There was one other late kick-off this evening. Wolverhampton Wanderers have claimed just their third point of the season with a 1-1 draw away at Manchester United. After coming so close to getting something at both Arsenal and Liverpool, perhaps that’s not so much of a surprise. Jamie Jackson was at Old Trafford, and here’s his report.

Gabriel Jesus talks to Sky Sports. “It was amazing … always hard to play against [Villa] … they come here all the time and hurt us … at the beginning they tried to delay the game … but the mentality of this team grows … that’s why we won tonight … the moment [Gabriel] stepped on the pitch, you could see the difference to our back line … this guy loves to defend … he loves to score goals as well!”

His defensive namesake Gabriel, the player of the match, adds: “I always want to help the team … I am so happy to be back … today was a brilliant day for everyone … we need to keep working … we are really happy.”

Post-match postbag. “Few things are as joyful as watching someone with the on-pitch persona of Emi Martinez shipping four goals” – Alexander Whitney

“If anyone needed an illustration as to why Lewis-Skelly isn’t starting much this year, his utter abdication of marking the most dangerous player on the pitch for Villa’s goal would serve as a sufficient illustration” – Alexander Whitney again

“I’m pretty sure I would’ve wished all MBMers a happy New Year anyway, and thanked Scott and his colleagues for another year’s worth of terrific commentary, football lore and more than enough wit to keep us going through the duller games. But a win always helps, doesn’t it? So double thanks all round” – Charles Antaki

… and thanks to you, Charles, and indeed everyone else who emails in and/or reads these things. We’d be nothing without you all.

Arsenal celebrate their most convincing display in a while. The wins here over Wolves and Brighton were unconvincing, and in truth so was their first-half performance tonight. Aston Villa had two or three big opportunities, springing forward on the counter, to establish an early lead. But the league leaders turned it up a notch in the second half. Gabriel’s opener might have been a bit scrappy, but Arsenal’s next three were wonderful free-flowing affairs: so much for this team only being about set pieces and own goals! Arsenal end their year on a high, favourites for the Premier League title; on the evidence of the second half tonight, they might just take some stopping. Aston Villa’s 11-game winning run in all competitions comes to a juddering halt; perhaps talk of a title bid was premature after all. But at the start of the season, they’d have grabbed third place by the end of December with both hands, something that will give them succour when the pain of this defeat subsides.

90 min +8: The xG is now suddenly a bit daft: 3.05-2.59.

90 min +7: Watkins is booked for telling it as he sees it.

90 min +6: No clean sheet for Arsenal, then. They stay on nine for the season. Up the other end, Zubimendi dances around on the right-hand side of the six-yard box but his cross-cum-shot hits Lindelof on the arm. No penalty, even though his arm was up. Nobody knows anything any more.

90 min +3: “David Raya, he’s better than you,” trill the Arsenal fans at their erstwhile custodian up the other end. Still in panto mode after all this time.

90 min +2: … so having said that, Villa get their first shot on target. It’s farcical, though. A cross comes into the Arsenal box from the left. Watkins flashes a header across Raya and off the base of the right-hand post. The ball comes back across the face of goal, sitting up for McGinn who from a couple of yards, slams a shot straight at Raya. That’s a ludicrous reaction save, though what a miss from McGinn!

90 min +1: Villa have edged the possession tonight: 51 percent to 49. But they’ve not managed a single shot on target. The current xG is 2.73 to 0.67.

90 min: There will be eight minutes of stoppage time. Poor Villa just want to go home.

89 min: Watkins takes a tumble in the Arsenal box, nudged from behind by Hincapie. But the referee’s not interested in awarding a penalty, and nor should he be. There was very little contact. That doesn’t stop Watkins fuming, though.

87 min: It’s Villa’s turn to stroke it around a bit. Running down the clock, because they need this to be over as soon as.

85 min: Arsenal knock it around the back in the strolling style. You know the pack drill.

83 min: Arsenal make a double change, replacing Saka and Timber with Madueke and White. What a bench the league leaders boast. Such strength in-depth.

82 min: Bogarde is booked for a late clank into Lewis-Skelly.

81 min: Jesus crosses from the left for Saka, who somehow misses his header altogether from six yards out. Timber races in, with a view to blootering goalwards, but his effort is blocked. Villa, who looked dynamite between 10 and 20 minutes, have since been blown to smithereens.

79 min: Villa have fallen apart like cake left out in the rain. Oh no no. Saka drives in from the right and larrups a shot over the bar. Villa just need to get out of Dodge without any further punishment.

77 min: Gabriel goes down, always a worry for Arsenal. He doesn’t appear to be in too much discomfort - until Hincapie accidentally steps on his finger, that is – but he’ll be replaced just in case. Gyokeres also makes way, with Lewis-Skelly and Jesus coming on.

