Aston Villa's 11-match winning streak in all competitions has officially closed in a bitter way, when they lost heavily 1-4 to Arsenal in a key confrontation.
This result not only affirms the strength of the London team, but also helps Mikel Arteta's team temporarily widen the gap with Man City by 5 points.
Arsenal entered the match with great confidence, especially thanks to the return of center-back Gabriel in the starting lineup. The home team quickly imposed the game, creating the first notable opportunity when Piero Hincapie crossed the ball for Viktor Gyokeres to head, but this striker's shot went over the bar.
In the opposite direction, Aston Villa also showed that they were not afraid at all. Amadou Onana fell in the penalty area after a collision with William Saliba, but referee Darren England did not consider it a penalty. A few minutes later, Ollie Watkins missed a good opportunity when his shot went wide of the post.
The turning point came after halftime. Onana having to leave the field due to injury made it difficult for Villa to maintain balance. In the 48th minute, from Bukayo Saka's corner kick, Emiliano Martinez caught the ball non-stop, creating conditions for Gabriel to easily open the score.
Just 5 minutes later, the lack of concentration of Villa's defense continued to be punished when Martin Odegaard stole the ball and then assisted Martin Zubimendi to double the lead.
Although Unai Emery put Donyell Malen on the field to change the situation, Villa was still completely inferior. Leandro Trossard increased the score to 3-0 with a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, before Gabriel Jesus scored the fourth goal with a beautiful curling shot in the final minutes.
Watkins' late consolation goal was not enough to cover Villa's forgettable evening, while Arsenal sent a strong message that they are the number one candidate for the Premier League title this season.
