuracy rate, and made five defensive contributions. In a season where Arsenal’s other attacking players have struggled, Trossard is showing exactly how important he really is.