Defeated but class wins every time
- James
- Dec 31, 2025
- 7 min read
Match Details
Match: #5808
Season: 2025-26
Matchday: #26
League Game: #19
Manager Game: #166
Date: Tuesday, 30 December 2025
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Kick off: 8.15pm
Manager: Unai Emery | 🇪🇸 | Hondarribia, 2022-
Last Time Out
🟩 6 Dec 2025 Villa 2-1 Arsenal, Villa Park
Scorer(s): Matty Cash | 36’ | Emiliano Buendía | 90’+5 |
Assist(s): Boubacar Kamara | 90’+5 |
Full Match Report: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/5803
Head to Head
Previous 5 vs. Arsenal: 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟨 🟩
Total 🕒 168 | 🟩 W62 (37% ) | 🟨 D38 | 🇺(60% ) | 🟥 L68 (40% ) | ⚽ 238 | 🥅 264 | GD -26
Full Head to Head: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/aston-villa/arsenal
Last Five Games
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟥
Injury News
Villa have just 16 available first team players with Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara suspended. Tyrone Mings, Ross Barkley and Pau Torres remain sidelined. Mings misses his 12th consecutive game and is not expected to return until the New Year. Barkley is likely out until February, whilst Torres is pencilled is another New Year's resolution
Team News
Ollie Watkins returns after his Stamford Bridge brace, Lamare Bogarde fills in at right-back and John McGinn drops to the bench,
The Opposition
Successive home games for Arsenal, successive away games for Villa, but Arsenal are without Declan Rice. You'd think the Queen Mother had died again from the hand-wringing reaction.
The Pre-Match Controversy
"It is the first time in my career as a coach, 20 years, we are finishing the first part of the season not playing 19 teams.
"I don't know why. Only I am telling it because it is the only issue in my mind I am not understanding. But, of course, I accept it.:
**Unai Emery on the strange fixture scheduling of the Premier League.**
"I asked the people and they didn't tell us. So, it is a mystery. The fact is that willing, or not, this makes more convenient the fixtures for certain clubs that are not travelling on this very busy Christmas period.
"I let you take a look which clubs are playing home both last and next match. To make us play two away games in less than 72 hours will be never an excuse but we agree that is much better on the recovery side [to] play twice at home and not travel.
"We are not, for sure, as it is obvious, having any influence. It would be a disgrace if the fixtures become a political territory.”
**Damian Vidagany is a little more blunt.**
“Premier League sides will play the remaining team that they have not faced at the weekend in round 20.
“The league does this type of scheduling to create a better overall home and away sequence of fixtures across the season. *[Villa had no traditional Boxing Day game and two away games over the period. Arsenal had two home games, Chelsea had two home games, Manchester United had two home games, Manchester City were required to play once only, an away match]*
The Premier League also stays in regular contact with clubs regarding scheduling and it also helps satisfy various date requests that clubs may have.
**The Premier League’s straight-faced explanation.**
Line Up
GK Emiliano Martínez | 🇦🇷 |
LB Lucas Digne | 🇫🇷 |
CB Ezri Konsa | 🏴 |
CB Victor Lindelöf | 🇸🇪 |
DM Lamare Bogarde | 🇳🇱 | 🟨 |
DM Amadou Onana | 🇧🇪 | 🔁 |
CM Youri Tielemans | 🇧🇪 |
AM Emiliano Buendía | 🇦🇷 | 🔁 |
AM Morgan Rogers | 🏴 | 🟨 | 🔁 |
LW Jadon Sancho | 🏴 | 🔁 |
CF Ollie Watkins | 🏴 | ⚽ | 🟨 |
Did you know?