75 min: Rogers spins elegantly on the edge of the Arsenal box, just to the left of the D. He whips a rising shot towards the top right, but Gabriel gets his head in the way, and deflects over the bar. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.

73 min: Merino – who let’s be honest, is pretty lucky to still be on the pitch – finally takes his leave of it. But it’s by Arsenal’s request, and he’s replaced by Norgaard. The Emirates en fête.

72 min: Nope! And nope! The goal stands, and Arsenal are home and hosed.

71 min: VAR gets involved. Perhaps either Saka or Hincapie were offside? A long, long, long look at this.

67 min: … and it should be 3-0, Odegaard launching a counter down the middle and freeing Hincapie into the box on the left. But upon taking receipt of the ball, Hincapie clanks it off his left foot and, in falling over, onto his right arm. That’s a slapstick classic.

66 min: Odegaard threads a shot towards the bottom left. It’s a bobbler, but Martinez makes a meal of fingertipping it around the post for a corner. Trossard’s delivery causes more trouble, a game of pinball in the six-yard box, but eventually Villa clear their lines. Arsenal going 3-0 up looks much more likely than Villa making it 2-1.

64 min: Garcia whips a cross in from the right. Tielemans shapes to connect, but Gabriel throws himself in the way, John Terry / roll of carpet being dumped out the back of a moving van style, and heads clear. He takes a kick for his trouble, though there’s no blame attached to Tielemans, who was entitled to go for the ball, Gabriel diving so low. Thankfully the defender is fine to continue.

63 min: Villa think they’ve won a throw. But it’s Arsenal’s ball, and it’s taken quickly down the right. Villa snoozing. Odegaard drops a shoulder to step into the box before lashing a wild effort over the bar. He had enough time and space to do better.

62 min: Villa make a double change, replacing Buendia and Sancho with Malen and Garcia.

60 min: Trossard’s corner lands in the six-yard box. Timber sticks out a leg and flays a shot over the bar. He didn’t have much time to react, to be fair, and yet he probably should have scored and put this game to bed.

59 min: Gyokeres wins Arsenal another corner, this one down the left. Will Martinez deal with this one better? Trossard to curl it in and test him.

58 min: Nope. The ball’s cleared easily enough. But Villa come back at Arsenal through Rogers, who advances down the inside-right channel. Merino, who has already been booked, grabs him by the arm and yanks him to the floor. He’s very lucky not to be sent packing. The referee rather generous there. Villa are extremely displeased.

57 min: Rogers is stopped by Hincapie on the right touchline, illegally so. McGinn to send the free kick into the Arsenal box. Can Villa respond in short order?

56 min: … and it’s nearly a triple. Saka is clipped by McGinn out on the right. Odegaard swings the free kick into the box. Martinez comes out to claim, but again misses the ball altogether. He’s fortunate it doesn’t drop at the feet of Gabriel, who is sensing blood. Villa hack clear. They need to snap out of their funk and quick.

54 min: That’s such good work from Odegaard, and a cute finish from Zubimendi. Unai Emery, his fellow Basque, stands on the touchline, his head hung low. What a double whammy his team have just suffered!

51 min: So much for all that half-time pessimism from the Arsenal fans out there. The league leaders have come flying out of the blocks in this second period. Villa look slightly stunned at falling behind so quickly.

49 min: Yep, the goal stands. Martinez shakes his head, but not with any real conviction. He'll be aware as much as anyone that he flapped horribly at Saka’s corner. And there are a lot of delighted people in the stand who will be aware.

48 min: That’s an awfully scrappy goal, and a terrible rick from Martinez. The Arsenal fans will enjoy that. Villa are arguing that Gabriel shoved him, but this will surely stand.

46 min: Arsenal had pulled the xG round in their favour, if not the actual scoreline. Just. At the break it read 0.57-0.54.

Aston Villa get the second half started. Onana isn’t able to continue after picking up that injury, so the captain McGinn comes on in his place.

Half-time postbag o’pessimism. “Arsenal are looking distinctly uncomfortable, rather like the princess and the pea in the fable. The good news is that, according to Han Christian Anderson anyway, being able to tell that there’s a pea under your mattress was a sign of nobility, and got the princess the princely marriage she was looking for. Not sure who the pea is in this game – Emi Martinez is always a good candidate, but in truth it’s probably Unai Emery – but if Arsenal are going prove their ability then they’re going to have to be a bit less princess-like and wake up” – Charles Antaki

“Perhaps I’m being a stereotypically pessimistic Arsenal fan, but it hasn’t escaped my notice that Villa tend to be much improved in second halves” – Kári Tulinius

“Martínez’s time-wasting is a joke. Is Dibu the most South American pantomime villain in the Premier League since Luis Suárez?” – Juan Paullier

Half-time entertainment. Just in case you missed it earlier. Andy Bull on top form.

