Mikel Arteta praised Arsenal’s meticulous display and finishing as they claimed a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa to move five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
After a difficult first half, Arsenal pulled clear in the second half against the third-placed visitors at the Emirates Stadium. The result means they finish top of the Premier League for the seventh time – the most alongside Manchester United and Liverpool.
Gabriel Magalhaes marked his return after almost six weeks out with a hamstring injury by converting a corner three minutes after the restart, before Martin Zubimendi slotted home their second goal four minutes later.
Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus scored great goals to put Arsenal out of sight, while Ollie Watkins got a late consolation after John McGinn failed to beat David Raya from close range.
“It’s a beautiful night. That was a very tough match, as we knew it would be, because they are a top opponent to play against,” Arteta told Sky Sports.
“The first ten minutes were a bit shaky and we had to adjust things, but that’s thanks to them because they managed to break our pressure twice and were able to run, which they are very dangerous at.
“Then we took control of the game and created the chances. The way we started the second half was great; we really stepped things up and were efficient in everything we did.”
“We had to be very precise and understand the timing in which we did everything. It is a great honor for my players because against this team it is not easy.”
“We have created a lot of chances in recent weeks, but today we saw the difference. We needed sloppy goals to win other games, but the quality of our finishing was top and made the difference.”
20 – Arsenal are only the second team to score more than 20 goals (e.g. penalties) in consecutive years in the Premier League (21 in 2024, 20 in 2025), after Wimbledon between 1993 and 1996. Perfected. pic.twitter.com/ccshierXvZ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 30, 2025
Arsenal were without midfielder Declan Rice, who Arteta left off after a blow suffered in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Brighton.
The Gunners boss said Rice’s problem should only be short-lived, with the next order of business being a trip to Bournemouth this weekend.
“Declan took a big kick to his knee during the match [against Brighton]actually at the beginning of the match, and by the time he finished the match he had a huge heave.
“I hope he can function once the swelling comes out [and] he will be fine.”
There was more positive news on the injury front, however, as defender Gabriel put in a generally impressive performance after nine games.
“He came back after six weeks away, which probably should have been eight weeks, but he came back early,” Arteta said.
“He controlled himself against probably one of the best strikers in the league, which is very difficult to judge. I thought he was great.”
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