Substitutes
🔁 | CM John McGinn | 🏴 | for DM Amadou Onana | 🇧🇪 | (injury) | 46’ |
🔁 | RB Andrés García | 🇪🇸 | for AM Emiliano Buendía | 🇦🇷 | 61’ |
🔁 | RW Donyell Malen | 🇳🇱 | for LW Jadon Sancho | 🏴 | 61’ |
🔁 | CM Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba | 🏴 | for AM Morgan Rogers | 🏴 | 82’ |
🔁 | M George Hemmings | 🏴 | for CM Youri Tielemans | 🇧🇪 | 82’ |
Unused Substitutes
GK Marco Bizot | 🇳🇱 |
GK James Wright | 🏴 |
CB Leon Routh | 🏴 |
LB Ian Maatsen | 🇳🇱 |
First Half Timeline
[🟨] 45’+1 Booking, (Arsenal), Mikel Merino, Bad Foul
🟨 45’+2 Booking, Morgan Rogers
🕒 45’+4 HT Arsenal 0-0 Aston Villa
Half-Time Insight
A strong performance from Villa with Arsenal largely dominated and their long-ball / set-piece focused game nullified with Amadou Onana a stand out. A nasty tackle from Mikel Merino injures Villa's starman, intentional or otherwise it was ugly.
Second Half Timeline
🔁 46’ Sub off, Amadou Onana (injury), Sub on, John McGinn
🥅 48’ Goal, 0-1, (Arsenal), Gabriel Magalhães
🥅 52’ Goal, 0-2, (Arsenal), Martín Zubimendi
🔁 61’ Sub off, Jadon Sancho, Sub on, Donyell Malen
🔁 61’ Sub off, Emiliano Buendía, Sub on, Andrés García
🥅 69’ Goal, 0-3, (Arsenal), Leandro Trossard
🎥 72’ VAR confirms goal after 3-minute review
🥅 78’ Goal, 0-4, (Arsenal), Gabriel Jesus
[🟨] 79’ Booking, (Arsenal), Gabriel Jesus, Excessive Celebration
🟨 82’ Booking, Lamare Bogarde, Bad Foul
🔁 82’ Sub off, Youri Tielemans, Sub on, George Hemmings 🟢
🔁 82’ Sub off, Morgan Rogers, Sub on, Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba
Miss of the decade ⤵️
⚽ 90’+4 Goal, 1-4, Ollie Watkins
🟨 90’+7 Booking, Ollie Watkins
🕒 90’+9 FT Arsenal 4-1 Aston Villa
Full-Time Insight
Villa’s record-equalling 11-game winning run comes to an end against League leaders Arsenal, and Villa miss the chance to draw level on points at the top of the table. A strong first-half performance is undermined by the loss of influential Amadou Onana with injury, and the second half begins with another Emiliano Martínez concession at a corner, where the keeper once again seems overly preoccupied with those around him rather than the ball. That setback is quickly followed by another concession, and Villa’s Achilles heel of defending against long-ball sides such as Palace and Arsenal rears its head again. For the home side, a clear second yellow is escaped as Darren England’s performance in the middle deteriorates badly as the game goes on. Villa find themselves well beaten by the 90 minutes, but England sees fit to signal eight minutes of injury time, presumably expecting more goals. One more did come, to Villa, as Ollie Watkins made it three in two games, but in truth, Villa could have scored three in those final added-on minutes. The damage by that time, however, had been done, and Arsenal had managed what so many had failed to do. As it was a first defeat in twelve was the result and what was described as a “statement win” for Arsenal put them five points clear of Villa at the top of the table.
Full Match Report: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/5808
League Table
Officials
Referee: Darren England | 🏴 | Doncaster, 2017-
Game Rating: For the first half 7/10, the second 1/10, and that's generous.
Failed to send off Merino, failed to sanction Arsenal for all but one of their 18 fouls and decided to play eight minutes of injury time. All in all, a referee clearly in the thrall of the bright lights of the Emirates. To the cost of Villa, his decisions had a direct impact on the result.
