Aston Villa face Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday 9 December in a match between two of the most in-form teams in England. While the form guide suggests this will be a close match, the Aston Villa vs Arsenal last five H2Hs tell a different story with Arsenal dominating the fixture in recent years. Can the Villains battle against history to get another famous victory at Villa Park?
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Aston Villa vs Arsenal H2H record
The Aston Villa vs Arsenal rivalry stretches back to the 1900s with the the first H2H coming in 1904. On that occasion, Woolwich Arsenal came out on top in a 1-0 win at the Manor Ground in North London. Since that first encounter, Arsenal have maintained a good record against Villa but the Midlands club have still enjoyed their fair share of victories.
- Aston Villa Wins: 69
- Draws: 45
- Arsenal Wins: 87
Arsenal have recorded 87 victories against Aston Villa but their most memorable is the 2015 FA Cup final. Arsene Wenger's side were too much for Tim Sherwood's Aston Villa and they won the match 4-0 thanks to goals from Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez, Per Mertesacker and Olivier Giroud. The win was Arsenal's 12th FA Cup triumph and Arsene Wenger's penultimate trophy as Arsenal boss.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal last five H2Hs
Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal – 6th February 2021
Aston Villa's most recent win against Arsenal came in February 2021 when things were a lot different for Mikel Arteta. There had been calls for Arteta to be sacked throughout the 2020/21 season and his case wasn't helped when his side slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Dean Smith's Aston Villa. The only goal of the game came in the second when a deflected effort from Ollie Watkins snuck past Matt Ryan.
Arsenal 3-1 Aston Villa – 22nd October 2021
In October 2021, fans were back inside football stadiums and despite a slow start to the season, Arsenal were finally beginning to show some life under Mikel Arteta. At this point in time, all the managerial pressure was on Dean Smith after Villa's poor start to the campaign and that pressure only increased after a 3-1 loss at the Emirates Stadium. Smith was sacked as Villa boss just two weeks later and replaced by Steven Gerrard.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal – 19th March 2022
Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa faced Arsenal in March 2022 with the Gunners pushing for a top-four finish. Villa had enjoyed a stable-enough season after Gerrard's appointment but they couldn't do anything to prevent Arsenal taking home all three points here. The only goal of the game came from Bukayo Saka but Arsenal ultimately came up short in the race for the top four and had to settle for 5th place.
Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa – 31st August 2022
Arsenal faced Aston Villa at the beginning of the 2022/23 season with the Gunners flying. Arteta's side had won their first four games of the season and made that five in an exciting match at the Emirates Stadium. Gabriel Jesus gave the Gunners an early lead before Douglas Luiz pegged them back in the second half. Then, with 15 minutes to play, Gabriel Martinelli scored the winner to keep the Arsenal train rolling.
Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal – 18th February 2023
The most recent Aston Villa vs Arsenal H2H was a six-goal thriller in February 2023. Unai Emery was in charge of Villa at this point and his revolution was well underway which made this a tricky fixture for league leaders, Arsenal. The match swung one way and the next and just when it looked like both teams had settled for a 2-2 draw, a long-range effort from Jorginho in stoppage time bounced off the bar and then off the back of Emi Martinez to send the Arsenal fans wild.
Potential MVP – Declan Rice
The biggest difference in this Arsenal side from last season is the addition of Declan Rice. The England midfielder has been imperious for the Gunners, adding some much-needed steel and reliability in the middle of the park. Not only that, but Rice has also popped up with some huge goals for Arsenal including last-minute winners against Luton and Man Utd.
The midfield is where the game will be won and lost on Saturday evening and it will be Rice's job to do battle with the energetic trio of McGinn, Tielemans and Luiz. If he can come out on top and Arsenal win the game then they will already feel as if they have taken a huge step towards the title.
Key trend
The Aston Villa vs Arsenal last five H2Hs tell us that this is a streaky H2H with both sides enjoying winning streaks against the other. Despite that, we believe this match will go against history and end in a score draw. Arsenal have won their last six league matches, while Aston Villa have won seven from seven at home in the Premier League this season making this one too close to call.
For more tips, check out our detailed Aston Villa vs Arsenal prediction.
