Aston Villa vs. Arsenal: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Arsenal are now top of the Premier League table thanks to a 2-0 away victory over bottom club Aston Villa.
Fresh off securing a place in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League, Arsene Wenger's side clinched their 10th league win of the campaign thanks to two first-half goals.
Olivier Giroud broke the deadlock after seven minutes, converting a penalty that referee Kevin Friend eventually awarded after Alan Hutton's foul on Theo Walcott.
Aaron Ramsey started and finished the move that doubled Arsenal's lead on 38 minutes.
Having pinched possession with a lunging tackle on the edge of the penalty area, the Welshman burst down to the other end of the field to tuck home Mesut Ozil's square pass.
Aston Villa offered more of a threat after the half-time interval but drew a blank in front of their own fans.
Bleacher Report has picked out the winners and losers from what was a comfortable win for the Gunners.
Winner: Olivier Giroud
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Olivier Giroud can't stop scoring at the moment.
The Frenchman—who hit a hat-trick on Wednesday against Olympiakos in the UEFA Champions League— made it nine away goals in as many matches in all competitions with his first-half penalty.
It also saw the striker reach a notable milestone in his Arsenal career—he has now scored 50 Premier League goals for the Gunners.
Giroud reached the landmark in 113 appearances. According to Squawka Football on Twitter, only Thierry Henry (83) and Ian Wright (87) have achieved the feat in fewer games.
Loser: Alan Hutton
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Aston Villa made a bright start to proceedings—for all of six minutes.
Arsenal had barely been out of their own half when Theo Walcott was suddenly set free in the left channel. His pace took him clear of Villa full-back Alan Hutton, who resorted to pulling back Walcott.
When the England international eventually fell to the ground inside the area, everyone waited for a penalty to be awarded. Referee Kevin Friend took his time and initially appeared set to reject the Arsenal appeals. Eventually, he pointed to the spot.
Giroud sent Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan the wrong way, and the hosts' early head of steam quickly evaporated.
Winner: Mesut Ozil
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After teeing up Aaron Ramsey to score Arsenal's second at Villa Park, Mesut Ozil has now set up 13 goals in the Premier League this season.
According to John Percy in the Telegraph, the German "has more assists than any player in Europe’s five leagues."
Ozil could well have taken up the chance to shoot when Arsenal's brilliant counter-attack caught the home side short of numbers at the back.
Instead, he took his time to draw Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan away from the centre of the goal then cleverly squared the ball across to the supporting Ramsey, who just had to stroke it into the net.
Loser: David Moyes
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David Moyes may not be managing any team at the moment, but he's still attracting plenty of attention.
While he has been linked with the recent vacancy at Premier League side Swansea City, Sunday saw the Scotsman in focus for his comments about Mesut Ozil.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Everton and Manchester United manager said (h/t Callum Davis of the Telegraph), "I think the jury's still out on Mesut Ozil."
That's the same Mesut Ozil who has been one of the stars of the Premier League season, right, David?
Perhaps we should forgive Moyes, as, until recently, he has been working in Spain at Real Sociedad.
Winner: Arsene Wenger
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Following the 2-0 win at Aston Villa, Arsene Wenger was able to reflect on a good week for his Arsenal squad.
They have rescued a UEFA Champions League campaign that looked doomed—after one win in their first four outings—by earning back-to-back victories over Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos.
In domestic action, the Frenchman has seen his team respond to a 2-1 defeat away at West Brom on November 21 by picking up seven points from their last three outings, two of which have been on the road.
So, could this be the year Arsenal win the title? Their next home game—against Manchester City on December 21—may give us a better answer to that question.
Loser: Remi Garde
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Remi Garde's job in trying to turn Aston Villa's form around gets tougher by the week.
The Frenchman might have hoped his former manager Arsene Wenger would show some compassion. It should be remembered that Garde was Wenger's first signing at Arsenal.
Instead, his old boss instead just piled on the agony.
Villa have now picked up just six points from 16 matches and, if things don't improve quickly, they could be cut adrift at the foot of the table during a busy festive period.
Still, Garde received some supportive words from Wenger, per Arsenal's official Twitter feed, "They are a bit short of confidence but he [Garde] has done a good job. He needs to be given time."