45 min +2: The first two of three added minutes sees Merino and Morgan go into the book in short order, the former for a mistimed challenge, the latter for stopping a free kick being taken.

45 min: Sancho is sent barrelling down the right touchline by Tielemans. He rolls the ball into the centre. Watkins opens his body with a view to sidefooting home … only for Saliba to slide in and poke the ball away from his toe at the very last nanosecond. What an intervention! The flag pops up for offside on Sancho, so it kind of doesn’t matter, but Saliba wasn’t to know that at the time. Magical defending.

44 min: Mikel Arteta steps out of his technical area once too often, and the referee Darren England comes across to have a word. The crowd holler and hoot, but in fairness the exchange between manager and referee is civil, approaching jovial. Smiles all round, and there’s no card.

43 min: Martinez and Gyokeres collide under a high ball in the Villa box, the former fluffing a catch, the latter extending a leg. It’s six of one, etc., but the decision goes in the keeper’s favour. You can just imagine how that’s gone down with the crowd.

41 min: Onana thinks Merino deliberately kneed him in the back of the head as the pair tangled on the halfway line. So he gently shoves Merino over. Before the referee arrives to tell them to act their age, Trossard splits the pair and issues the instruction instead.

40 min: Saliba knees Buendia in the coccyx as the pair contest a ball in midfield. Accidental, but still, that’s going to hurt. Ooyah. Oof.

39 min: Arsenal haven’t achieved much in the final third of the pitch. But at least they’ve stopped Villa parading up the middle of the park, which they did on several occasions between the 10th and 20th minutes. The visitors haven’t done a whole lot in attack since.

37 min: Saka again with the cheeky leg-hang, this time stopping Digne advancing down the left. He’s a saucy one.

35 min: This is much better from Arsenal. Trossard sashays in from the left and curls a glorious ball towards Gyokeres, diving in at the near post. Gyokeres fires a header wide left and high … but not by very much. That was closer to the top corner than it looked on first viewing, and had he planted that one home, it’d have been quite the finish. He’s not had many touches in this game so far, but he’s gone close on a couple of occasions.

34 min: Gyokeres cuts in from the left, entering the box before driving low and hard. But there are so many players in the way. The ball bagatelles around a bit before it’s skelped clear.

33 min: Digne can’t beat the first man, Gyokeres, and the striker blooters clear. This game was very open for a while; not so much now. “The BBC are reporting that geologists are investigating the reported appearance in north London of a Declan Rice-shaped hole,” quips Alan Baverstock, because somebody had to.

32 min: Tielemans wrestles Merino to the ground 35 yards from the Villa goal. Odegaard swings a dismal free kick into the box, and it’s easily claimed by Martinez, who sets Sancho off on the counter. Sancho wins a corner out on the right. Digne to take.

30 min: Saka carelessly loses possession on the edge of the Villa box. Morgan begins a run upfield. Saka sticks out a cynical leg to trip him, and is very fortunate not to go into the book. Morgan not happy.

29 min: Onana is fine to continue, having stretched out his hamstring.

28 min: Onana is back up, and walking to the touchline under his own steam. Now it’s Unai Emery’s turn to pace up and down in the frantic style.

27 min: Onana is down, shaking his head. On comes the physio. McGinn warms up, just in case. While the game is paused, Arteta gathers his men and issues some beneficial advice.

26 min: Mikel Arteta is prowling the touchline in an agitated fashion. Yes, yes, but this time he’s particularly animated. His team aren’t clicking. He has concerns.

24 min: Buendia rolls a pass infield from the left for Morgan. There’s some weight behind it, and Morgan does so well to stun it, take it in his stride and glide off with it in one smooth motion. He’s such an elegant player in flight. The move comes to nothing, but sometimes that’s not the point.

23 min: Trossard diddles in from the left flank and threads a shot towards the bottom left from the edge of the box. It’s on target but at a slow trundle. Easy for Martinez.

21 min: The xG so far. Arsenal 0.17, Villa 0.54.

20 min: Timber has a whack from distance. It’s blocked by Lindelof. The ball comes back into the Villa mixer but Odegaard can’t get a shot away from the penalty spot, then Trossard handles. Better from Arsenal, though their bar has been set low early doors.

18 min: Two efforts from Watkins in two minutes. First up he thinks about catching Raya off his line, 40 yards out, but Gabriel sticks out a leg to deflect the shot away from danger. Then the striker stands up Saliba as he dribbles in from the left, but his curler towards the far corner floats harmlessly wide. Some mutterings in the home crowd. Arsenal are living extremely dangerously.

16 min: Konsa sprays a long diagonal towards Buendia, who is penalised for winning a header in a duel with Saliba. Arsenal get away with one. They’re not at the races here at all.

