Three goals in a 194-second period secured Arsenal a comfortable victory away at Aston Villa this afternoon.
Mesut Ozil found the back of the net in the 33rd minute, before Danny Welbeck weighed in moments later. Then, to complete a mad spell, Villa defender Aly Cissokho put through his own net to round off the scoring.
Below, Sports Mole looks back over the contest to determine if the result was a fair one, or whether the scoreline flattered the visitors.
Match statistics
Villa
Shots: 6
On target: 2
Possession: 29%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 11
Arsenal
Shots: 9
On target: 3
Possession: 71%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 9
Was the result fair?
A team will very rarely record a 3-0 victory and not deserve to win the encounter and Arsenal do not buck that trend. They were the dominant force from early on and were highly clinical when the chances fell their way during that three-minute spell. Every shot that they had on target they scored from - you cannot ask for more than that.
Villa's performance
After the first 30 minutes, Paul Lambert will have been a very content manager. His side were by no means in control, but they looked comfortable. However, soon after, they imploded. Villa had been resolute all season at the back, but they were unable to cope with Arsenal's movement off the ball and if anything, could have ended up losing by an even greater margin than three goals. They may not have missed him at Liverpool last week, but they certainly could have done with the influence of skipper Ron Vlaar today.
Arsenal's performance
As far as Arsene Wenger is concerned, he will view this as the perfect response to those that have criticised his team. From the first whistle they dominated the possession and when the chances arrived all in quick succession, they were devastating in front of goal. The identity of the scorers will have been massively pleasing for Wenger as Welbeck got off the mark for his new club, while Ozil put aside some recent poor form. The second half had a real training match feel about it, but there was still plenty of neat passing and on another day, they could have scored one or two more goals.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Mesut Ozil: The World Cup winner went into this contest with many suggesting that he should be dropped, but Wenger stood by him. Playing in a more central attacking role, he thrived and showed signs of a positive understanding with Welbeck. He scored the first goal with a very composed finish, before putting a cross on a plate for Welbeck to open his goalscoring account for the club.
Biggest gaffe
This can be handed out collectively today to the entire Villa side for somehow managing to concede three goals in the space of three minutes and 14 seconds. While the first two goals involved neat play from the visitors, the defending was static to say the least. Then, the eventful spell was rounded off by quite a comical own goal from full-back Cissokho. One would imagine that a watching Roy Keane from the bench was not overly impressed.
Referee performance
Neither of these two sides really has a tough-tackling player and as a result, it was a straightforward contest for Mike Jones to officiate. He did have to get the yellow card out on occasions, but each time the offence warranted that particular punishment.
What next?
Villa: Lambert's side have another tough encounter next weekend when they travel to London to face Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.
Arsenal: On Tuesday, Wenger's men will turn their attention to the League Cup with the visit of Southampton to the Emirates Stadium in the third round of the competition. Then, next Saturday, it's the North London derby against big rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Liam Apicella
