Match Report: Arsenal Execute 5-Star Gameplan to Despatch of Hapless Villa

After a 5-0 thumping at the hands of Arsenal in the early kick-off on Sunday Paul Lambert suggested that it was a strange game and one that he didn't think was reflected in the scoreline. On the face of it the Villa boss had a point but in truth it was a result that looked eminently possible from the very first minute.

Theo Walcott, returning to the starting line-up in the league after a long-term injury, broke free of Villa's high backline only for Jores Okore to make a last-ditch recovery. It was a sign of things to come early in the game as Arsenal looked to get numbers forward in the opening stages, exploiting some careless play from the visitors in their own defensive third.

Ramsey would fire wide minutes later before Olivier Giroud opened the scoring after more lapse defending from the away side. Villa gave Mesut Özil too much space and the German's first time flick was too quick for Okore and Clark, the former getting drawn to the ball and the latter playing Giroud onside. The Frenchman seemed as though he may, like Walcott, have fluffed his chance but miscontrol forced the frontman into opting for what was a neat dinked finish.

Arsenal could have been three or four up within 10 minutes after more haphazard play deep in their own half from Lambert's men, who eventually weathered the storm. Villa, in fact, began to have a lot of the ball only for their play to break down shortly after crossing the halfway line. Indeed, the visitors finished the match with 52% possession, which, given that Arsenal's average share of the ball at the Emirates this season is 59.6%, came across as a ploy from Wenger's side.

In this fixture last season Villa secured a shock 1-3 away win with a devastating counter-attacking display. This time, however, the tables turned as Arsenal would go on to pick off their opponents in the second half. For Villa their game was summed up by a wretched performance from Carlos Sánchez and yet another ineffective one from Christian Benteke.

Arsenal fans have become accustomed to cheering on a Sánchez this season but it was Carlos, not the injured Alexis, that they will have been happy to see returning to the pitch in the second half. The Colombian, in his 76 minutes on the pitch, made 19 inaccurate passes, at least 5 more than any other player on the pitch from his role as the distributor from deep for Villa.

A fair portion of the blame for the visitors lack of connection in the final third must also fall at the feet of Benteke though, and, when compared to the impressive Giroud at the other end, he was disappointing once more. At the half Benteke had managed just 11 touches to Giroud's 31, despite the fact that Villa had held 53% of possession at the time. His lack of movement coupled with a lack of creativity saw Villa fail to score for a 6th match running, doing so for the first time in their 131-year history.

For all of Villa's naivety, attempting to play a high line and pass out from the back against such a dangerous attacking unit, Arsenal and their manager deserve great credit for their gameplan. Wenger, like the rest of the watching world, had clearly noted Villa's struggles to break teams down and his side were disciplined when out of possession and quick and  incisive when in it. A drop in intensity towards the end of the first half and start of the second saw Villa have their only two chances of note but once Özil had added the second it was a demolition job.

Giroud this time returned the favour to turn provider for the German, with Arsenal making the most of a loss of possession from Richardson in their own half to break at speed, and they took their chance clinically. They would continue to do so, with Walcott's well-taken third coming following another Villa attack and it was the way in which his side crumbled that irked a now familiarly bedraggled Lambert.

Cazorla added a fourth from the spot after Guzan felled substitute Chuba Akpom, with the keeper unable to keep out the penalty despite it being fired straight at him, before young Héctor Bellerín sealed a fantastic performance from the hosts with a beautifully executed fifth.

That Arsenal had 5 different goalscorers on the day was indicative of the fact that everyone of their starting XI were highly effective. Cazorla, having added two assists to his goal, was awarded WhoScored.com's man of the match rating of 9.81 but in truth it could have gone to a handful of the home side. Indeed, Villa's highest rated player, Carles Gil (6.96), who again looked bright following a move this month, picked up the 13th highest rating on display, with no Arsenal player picking up a score below 7.6.

Wenger has been accused of tactical naivety in the past but this was a masterclass, with Lambert instead proving unwilling to turn his back on a new possession based game that has yielded very few results. On Sunday's evidence the Gunners will be confident of securing Champions League football yet again, while the penny may well be dropping, along with Villa, down to the Championship.

What did you make of Arsenal in their 5-0 win over Aston Villa? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below