Arsenal 4-1 Aston Villa: Gunners thump title rivals to end year five points clear at top of Premier League

Arsenal scored four second-half goals as they beat Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium to finish the year five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, making his first start since recovering in November, sent the ball home from a characteristic corner in the 48th minute to give Arsenal the lead, and despite calls from Villa players for a foul on their goalkeeper Emi Martinez, the goal stood.

The Gunners then doubled their lead when captain Martin Odegaard collected the ball in midfield before making an excellent pass to Martin Zubimendi who headed past Martinez.

Leandro Trossard added a third when he fired a low shot into the net from the edge of the area, after a lengthy offside check by the video assistant referee (VAR).

And substitute Gabriel Jesus ensured it was a night to remember for the Gunners when he curled in from the edge of the box, before Ollie Watkins struck from close range in stoppage time to give Aston Villa a consolation goal.

Villa came into this match on an 11-game winning streak, including a 2-1 victory over the Gunners 24 days ago, but despite a good start to the match and a close pass through Watkins, they were unable to take the lead.

Unai Emery’s side, without Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara due to suspension, presented a clear game plan to slow down the pace of the match and tried to frustrate Arsenal, but could not deny Mikel Arteta’s side an impressive victory.

The victory ends a strong year for the Gunners who have lost just twice in the league this season, and took a five-point lead heading into second-placed Manchester City’s match at Sunderland on New Year’s Day (8:00 p.m. GMT).