Referee: Darren England | 🏴 | Doncaster, 2017-
🕒 13 | 🟩 W4 | 🟨 D3 | 🟥 L6 |
🕒 13 | 🟩 W31% | 🟨 D23% | 🟥 L46% |
Cards 🟨 27 | 🟥 1 | 2.15 |
Opposition Cards 🟨 30 | 🟥 1 | 2.38 |
Penalty ⚽ 6 | 🥅 2 |
Last 5: 🟥 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟥
Full Referee History: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/referee/darren-england VAR: Jarred Gillett | 🇦🇺 | Queensland, 2021- Game Rating: 5/10
What is the point of VAR if they don't remind the referee of the rules of the game.
VAR: Jarred Gillett | 🇦🇺 | Queensland, 2021-
🕒 13 | 🟩 W7 | 🟨 D1 | 🟥 L5 |
🕒 13 | 🟩 W54% | 🟨 D8% | 🟥 L38% |
Cards 🟨 34 | 🟥 0 | 2.61 |
Opposition Cards 🟨 34 | 🟥 1 | 2.69 |
Penalty ⚽ 1 | 🥅 1 |
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟥
The Boss
🕒 166 | 🟩 | 93 🟨 | 29 🟥 44 | 1.86
Highest Win rate of any Villa manager: 56.02% Closest Rival: 1886-26 George Ramsay | 🏴 | Management Committee: 49.55%
Highest Away Win rate of any Villa manager: 45.12%
Closest Rival: 2006-10 Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 | 40.63%
Highest Top Flight Win rate of any Villa manager: 55.00%
Closest Rival: 1886-26 George Ramsay | 🏴 | Management Committee: 48.14%
On This Day
George Hemmings 🏴 becomes the 1,018th player to play for the Villa first team in League and Cup football and the 289th youth team player to make their senior debut.
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/george-hemmings
Ezri Konsa 🏴 makes his 150th appearance under Unai Emery 🇪🇸
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/ezri-konsa
Amadou Onana 🇧🇪 makes his 40th Premier League appearance for Villa and 30th start in the competition
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/amadou-onana
Youri Tielemans 🇧🇪 makes his 115th appearance for Villa
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/youri-tielemans
Emiliano Buendía 🇦🇷 makes his 70th appearance under Unai Emery 🇪🇸
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/emiliano-buend%C3%ADa
Jadon Sancho 🏴 makes his 15th appearance for Villa
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/jadon-sancho
Unai Emery 🇪🇸 leads Villa for the 120th Premier League game, having won 55% of those games, more than any other manager in Villa’s history.
Full Manager Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/aston-villa/manager/unai-emery
Emiliano Martínez 🇦🇷 makes his 230th appearance for Villa.
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/emiliano-mart%C3%ADnez
Lucas Digne 🇫🇷 suffers his 50th defeat for Villa on his 159th appearance.
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/lucas-digne
Andrés García 🇪🇸 makes his first appearance in eight months following a lengthy injury layoff.
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/andr%C3%A9s-garc%C3%ADa-robledo
Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba 🏴 makes his fifth appearance for Villa, all as a substitute, and his first Premier League appearance.
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/jamaldeen-jimoh-aloba
Ian Maatsen 🇳🇱 makes his 20th unused substitute appearance for Villa.
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/ian-maatsen
John McGinn 🏴 suffers his 40th defeat under Unai Emery 🇪🇸 on his 149th appearance.
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/john-mcginn
Ezri Konsa 🏴 makes his 215th Premier League appearance.
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/ezri-konsa
Jadon Sancho 🏴 makes his first Premier League start for Villa.
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/jadon-sancho
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/george-hemmings
Tool(s) of the Day
“Morgan Rogers is playing with confidence.
“I didn't know he was as good as we've seen recently; he's been outstanding. He's a top, top player.”
Clinton Morrison’s football intellect continues to impress
"It is simple. Always my routine is quick. Shake hands and then go with my players and coaches to the dressing room. I was waiting. He [Arteta] was happy and with his coaches. I decided to go inside. It is no problem."
Unai Emery on Mikel Arteta’s usual lack of class
They don't like it up 'em.
UTV x
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