Arsenal 3-1 Aston Villa: 5 talking points as Gunners return to winning ways in resounding fashion | Premier League 2021-22

#3 Leon Bailey revives Aston Villa in the second half

Bailey made a big impact off the bench for Villa.

Against Arsenal, Aston Villa were boosted by the return of Leon Bailey from an injury he sustained against Everton. He started on the bench. But with his side struggling to create anything meaningful in the first half, Dean Smith subbed Bailey on at the break. That worked wonders, as Villa began to look bright and started creating chances.

The Jamaican, signed from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, was a lively attacking presence on the right. He took the game to Arsenal with his driving runs. In one such instance, he pressured Lokonga to giving the ball away.

The move eventually came to nothing, though, as Ramsdale comfortably saved Bailey's tame effort. Nevertheless, Bailey got the assist for Ramsey's goal, dancing his way through three red shirts before squaring the ball to the latter.

It's still early days at the club for him, but Bailey has already shown the impact he can have for his new team.

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#2 Arsenal's Emile Smith Rowe is a world-class talent

Emile Smith Rowe is a star in the making.

As if it wasn't clear already, Emile Smith Rowe showed what an amazing talent he is. The young Englishman scored and assisted once apiece in the match to play a big part in Arsenal's victory on the night.

He was menacing throughout, getting onto the end of crosses and linking up plays. With four key passes on the night, the 21-year-old was Arsenal's focal point of creativity. He also set up Partey for the Gunners' opening goal with a nice corner-kick.

However, his real contribution came in the second half, when he fired home Arsenal's third goal of the night. That effectively ended the game as a contest. Intercepting McGinn's pass from he deep, Smith Rowe played a neat one-two with Aubameyang before thumping home a fine shot.

Having drawn a blank in his opening five games, Emile Smith Rowe has now been directly involved in four goals in as many matches. That indicates he's finally getting back to form again.

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#1 Arsenal continue unbeaten run

Arsenal have rebuilt from the ashes.

Arsenal were the butt of all jokes earlier on in their campaign. Losses in their first three games, including a 2-0 defeat to league debutants Brentford in their season-opener, put the Gunners in the relegation zone.

Fast forward to the present day, though, the Gunners are flying high, going the next six games unbeaten. This was also their fourth victory during this period, taking them up to ninth in the league table.

What's special about this victory is that Arsenal were utterly dominant, creating chances clinically and looking like their former selves. If they can maintain this form going forward, a top-six finish could be well within the realms of possibility.