Leandro Trossard put in another superb performance as Arsenal ended Aston Villa’s 11-match winning streak with a 4-1 thrashing at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
Arsenal sent a clear message to their title rivals with a commanding second-half performance against Aston Villa, underlining their credentials at the top of the table.
Villa arrived on a record-breaking winning streak, while Arsenal were without midfield linchpin Declan Rice for the first time this season and only the fourth occasion since his arrival at the club.
Central to the victory was Gabriel Magalhães’ return from injury and his renewed partnership with William Saliba. Before kick-off, Arsenal had won all five Premier League matches this season in which the pair completed the full 90 minutes together at centre-back, keeping clean sheets in each. They came close to extending that run again, but Gabriel was no longer on the pitch when Villa grabbed a late consolation.
Arsenal struck again from a set piece for the 17th time in the Premier League this season, a total bettered only by Manchester United in 2012 with 18 in a calendar year. Since joining Arsenal, Gabriel, who headed home Bukayo Saka’s inswinging corner for the opener, has now scored more league goals than any other defender, with 19.
Phenomenal performance
Martín Zubimendi added a second with a composed finish after being played through on goal superbly by the Gunners captain, Martin Ødegaard.
Trossard then blasted an unstoppable third from the edge of the area, taking him to 10 Premier League goals in 2025 for Arsenal, the most in the squad this year. Substitute Gabriel Jesus added a fourth just 55 seconds after coming on, with Trossard supplying the assist to move clear as the club’s leading contributor for the year with 19 goal involvements.
Aside from his goal and assist, Trossard completed 26 of his 28 attempted passes and was a constant livewire against Villa’s defence, making five touches in their box and taking four shots with two on target.
The Belgium international was also key to Arsenal’s relentless pressing that saw the Villains struggle to get out of their half. He won three duels and made two tackles in what was a complete display by the former Brighton man.
For Arsenal, the victory opened up a six-point gap over Villa and moved them five points clear of Manchester City. It also ensures the Gunners finish the calendar year top of the Premier League for a seventh time, a joint record shared with Liverpool and United.
