Gabriel Jesus scores again as Arsenal beat Aston Villa in six-pointer

Arsenal demonstrated all their strength at the Emirates Stadium by beating Aston Villa 4-1, this Tuesday (30/12), during the teams’ farewell in 2025. And it was complete with Brazilian goals, since Gabriel Magalhães opened the scoring in the second half, in a difficult match of the 19th day of the Premier League. Zubimendi and Trossard also scored. But the Gunners’ most special goal was that of Gabriel Jesus. Recovering from a serious injury – which put him out of action for nine months – the striker scored with his first touch of the ball, returning to the back of the net since the first day of the year. Watkins, in the end, scored the honorary goal.

The result is actually of utmost importance to manager Mikel Arteta’s aspirations. After all, Villa – one of only two teams to have beaten Arsenal in the Premier League – could be level on points with the London side at the top. But, with this victory, Arteta’s side reach 45 points and open up a six-point lead over the Birmingham side. Moreover, it opens five compared to second-placed Manchester City. Villa, who ended an incredible 11 match winning streak, are third, with 39.

Where are the goals?

Villa’s first good chance. After Gabriel Magalhães made a mistake with Gyökeres, Konsa stole the ball and passed it to Watkins. Already from inside the area, he sent it first, caught it on the ankle and lost a great opportunity, in the 11th minute. The striker himself would have another opportunity by shooting wide.

Speaking of targetless shots, Gyökeres has become one of the names in the game. And not in a good way for Arsenal fans. After all, the contested striker missed three goals in the first half alone, with two headers going wide – even in excellent condition to beat Dibu Martínez. Unsurprisingly, the score was reset at halftime to boos from the host fans.

Here are the objectives

In the final stage, Arsenal’s first corner was enough to score the first goal of the prize. Saka struck venomously and Gabriel Magalhães competed with Dibu Martínez in the air. The ball reached the Brazilian player last, entering quietly, at 2′. Four minutes later, the gate was still open. On a fine throw from Odegaard, Zubimendi was in front of goal, touching Dibu’s outlet to double London’s advantage.

The game then became an attack on defense. Playing a lot, Arsenal piled up the chances, stealing many balls on the offensive pitch and soon creating chances. Trossard, after a dribble from Timber on the right, took the first shot, in the 23rd minute, to score a beautiful goal and take a 3-0 advantage at the Emirates. Now the Belgian is one of the Gunners’ top scorers in the Premier League, with five goals, tied with Gyökeres.

Gabriel Jesus scores again for Arsenal

The night in North London would be even more special. Gabriel Jesus, who was playing his sixth match since recovering from a left knee injury, came on in the 32nd minute. In the next minute – with his first touch of the ball – he managed to send it into the corner and score the fourth, ending a fast of almost 365 days without finding the net and sending the stadium into delirium. What’s interesting is that his last goal was away on January 1, in the 2024/25 Premier. It was actually Arsenal’s first goal of the year. The one against Villa was the last. A sign that redemption is approaching?

Raya miracle and goal of honor

Goalkeeper Raya caught the eye during the 2-1 win over Brighton by performing a true miracle. This time the score was 4-0 and there would be no “problem” conceding a goal. Despite this, the archer made another inexplicable save, with McGinn missing a goal from inside the small area. Watkins, in turn, did not miss the target, scoring in stoppage time and scoring Villa’s honorary goal.

Next steps for Arsenal and Villa

End of conversation in 2025 for both teams. Arsenal will make their 2026 debut on Saturday (3/1), when they travel to face Bournemouth, at 2:30 p.m. (Brasilia time), on matchday 20 of the Premier League. Their first home match of the year will simply be the classic against Liverpool on the 8th. Aston Villa also take to the field on Saturday. They will face Nottingham Forest at 9:30 a.m. On the 7th, visit the Crystal Palace.

Premier League 19th round matches 2025/2026

Tuesday (12/30)

Burnley 1×3 Newcastle

Chelsea 2×2 Bournemouth

Nottingham Forest 0x2 Everton

West Ham 2 × 2 Brighton

Arsenal 4×1 Aston Villa

Manchester United 1 x 1 Wolverhampton

Thursday (1/1)

Crystal Palace x Fulham – 2:30 p.m.

Liverpool v Leeds United – 2:30 p.m.

Brentford v Tottenham – 5 p.m.

Sunderland v Manchester City – 5 p.m.

Follow our content on social media: Bluesky, Threads, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.