SOCCER: Arsenal thrash Villa 4-1 while Chelsea and Man Utd both held

LONDON – Arsenal closed out 2025 in emphatic fashion, defeating third-placed Aston Villa 4-1 on Tuesday to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to five points.

Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by bottom-side Wolverhampton Wanderers, who claimed just their third point of the season, while Bournemouth forced a 2-2 draw against struggling Chelsea after a frenetic first-half display. Manchester United remain sixth, level on 30 points with fifth-placed Chelsea.

Arsenal Dominate Villa

At the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal ended Villa’s challenge and their own club-record winning run of 11 games in style.

Gabriel Magalhaes opened the scoring from a corner in the 48th minute, before Martin Ødegaard set up Martin Zubimendi to strike four minutes later. Leandro Trossard added a third with a precise strike from the edge of the area, and Gabriel Jesus came off the bench to score the fourth. Ollie Watkins netted a stoppage-time consolation for Villa.

“I think it was amazing,” Jesus told Sky Sports. “It’s always hard to play against them… The mentality of the team is really, really growing. Each game, we’re improving, and today we won because of that mentality.”

Arsenal now top the table with 45 points, while second-placed Manchester City can narrow the gap when they face Sunderland on Thursday. Villa trail by six points.

Chelsea Held by Bournemouth

Bournemouth stunned Chelsea after just six minutes at Stamford Bridge, with David Brooks opening the scoring. Cole Palmer equalized from the penalty spot in the 15th minute, and Enzo Fernandez put Chelsea ahead eight minutes later with a powerful strike. Justin Kluivert leveled for Bournemouth in the 27th minute, ensuring Chelsea extended a poor run of one win in seven league matches. Chelsea are fifth, with Bournemouth ten places below them.

Man United Struggle

Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee gave the hosts an early lead with a deflected shot in the 27th minute. Wolves equalized before halftime through a Ladislav Krejci header. Patrick Dorgu thought he had scored a 90th-minute winner, but it was disallowed for offside.

“We struggled throughout the game,” United manager Ruben Amorim said. “We lacked creativity, and the fluidity offensively wasn’t there. When you don’t play well with the ball, you struggle without it.”

Wolves have just three points from 19 games, sitting 15 points from safety.

Other Key Matches

Newcastle United demolished 19th-placed Burnley 3-1, with Joelinton scoring after 65 seconds and Yoane Wissa doubling the lead five minutes later. Josh Laurent pulled one back for Burnley, but Bruno Guimaraes sealed Newcastle’s rare away win in stoppage time.

Everton climbed to eighth after a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, with goals from James Garner and Thierno Barry.

West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion played out a 2-2 draw in a match featuring three first-half penalties. Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta scored for West Ham, while Danny Welbeck netted for Brighton from the spot. Joel Veltman’s strike in the 61st minute secured the draw.

Four more Premier League games are scheduled for New Year’s Day, including fourth-placed Liverpool hosting Leeds United at Anfield.

-Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Christian Radnedge/Reuters