14 min: For the third time in as many minutes, Villa pick up a loose ball in the midfield and launch a counter. Tielemans picks out Morgan with a long pass, with Arsenal light at the back, but Morgan miscontrols. The hosts all over the shop in midfield.

13 min: Now it’s Konsa’s turn to steal the ball on halfway, nipping in ahead of a dozing Gyokeres. He steams down the middle and slips a pass to Watkins on his left. Watkins tries to pass first time into the bottom left, but gets it all wrong and the ball rolls apologetically wide. Villa should probably be leading.

12 min: Raya comes through a crowded box to punch the corner clear.

11 min: Onana snaffles a loose ball in the centre circle, and piles down the centre of the field. He enters the box and tries to chop inside Saliba. He goes over, but there’s no significant contact, if any. The referee waves play on as the ball bounces out for a corner. That’ll be what happens next. No penalty.

9 min: Gyokeres stands on Konsa’s foot and the whistle goes for a free kick … which Martinez takes his sweet time about taking. The crowd aren’t content. Then when the ball reaches the middle of the park, Odegaard clips Tielemans, who doesn’t spring back up immediately. If this is designed to wind up the home fans, it’s working a treat.

7 min: Merino pings a pass down the inside-left channel for Hincapie, who reaches the byline and chips a cross into the six-yard box Gyokeres beats Lindelof to a header, and tries to guide it across Martinez and into the top left. It’s always floating over the bar. But had he looped his effort more accurately towards the corner, Martinez might have had a job dealing with that.

6 min: Gabriel and Watkins exchange pleasantries on the halfway line, the former taking exception to the latter’s method of ushering the ball out for a throw. The referee calls them over and tells them both to stop being so bloody daft. We play on.

4 min: One very tentative probe by Sancho down the right apart, Villa have hardly taken a touch. Arsenal on the front foot.

3 min: Odegaard tries to release Trossard into the Villa box down the inside-left channel. Clank. Goal kick, so another chance for the home fans to indulge their love of interactive festive theatre.

1 min: Villa work the ball back to their keeper Martinez, formerly of Arsenal. The Argentinian World Cup winner cops the expected abuse. It is pantomime season, to be fair.

Arsenal get the ball rolling. Raya launches it long … and straight out of play near the halfway line after five seconds. Onwards and upwards.

The teams are out! Arsenal in their famous red shirts with white sleeves, Villa in second-choice black. A rare old atmosphere at the Emirates, as befits such a showdown. Excitement abounds. Probably only the second most rowdiest sporting atmosphere in north London this evening, given the darts is on up the road at Alexandra Palace, but you can’t have everything. We’ll be off in a minute!

Here’s how the top of the Premier League looks before we dive headlong into this six-pointer. Arsenal’s vastly superior goal difference means Villa can’t go top tonight … unless they pay the Gunners back for the famous 7-1 defeat at Villa Park back in December 1935, Ted Drake scoring all seven for the Gunners … in which case Unai Emery’s team would reach the summit on goals scored. Ahem.

More realistically, they’d go into second, and that’d give Manchester City the opportunity to hit the front on New Year’s Day at Sunderland. An Arsenal win however would set the leaders up nicely going into 2026 with a five-point cushion on City, and six on Villa, arguably knocking the latter out of the title race moments after they’d been identified as being part of it. Or perhaps it’s way too early for all this sort of chitter-chat. It is still December, after all.

Unai Emery speaks to Sky Sports. “Good evening … definitely this is the biggest challenge we can face … we are motivated … excited [by] this moment with the three-point difference between us and Arsenal.”

Meanwhile Sky Sports ask Mikel Arteta about the nature of Declan Rice’s injury. “He got a big kick in his knee [against Brighton] … at the start of the match actually … by the time he finished the match he had a massive swell-up … [this game] was too early for him … I hope when the swelling comes out he can function … he will be fine.”

A reminder of what happened when these teams met at Villa Park 24 days ago. One of the reasons why Ed Aarons has identified the Villans as the “thorn in Arsenal’s side”.

Arsenal make two changes to the side that started the 2-1 win over Brighton. Jurriën Timber returns from injury, while Gabriel makes his first start since early November. Myles Lewis-Skelley drops to the bench, but Declan Rice misses out altogether with a minor knee problem. Kai Havertz returns to the bench, available for the first time since the opening day at Manchester United.

Aston Villa make five changes to their starting XI after the 2-1 win at Chelsea. Ollie Watkins is rewarded for his match-turning cameo at Stamford Bridge, stepping up along with Jadon Sancho, Amadou Onana, Lucas Digne and Lamare Bogarde. Ian Maatsen, Donyell Malen and captain John McGinn drop to the bench, while Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara are suspended.