3 standout players from Arsenal's dominant win over Aston Villa

Arsenal brought their 2025 to a close with a dominant 4-1 win over Aston Villa on Tuesday evening as an outstanding team performance fired Mikel Arteta's side to a vengeful victory.

A poor first-half was forgotten as a second-half romp saw the Gunners run out convincing victors in their final game of the year. Gabriel knocked the ball in from a corner put his side ahead before Martín Zubimendi doubled the advantage minutes later. Well-taken strikes by Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus rounded off the scoring for Arsenal, but they couldn't keep a clean sheet as Ollie Watkins grabbed a consolation in stoppage time.

It was a brilliant all-round showing from the Gunners, but there were three players that stood out on a great night at Emirates Stadium.

1. Gabriel Magalhaes

Gabriel scoring from a corner? Who would've thought?! Making his first start since his recent return from injury, the Brazilian marked it in perfect fashion as he netted the opening goal and of course, it came from a corner.

His opener wasn't his only contribution of the night as he stood firm in defence throughout his entire time on the pitch to keep Villa at bay. He battled well with the visitors' attacking line to prevent their moves from evolving.

His night was brought to a premature end though when he was forced off after picking up a knock. Fans will be hoping his substitution was just precautionary, but his withdrawal took nothing away from another solid performance.

2. Leandro Trossard

Starting on the left wing ahead of Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard put on a show on the flank as he had an impact whenever he could.

The Belgian caused Villa plenty of trouble down the touchline with his runs and crosses being a nuisance for their defence to deal with. His best moment came in the second-half when he found the back of the net with a first-time strike from the edge of the box to make it 3-0. He was made to wait to celebrate as a lengthy VAR check intervened, but his goal eventually stood.

Trossard capped off his night by assisting Gabriel Jesus for his first goal in almost a year, bringing an end to another fine performance in the midst of his renaissance season for Arsenal.

3. Martín Zubimendi

Taking up the number six role once again, Martín Zubimendi put on a show in midfield for the Gunners, playing a key part in his side's win over Villa.

He was slightly below par in the first-half, but he massively improved after the break and it didn't take him long to show that. Just minutes after Gabriel had put Arsenal ahead, Zubimendi made a darting run into the box to be found by Martin Ødegaard before knocking the ball past Emiliano Martinez.

His involvement continued as he made another good run to progress the move that ended with Jesus scoring the fourth goal. Along with his contributions in attack, Zubimendi did his usual job in midfield to mark another great performance.