Arsenal finished the year at the top of the Premier League table, delivering an impressive second-half display to defeat third-placed Aston Villa 4-1.
This victory marked the Gunners’ fourth consecutive win, halting Villa’s 11-match winning streak across all competitions. The Villains showcased enough promise in the first half to hint at a potential club-record 12th straight win, but Arsenal turned up the heat after the break to seize control of the match.
Gabriel Magalhaes, making his first start since early November, capitalized on a goalkeeping error by Emiliano Martinez to score just three minutes into the second half. Martin Zubimendi followed suit in the 52nd minute, before Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus added stunning curling goals.
Ollie Watkins found a stoppage-time consolation for Villa, who now trail Arsenal by six points. Manchester City, currently in second place, could narrow the gap to two points when they visit Sunderland on New Year’s Day.
In another match, West Ham United ended a streak of three losses with a thrilling 2-2 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion. Although Nuno Espirito Santo’s side cut the gap to 17th-placed Nottingham Forest to four points, they were denied a win as Brighton equalized twice in a dramatic encounter.
Jarrod Bowen gave West Ham a 10th-minute lead, but Danny Welbeck equalized with a well-taken penalty soon after. Moments later, Welbeck had another penalty attempt that hit the crossbar. However, Lucas Paqueta converted a third penalty of the match in the fourth minute of stoppage time after Lewis Dunk was penalized for handball.
Yet, an error by Areola from a corner allowed Joel Veltman to score the equalizer for Brighton. The draw leaves West Ham in the relegation zone, sitting in 18th place, while Brighton drops to 14th after failing to secure a win in any of their December matches.