BY Victor Akhidenor
Arsenal have won three Barclays Premier League games in a row for the first time this season and in the process stepped up their renewed challenge for a top-four place with a ruthless 5-0 demolition of struggling Aston Villa on Sunday.
The Gunners moved above Tottenham into fifth place and within touching distance of fourth-placed Southampton in the race to qualify for the Champions League thanks to their biggest win of the season.
Olivier Giroud opened the scoring early in the first half at the Emirates Stadium and then Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott, Santi Cazorla and Hector Bellerin struck after the interval to seal Arsenal’s fifth successive win in all competitions.
After their impressive victory at champions Manchester City last month, Arsenal are finally hitting their stride after a shaky start to the season.
The result will come as little surprise given that prior to the match, Villa had gone without scoring a league goal for nearly nine hours. And from the blast of the whistle, the Gunners wasted no time to take the lead.
Ozil’s flicked through ball found Giroud in space and the Frenchman duly obliged with a cool finish.
The duo swapped roles shortly after, Giroud laying the ball for the German shortly after the break.
Walcott grabbed a third, before Santi Cazorla tucked home a penalty.
Bellerin put the icing on the cake and a man-of-the-match performance with a well-taken goal in stoppage time.
The result sees Arsenal continue their fine start to 2015 and for Paul Lambert, however, things are looking gloomy.
At St. Mary’s, a brilliant late goal from Jonjo Shelvey secured all three points for Swansea against the favourites Southampton.
The Saints went into the match in third position and hoping to continue their unlikely quest for Champions League qualification. But it was Swansea who regained 9th spot from Stoke when former Liverpool midfielder Shelvey found space from distance and played a shot that fly beyond Fraser Forster eight minutes to the end of the match.
Ashley Williams blocked twice on the line late on as Southampton desperately searched for an equaliser, but it wasn’t to be their day.
They remain third on goal difference ahead of Arsenal.
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