This victory may well be one they look back on in May. Faced with the Premier League’s in-form team, a side bouncing into north London after eight hair-raising wins on the spin, Arsenal blew away the merry men of Aston Villa in a sensational 30-minute, four-goal blitz at the Emirates. To close out 2025, jubilant on the touchline, it was Mikel Arteta’s biggest statement yet.
What sort of message has it sent to Manchester City? An emphatic one. In recent weeks, it has been nervy late-game viewing for Arsenal supporters, so desperate for this season to be, beyond any other competitions, their season in the Premier League. This was a proper test of their title credentials under the lights: a team with 11 consecutive victories in all competitions. The league’s in-form player in Morgan Rogers. An ex-manager in Unai Emery smelling a 24-day double. But they answered it and, whisper it quietly, in the manner of champions.
