Ollie Watkins scored twice as an abject Arsenal were soundly beaten 3-0 by Aston Villa at the Emirates.
The visitors might have been ahead after just 47 seconds when John McGinn’s strike was disallowed for offside upon VAR review with Ross Barkley deemed to have been in Bernd Leno’s eyeline.
But the reprieve was short-lived as Bukayo Saka inadvertently stabbed Matt Targett’s cross into his own net (25).
Watkins – a boyhood Arsenal fan – then took centre stage with two well-taken finishes (72, 75) to complete a fine away victory and a statement of intent from Dean Smith’s men.
The result moves Villa up to sixth in the table while Arsenal slip to 11th.
