Mikel Arteta has warned Arsenal’s title rivals that their 4-1 win over Aston Villa showed they are on course to win a first Premier League title in 22 years.
Arteta’s side used a second-half blitz to beat Villa at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday to make a major statement of intent in the title race.
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A costly error from Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez opened the floodgates as he failed to hold on to a corner kick, allowing Gabriel Magalhães to drive the ball home.
Martin Zubimendi doubled the lead shortly afterwards before Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus completed the demolition with clinical duties.
Ollie Watkins’ stoppage-time goal offered little consolation to trailing Villa, who paid the price for their failure to convert their first-half dominance into goals.
After losing to Villa and Liverpool and drawing with Manchester City and Chelsea this season, Arsenal finally achieved a milestone victory in the championship process.
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Arteta hailed the result as proof of Arsenal’s ability to finally lift the Premier League trophy after finishing runners-up for three consecutive seasons.
“Well, 2025 is a great year on a personal and professional level. The people, the club and the staff allow me to enjoy coming to work every day, which is fantastic,” Arteta said.
“We know what we want by 2026. We have to work on it every day, but I think we’re on the right track.”
Arsenal ends 2025 five points ahead of second-placed Manchester City, who face Sunderland on Thursday, while third-placed Villa are six points adrift of the leaders.
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It was a sweet moment for Arteta when Emiliano Buendia scored a stoppage-time winner for Unai Emery’s side in early December, ending Villa’s club record and equalizing their winning streak to 11 games.
-“Really meticulous”-
“It was a good night. As we know, it was a very difficult game because they were top opponents,” Arteta said.
“The first 10 minutes were a bit inconsistent and we had to make adjustments. After that, we seized the game and created chances.
“The way we started the second half was amazing. We really turned it around and were efficient in everything we did.
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“We have to be very careful. It’s a big honor for my players because it’s not easy against this team.”
This swaggering display highlighted Arsenal’s huge potential after a series of recent wins by one goal.
Arteta said: “We need scrappy goals to win other games but the quality of our shots today was top-notch and it worked.”
Arteta praised the impact of Brazilian defender Gabriel on his first start since injury in November, adding: “We saw that today. He came back after six weeks out and kept his composure against one of the best strikers in the league in Ollie Watkins. I thought he was fantastic.”
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Arteta and Emery did not shake hands at the final whistle, with the Villa boss claiming his fellow Spaniard was too busy celebrating to say hello to him.
“When I finish the game I always wait to shake hands with the other coach, but he was with his coach and I couldn’t wait for him. Of course, I was there, but no problem. I went to the dressing room,” Emery said.
Arteta played down the incident, saying: “Sometimes we are in moments like this so it’s not a problem for me.”
Emery lamented Martinez’s mistake and the injury to Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana, which he felt changed the momentum of the game.
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“The first goal, the way they scored it was probably a foul but in England it’s more difficult because the referee makes you touch the goalkeeper,” he said.
“That changes everything. With Onana injured, we lost everything in the midfield. Arsenal have the quality they showed. That’s football.”
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