Arsenal Player Ratings vs Aston Villa: Gabriel and Odegaard Star in Dominant Victory

‎Arsenal’s Premier League title ambitions were given renewed belief on Tuesday night as Gabriel Magalhaes marked his return from injury with a decisive goal in a commanding victory over Aston Villa. The centre-back struck early in the second half to ignite the Gunners, who went on to score four times and inflict Villa’s first defeat since November 1.

‎

‎Gabriel Magalhaes marked his return with a goal as Arsenal swept aside Aston Villa, handing Unai Emery his first loss since November and sending a strong Premier League title statement.

‎Getty/GOAL

‎

‎Before the breakthrough, the visitors had shown why they arrived in north London riding an 11-game winning streak. Inside the opening quarter-hour, Ezri Konsa dispossessed Viktor Gyokeres and delivered a dangerous ball across goal to Ollie Watkins, but the forward guided his effort narrowly wide. Gyokeres later found himself in promising positions too, only to misdirect two headers when he should have tested the goalkeeper.

‎

‎Villa threatened again just before the interval when Watkins was denied by a vital William Saliba intervention. Although the offside flag was raised, Saliba reacted instinctively, ensuring the sides went into half-time level.

‎

‎The contest shifted dramatically moments after the restart. Bukayo Saka swung in a corner from the right, and under pressure from Gabriel, Emiliano Martinez failed to deal with it cleanly, allowing the ball to trickle over the line. The goal transformed Arsenal’s performance, and they quickly doubled their advantage when Martin Odegaard won possession high up the pitch and threaded a perfectly weighted pass through to Martin Zubimendi, who calmly finished past Martinez.

‎

‎Arsenal remained firmly in control with a two-goal cushion. Odegaard went close on two occasions, and Villa’s hopes of a comeback were effectively ended when Leandro Trossard rifled a precise effort from the edge of the area after the visitors failed to clear an Arsenal attack. The scoring was completed by substitute Gabriel Jesus, who found the net with his very first touch after replacing Gyokeres.

‎

‎Villa did manage a late consolation in stoppage time. Donyell Malen squeezed the ball beyond David Raya and into the path of Watkins, who converted from close range. However, it did little to soften a difficult night for Unai Emery on his return to his former club.

‎

‎Player Ratings

‎

‎Goalkeeper & Defence

‎

‎David Raya (7/10):

‎Largely untroubled despite Villa’s form, though he made a solid stoppage-time save before being beaten soon after.

‎

‎Jurrien Timber (7/10):

‎Back in the starting XI at right-back, bringing balance and improvement to Arsenal’s defensive shape.

‎

‎William Saliba (7/10):

‎Produced a crucial defensive touch to block Watkins just before half-time, unaware the flag had gone up.

‎

‎Gabriel Magalhaes (8/10):

‎Outstanding on his first start since injury, scoring the opener and producing a brave defensive header later on.

‎

‎Piero Hincapie (6/10):

‎Delivered an excellent pass to set up Gyokeres early on but missed a golden chance himself after slipping in the box.

‎

‎Midfield

‎

‎Martin Odegaard (8/10):

‎Instrumental after the break, regaining possession for the second goal and testing Martinez with two strong efforts.

‎

‎Martin Zubimendi (8/10):

‎Showed composure and intelligence to finish neatly for Arsenal’s second goal.

‎

‎Mikel Merino (5/10):

‎Struggled to influence proceedings, particularly before half-time, and was lucky to avoid another booking.

‎

‎Attack

‎

‎Bukayo Saka (6/10):

‎Below his usual standards in open play but still provided the decisive corner for the opener.

‎

‎Viktor Gyokeres (5/10):

‎A frustrating outing with limited involvement and missed heading chances, highlighting a lack of service.

‎

‎Leandro Trossard (7/10):

‎Energetic down the left and sealed the win with a fine strike from distance.

‎

‎Substitutes & Manager

‎

‎Christian Norgaard (6/10):

‎Introduced late on to add stability.

‎

‎Gabriel Jesus (8/10):

‎Made an instant impact, scoring with his first touch to make it four.

‎

‎Myles Lewis-Skelly (7/10):

‎Came on after the result was effectively secured.

‎

‎Ben White (N/A):

‎Late appearance to help close out the match.

‎

‎Noni Madueke (N/A):

‎Another late substitution.

‎

‎Mikel Arteta (7/10):

‎Watched his side struggle initially, particularly without Rice in midfield, but was rewarded as they surged clear after the interval.