Arsenal vs. Aston Villa: 6 Things We Learned at the Emirates

Seven straight wins. Three points above Spurs. Third place is more and more likely.

Arsenal won again Saturday, cruising past Aston Villa 3-0 at the Emirates for their seventh straight English Premier League victory.

Before Saturday, the Gunners hadn't accomplished that since 2007, and they did it in impressive fashion.

Kieran Gibbs, a fullback, opened the scoring early. Theo Walcott, a winger, doubled the lead with a deft first touch and pinpoint finish. And Mikel Arteta, a holding midfielder, rifled home the third in second-half stoppage time directly from a free kick.

Robin van Persie, the supposed one-man team, didn't score. That makes two games in a row. Aston Villa managed just one shot. And the game was for all purposes over as a contest by halftime.

After trailing Spurs by 13 points in late January, Arsenal now lead their North London neighbors by three points for third place. Chelsea, meanwhile, now sit eight points back in fifth.

The top four is almost certain. And third place is Arsenal's for the taking.

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Top Four, and Probably More

A top-four finish is now almost certain. Third place is looking likely, too.

After Saturday's victory, Arsenal now lead Chelsea by eight points. That's by no means an unassailable lead, but with Spurs wedged in between the teams, it's hard to see Arsenal finishing behind Chelsea this season.

Now, Arsenal's goal must be—if it wasn't already—third place and automatic qualification for next season's Champions League. By doing so, Arsenal would assure themselves of the lucrative European payday in advance, and unlike last year, they would go into the offseason transfer market secure financially.

On current form, it's hard to argue against Arsenal. The Gunners have taken 21 out of the last 21 available points. Aside from a tough home date with Manchester City, the fixture list is favorable, with upcoming matches against QPR, Wolves and Wigan.

Spurs, meanwhile, have claimed just six points in their last seven games and haven't won since Feb. 11.

Neither team will continue that form precisely over the season's final eight games, but with each passing game, Arsenal look more like the third-best team in England.

Time for Villa to Worry?

Maybe it's not time for Villa to start worrying, but it could be time to start thinking about it.

After Saturday's loss, Villa are now just eight points above the relegation zone in 15th place. Apart from a home win over Fulham two weeks ago, Alex McLeish's team hasn't won since Jan. 21.

Relegation is still overwhelmingly unlikely, not least of all because Villa still have a game in hand on most of their pursuers. But for a club of Villa's size and resources, being so close to such a position, so late in the season, is distressing.

Walcott's Turnaround

Theo Walcott continued his recent run of good form with an expertly-taken goal. As he's improved over the last few weeks, so have Arsenal.

The turning point for both was halftime of the Spurs match. Before the break, Walcott had disappointed. After it, he helped inspire Arsenal to a famous 5-2 victory.

On Saturday, Walcott scored a goal worthy of his and Arsenal's resurgence.

With a soft first touch, Walcott deftly pulled down Alex Song's gorgeous over-the-top pass. With his next, after squaring his body to the goal, he slotted a lethal low shot into the net at the far post.

Walcott's speed makes him difficult to defend. With that kind of touch, difficult turns into nearly impossible.

Props to Alex Song

While we're on the subject of Walcott's goal, let's tip our hats to Alex Song.

We've all given Song grief for his sometimes dimwitted attacking sense, but that final ball to Walcott was simply sublime.

Walcott's first touch was outstanding, and he was able to apply that soft touch partly because Song's pass was perfectly weighted.

It's worth mentioning that the presence of Mikel Arteta (more on him in a moment) this season in Arsenal's midfield has freed Song to be more creative. On Saturday, that freedom paid dividends.

Mikel Arteta: Sharpshooter

Both of Arsenal's holding midfielders contributed offensively, and both also contributed to Arsenal's impressive defensive performance.

The most memorable contribution, of course, will be Mikel Arteta's scintillating free kick in second-half stoppage time. The more you watch it, the more mind-blowing it is.

Arteta rifled his shot from well outside the box on the left side, lifting it past the wall without an ounce of spin.

So sweetly did Arteta hit the ball that Villa keeper Shay Given was completely helpless to stop it flying into the side netting at the far post.

That one will reappear in the end-of-season lists.

Welcome Back, Andre

Fullback Andre Santos returned from injury on Saturday as a second-half substitute, making his first appearance since December.

It took very little time to see how far off the pace the Brazilian was. His first contribution was a giveaway that nearly led to an Aston Villa goal.

Villa couldn't capitalize, and Santos eventually found a foothold. It's nice to see him back, but he'll need some time to acclimate himself to the speed of the game.