Aston Villa regains momentum in Premier League title chase
January 3, 2026 • Al Jazeera
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Arsenal secured a come-from-behind victory at Bournemouth, extending their Premier League lead with a 3-2 win on Saturday. The match saw Declan Rice return from injury and score two goals for Arsenal, including his 20th Premier League goal of the season.
Bournemouth took an early lead through Evanilson’s goal in the 10th minute, but Gabriel Magalhaes quickly equalized within six minutes. The Brazilian defender then scored again to put Arsenal ahead on 56 minutes, with Bukayo Saka adding a third goal for the visitors in the second half.
The match saw Bournemouth remain winless in their last 11 games, while Arsenal moved seven points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table. Aston Villa also secured a victory over Nottingham Forest, beating them 3-1 to stay in contention for the title.
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins scored the opening goal of the match on the cusp of half-time, with John McGinn adding two more goals for the visitors. Morgan Gibbs-White also scored for Villa, who leapfrogged Manchester City into second place in the Premier League table.
The win marked a significant boost for Villa boss Unai Emery, who spoke to Sky Sports after the match. “I am so happy,” he said. “We had to recover our energy and our confidence.”
Source: Al Jazeera