Rambo sends Gunners top

Aaron Ramsey produced a goalscoring man of the match performance as Arsenal moved to the top of the table with a routine 2-0 win at struggling Aston Villa.

Ramsey was superb in midfield and when he added to Olivier Giroud's earlier penalty the Gunners looked in control for most of the game.

Villa are struggling at the bottom of the table and currently have just six points from 16 games but, before the game, I was slightly nervous about the game.

We have done well in difficult situations but then struggled in some of the so-called easier games prior to this one and, with former Gunner Remi Garde in charge of our opponents, I sensed a potential banana skin game.

Getting an early goal definitely helped to settle the nerves. Theo Walcott burst into the box before being pulled back by Alan Hutton and referee Kevin Friend awarded a penalty. Giroud, who scored a crucial Champions League hat-trick in midweek, clinically dispatched his 50th league goal for Arsenal with the resulting spot-kick. Giroud could've added to his tally in the first half, only to see his effort cleared off the line.

At the other end, Villa created few chances and were not able to make much of the ones they did have as Leandro Bacuna blazed a shot over the bar.

That miss proved costly as Arsenal doubled their advantage through Ramsey after 38 minutes. In-form Mesut Ozil, who has been at the heart of a large portion of the Gunners' goals of late, was at it again to set up the second goal. Ramsey started the move by finding Ozil, who in turn exchanged passes Theo Walcott before racing clear through on goal. Ozil hesitated for a moment before squaring the ball across to Ramsey for the Welsh midfielder to slot home.

Aston Villa improved after the break and wasted the chance to reduce the deficit when Scott Sinclair headed over Hutton's cross. That was a big let off for Arsenal but, in truth, Villa didn't really do too much to threaten the visitors' defence other than a few wayward shots.

Although Villa didn't trouble the defence too much, it didn't stop the clean sheet from being a big plus point, especially for goalkeeper Petr Cech who levelled David James' record of most clean sheets kept in the Premier League.

Arsenal had a chance to add further gloss to the scoreline before the end but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's effort was well saved by Brad Guzan in the Villa goal.

Three points, a clean sheet and moving top of the league - I couldn't ask for much more but will certainly not be getting carried away just yet.

OPPOSITION VIEW
Villa fan Cole Demetriades was left frustrated by his side's performance and had no complaints over the penalty which gave Arsenal the lead.

"When I saw the team I thought if Clark was fit he should be playing and I really think one of Gil and Grealish should be in the team for home games, because otherwise we have no creativity," said Demetriades.

"The first half was typical of Villa for the whole of 2015 not just this season. It was definitely a penalty no complaints there. Does Hutton need to make a challenge? Walcott had a lot to do from that position and he is not a left-footed player.

"The second goal was a classic away team counter attack with the exception of the fact you were playing like the home team, with great possession. Our players don't make enough effort to sprint backwards to stop Arsenal and it's a great move from their perspective.

"Villa were better in the second half, particularly when Gil came on, and Bacuna was unlucky with our best effort. But ultimately it was a routine three points for Arsenal and we can hope for more luck over a festive period with some far easier fixtures. 0-2 was a more than fair result."

Demetriades was also critical of Villa striker Rudy Gestede, who joined the club from Blackburn this summer.

"In terms of general play I really can't understand why we have Rudy Gestede," added Demetriades. "All he offers is an aerial threat, which is fine, but we don't have any width and our wide players prefer cutting inside and shooting rather than crossing to him.

"Therefore it's like having ten men if we don't use him. I thought it was an odd signing at the time because of this very reason."

MY FINAL THOUGHTS
I really do feel for Villa and Garde and part of me hopes they beat the drop. They have looked doomed in previous seasons and somehow survived and I think they can again but they also can't complain if they do get relegated as they just aren't causing enough of a threat to their opponents this year. I want Garde to do well there, but it's a difficult job for anyone to take on and only time will tell if he can succeed...but early signs indicate it is going to be a big struggle.

We deserved to beat them though and, with the visit of Manchester City looming just before Christmas, this is just the result we needed. The match against City, who are rated by many as favourites to lift the Premier League trophy in May, could go a long way to deciding our title fate so we needed to keep up the pace and we did just that by beating Villa.

In some ways I think we are more than capable of beating Manchester City but in other ways I worry about this game as we have shown signs of weakness at other points this season. Whatever the result, we must make sure we put in a performance to be proud of.

Many people are saying this is our best chance of winning the title in years, especially with Chelsea's season fading fast and Manchester City not looking as unstoppable as normal. But, if we really are to lift the title, we need to avoid any further injuries and not allow any complacency to creep into our game.

I am normally a super optimistic fan but even I think City will do it but let's just hope the players can prove me wrong with a big performance and win against Manuel Pellegrini's men.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS