Match Analysis: Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal moved back to the top of the Premier League on Monday with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa.

Christian Benteke gave the home side hope late on at Villa Park, but first-half goals from Jack Wilshere and Olivier Giroud ultimately proved too much for the Villans to overturn.

Where was the game won and lost? Sports Mole dissects the encounter below.

Match statistics

Aston Villa Shots: 11 On target: 5 Possession: 36% Corners: 3 Fouls: 12

Arsenal Shots: 8 On target: 4 Possession: 64% Corners: 5 Fouls: 9

Was the result fair?

Over the course of the whole match, yes. Arsenal should have won here comfortably tonight, but took their foot off the accelerator in the second half and allowed the home side to get back in it. The last 20 minutes proved a very nervy affair for the Gunners following Benteke's first goal since September, but Arsenal's early dominance effectively left Villa with too much to do.

Aston Villa's performance

Manager Paul Lambert will be encouraged by the way in which his side responded to a poor first half. Villa were the better team in the second period and deserved their goal for their persistent pressure. If Benteke's goal can kick-start his season, then Villa will be delighted. A lot of encouraging signs for Aston Villa.

Arsenal's performance

We saw a bit of everything from Arsenal tonight. The good, as the Gunners carved Villa open at times with some brilliant football and took their goals superbly. The bad, as they allowed Villa the chance to get back in the game by almost playing too casually in the second half. And the ugly, as they had their backs to the wall during the final stages of the contest and dealt with long ball after long ball into the danger zone. However, the Gunners showed the grit of champions to dig in and take all three points, although manager Arsene Wenger will certainly want to improve in a couple of areas.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Jack Wilshere: Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny defended well once again, but Wilshere was the star for Arsenal. Scorer of a wonderful goal and provider of a fantastic assist, Wilshere showed that he can do it all over the field by defending with heart and gliding past Villa men in attack. He is getting back to his best, which is a huge boost for Arsenal.

Biggest gaffe

There isn't really a moment that stands out but, while it may be a little harsh, Benteke should have done better when heading straight at Wojciech Szczesny with the game at 2-1.

Referee performance

Neil Swarbrick went pretty much unnoticed throughout the entire contest. He made a few yellow card decisions, which were all correct, and didn't give in to pressure from both sets of players for various decisions. Firm and fair from the man in black, just how we like our Premier League officials.

What next?

Aston Villa: Lambert's side travel to Anfield on Saturday evening where they take on Liverpool in the Premier League.

Arsenal: Wenger and his players return to the Emirates Stadium on the same day, where they welcome London rivals Fulham.