Arsenal – Aston Villa: The Gunners Get Their Statement Victory (4-1)

Arsenal are going after a feat not witnessed in a generation, and this fixture marked the right moment to banish demons from their recent history. For the first time, a former manager would walk away emptyhanded from the Emirates Stadium as the league leaders made a statement.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

Arsenal are still in first place in the Premier League, but the ghosts of Christmas past continue to haunt the club as one Basque boss keeps putting the achievements of his counterpart into perspective.

The Gunners have foregone their identity as a free flowing, offensive unit for an approach rooted in defensive discipline, set plays and stability. It is an approach that has left the team with a flawless record in the Champions League, a place in the final four of the Carabao Cup, and top of the pile in their league at Christmas for the third time in the last four years. But the margins have been becoming finer in their victories as of late, and pressure will only build through the second half . . .