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Hello and welcome to the Guardian Football Weekly.

We know the sign of champions is playing badly but winning, but surely playing well and winning

counts too. Arsenal blow Astonville away in the second half at the Emirates. How many people have said statement victory? Have they made it a two horse race? Two great two-twos after that. At times, they look like Chelsea and Bournemouth would score with every attack. Meanwhile, three penalties in the first half at the London Stadium. Who doesn't love a missed Penenka? Also today, a point for wolves. This time at Trafford, Manchester United, always just one game away from crisis, and there are good away wins for Newcastle at Burnley and Everton at Forest. Also, Paul Watson on Afcon, and has the life of a football fan ever been sunned up better than Charlton's we never lose at Fratton Park before? Yes, definitely losing at Fratton Park. We'll do that plus all your questions and that's the main Guardian Football Weekly. On the panel today, Will Unwin, welcome. Hello, Max. Hello, Dan Bardell. Hello. And from the excellent sweeper podcast, Paul Watson. Hi, Paul. Hi, Max. Sort of almost on this podcast, enough to say, from the excellent Guardian Football Weekly, Paul Watson. But I, you know, I suppose it's good to give your other pod a sell, isn't it? And lots to talk about in Afcon. And there's been some great stuff in there. But we will start at the Emirates. Arsenal 4, Aston Villa 1. With apologies, Dan, this is a massive win for Arsenal. And one of those, yeah, we really, we look really good. Like, I thought, for the first 20 minutes, I thought, oh, Viller had got a chance here. And then the second half, it was, it looked like a real golf between the two sides. Yeah, I'll try and put my neutral hat on to answer. I thought Villa were good in the first half.

I thought the game plan was executed pretty well.

And then with a bit of a better decision making in the final third overheating passes

and the final shot getting away, Vila were quite unlucky not to be ahead, maybe shaded it,

maybe had the better of that

first half, but in the second half, Arsenal just smelled blood and took full advantage as

soon as they went one-nill-up. They just completely went at Villa. It's a typical Arsenal kind

of set-piece goal, isn't it, to get them on their way. It's such a good trade to have when the

game's close to be able to be so dominant and be so dangerous from set pieces, albeit I think it was pretty

poor from Mb Martinez. That's kind of the third away game in kind of a couple of months where

he's looked pretty weak from set pieces. But Arsenal get the goal and from then on it was

complete one-way traffic that they just

dominated.

They could have had more in all honesty.

And like you said at the top end of the show, it was a statement victory.

And Manciti have got a tough game away at Sunderland.

It felt like a massive win for Arsenal.

So you could see after the game, Artetta, the massive smile on his face when he was being

interviewed the way the fans reacted.

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