The first three matches of the 16th round of the English Premier League start at 01:30 a.m. Beijing time on December 10, with Aston Villa hosting leaders Arsenal. In the first half, Villa took the lead in the seventh minute, with an assist from Pele setting up McGinn to score and Martinez making a good save to give Villa a 1-0 lead at half-time. Gabriel Jesus was fouled in the box in the second half, but the referee denied a penalty and Kai Havertz's goal was blown away and Odegaard missed a good chance. In the end, Aston Villa beat Arsenal 1-0 to complete all home wins in the Premier League this season (15 consecutive wins), and Villa are third with 35 points, while Arsenal have dropped the top spot and are second with 36 points.
In Aston Villa's match against Arsenal, Unai Emery fielded a 4411 formation, with Watkinson as the striker, Tielemans, Pele and McGinn as wing-backs, Kamara and Luiz as a back two, Konsa, Carlos, Pau Torres and Digne in a back four, and Martinez in goal. Arteta, on the other hand, fielded a 433 formation, with Gabriel Jesus up front, Martinelli and Bukayo Saka on either flank, Kai Havertz, Rice and Odegaard in midfield, Zinchenko, Gabriel, Saliba and Ben White in a back four, and Raya in goal. In the game, Arsenal had more possession and focused on passing, but Villa's counter-attack was very sharp. Just seven minutes into the game, Pele broke down the right and crossed back to the triangle for McGinn to score.
Arsenal stepped up their attacking efforts afterwards, but Gabriel Jesus was fouled by Luiz in the box and was not awarded a penalty by the referee, with Kai Havertz scoring in the final moments, but the goal was disallowed after VAR ruled he had handballed first. In the end, Villa continued their strong run at home, beating defending champions Manchester City and leaders Arsenal, and all with clean sheets, knocking out Premier League best apprentices Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta. Villa's 1-0 win over Arsenal not only cost their opponents the top spot, but also cemented their top-three advantage. Throughout the game, Villa managed just 39% possession and had 10 attempts at goal with 3 of them on target;Arsenal, on the other hand, had a total of 12 shots on goal with 5 of them on target.
Despite dominating possession, shots and shots on target, Arsenal ultimately lost the game.