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Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Arsenal routs Aston Villa, silences its Premier League critics

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated Dec 30, 2025 5:56 PM ET

Arsenal beat Aston Villa, 4-1, at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday to seal its spot at the top of the Premier League table.

The first half was a tense, closely run affair, but the second half saw the game flip in Arsenal's favor. A quick flurry of goals, including a first-touch stunner from returning striker Gabriel Jesus, put the game firmly out of reach. It was Jesus' first goal since his gruesome ACL tear in January of 2025.

Arsenal's win was calculated and arresting. It was the team's strongest performance of the season by far.

Gabriel to the rescue

Forget towering center forward Viktor Gyokeres. Forget feisty winger Leandro Trossard. When Arsenal needs a game-breaking goal, it doesn't turn to its attackers: it turns to Gabriel Magalhaes, its long-serving Brazilian central defender. He's the reason Arsenal is famous for its set pieces. When he charges into the box and jumps for a header, he simply does not miss.

Arsenal spent the majority of the festive season without Gabriel's scene-stealing performances; he injured his thigh on international duty with Brazil in November and has been in recovery since. This Villa match was Gabriel's grand return to Arsenal's starting lineup, and he made the absolute most of the occasion. It was Gabriel who marked Villa forward Ollie Watkins out of the game entirely; it was Gabriel who out-jumped Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez to knock in the game's opening goal.

"The moment [Gabriel] stepped on the pitch, you could see the difference to our back line," said Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus after the match. "This guy loves to defend … he loves to score goals as well!”

Villa was competitive — and perhaps even superior to Arsenal — in the opening 45 minutes of the match. Don't let the 4-1 scoreline fool you: This game wasn't Arsenal's until Gabriel rose for that header and made it so.

The end of an impossible streak

Villa entered this match on a frankly unbelievable streak: zero points dropped in 11 games across all competitions. (It tied Villa's longest-ever win streak, which was, incredibly, set back in 1897.) The streak was impressive in and of itself, but the most laudable thing about it was the way it came together. Villa didn't sail past its opponents with ease. It won the majority of its matches by one goal and often came back from an early concession to do it. Villa coach Unai Emery described it bluntly: "This is about mentality."

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Villa was always going to lose a match, but it was frustrating to see its mentality masters lose one in this fashion. For the first time in weeks, Emery's Villa simply couldn't find the second gear it needed to keep itself competitive. Call it what you want — exhaustion, fixture pile-up, the inevitable talent gap between it and the Premier League's top sides rearing its head — but Villa will be endlessly disappointed in the way its streak ended.

A new era for Arsenal

Topping the Premier League table during the festive period is generally a good omen for the title race. Chelsea has won five out of the five seasons it led in December; Manchester City has won three out of the three. Even Manchester United, a team that has struggled with consistency throughout the modern era, has won five out of the seven seasons it led at this juncture.

Arsenal, though, is a different story. It's topped the Premier League table on four separate occasions but has never won the trophy from that position of strength.

Will 2025-26 be the year that all changes? It certainly looks like it. Arsenal looks hungrier, healthier and happier than it has in a long time. With injured goalscorers like Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus finally returning to the fold, Arsenal has an embarrassment of attacking riches to choose from ... and the best center-back pairing in the league in Gabriel and William Saliba. It doesn't matter what challenges are waiting for Arsenal in 2026. This team looks more than capable of winning them.

Arsenal will return to Premier League action on Saturday against Bournemouth.

Alyssa Clang

Alyssa is a Boston-born Californian with a passion for global sport. She can yell about misplaced soccer passes in five languages and rattle off the turns of Silverstone in her sleep. You can find her dormant Twitter account at @alyssaclang, but honestly, you’re probably better off finding her here

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