Gabriel return gives Arsenal lift-off as they put Aston Villa's long winning run to bed with a blitz

Last Emirates dance of 2025: Picture by @YTJourno

Premier League

Arsenal (0) 4 Gabriel 48, Zubimendi 52, Trossard 72, Jesus 78

Aston Villa (0) 1 Watkins 94

Villa had this coming.

Their last-gasp winner against the Gunners in Birmingham a month ago was a bitter pill to swallow, ending an unbeaten run of 18 games. It was only right that Arsenal should respond in kind by ending the Villa sequence of 11 straight wins.

The catalyst for a vital win against opponents who had to moved to within three points of the North Londoners was obvious. It came in the granite-shape of defender Gabriel, who made his first start after injury and was a colossus at the back.

Not only did he put body on the line, but he nabbed the opening goal to settle an Arsenal side who had endured a nervy first half. He headed home a Bukayo Saka corner from close range as Emi Martinez flapped and appealed in vain for a free-kick.

When Gabriel and Saliba are together again, all is well in the Gunners' world.

That breakthrough was the signal for Arsenal to really let themselves off the leash. Within four minutes, the lead was doubled when Martin Odegaard played a superbly weighted ball through the middle and Martin Zubimendi poked home.

Leandro Trossard then made it three with a shot from the edge of the box that was originally flagged as offside until VAR intervened. Villa, having retrieved wins from several losing positions this season, were well and truly done now.

There was icing to come on this post-Christmas cake. A gift from Jesus himself, who netted within seconds of coming on for poor Viktor Gyokeres, who could not quite contribute to this goal jamboree.

Ollie Watkins did find the net in injury time for Villa but it was no more than a footnote.

Between the Arsenal goals, Odegaard continued to torment the Villans and he fashioned another chance for himself, stabbing a low shot than Martinez did well to tip wide.

Arsenal were delighted to welcome Gabriel back from injury but the Brazilian looked ring-rusty at first when a careless pass almost gifted Villa the opener. Watkins, with the goal seemingly at his mercy, hit his first-time sidefoot tamely wide.

It typified a nervy opening from the Gunners who often looked exposed as Villa ran from deep at pace in breakaways that initially caught Mikel Arteta's men flat-footed.

Gyokeres had two first-half headers off target - one onto the roof of the net, the second a diving contact that went just wide as he tried to eclipse Villa's man of the moment Watkins, whose double saw off Chelsea a few days ago.

Emi Martinez was in the mood to slow things down, taking an age over goal-kicks and testing the patience of referee Darren England, not to mention increasingly frustrated home fans.

But the frustrations were all destined to evaporate as the league leaders ensured they ended the year with a bang and David Raya, the saviour against Brighton with a magnificent save, made a superb double save at the death which defied physics.

He deserved a clean sheet for that moment but was beaten right at the end of the contest.

"David Raya, he's better than you," fans chanted at Martinez. They had enjoyed another great night at the Emirates.

You can read Mikel Arteta's post-match comments here

Gunners: (4-3-3) Raya - Timber (White 83), Saliba, Gabriel (Lewis-Skelly 77), Hincapie - Odegaard, Zubimendi, Merino (Norgaard 73) - Saka (Madueke 83), Gyokeres (Jesus 77), Trossard

Villans: (4-2-3-1) Martinez - Bogarde, Konsa, Lindelof, Digne - Onana (McGinn h/t), Tielemans (Jimoh-Aloba 82) - Sancho (Malen 61), Buendia (Garcia 61), Rogers (Hemmings 82) - Watkins