Aubameyang 4, Lacazette 4; Grealish 9, Watkins 9: Arsenal v Aston Villa player ratings

A stunning win for Villa leaves abject Gunners in 11th place

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  ARSENAL RATINGS: Bernd Leno 6 – Leno could do little about McGinn’s goal that was disallowed, or any of the three goals that stood. Made two particularly good saves from Grealish and Trezeguet in the second half. AP

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  Hector Bellerin 5 – Was poor in his defensive duties but was one of the few positive attacking outlets. Had been in good form coming into this game, but this was one to forget. AP

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  Rob Holding 4 – Had a tough evening up against Jack Grealish but came closest to levelling for the home side. Unfortunately his shot on the hour finished wide. AP

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  Gabriel Magalhaes 5 – Made a crucial block from a Grealish effort but overall had a rough evening. Struggled to keep pace with Oli Watkins. PA

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  Kieran Tierney 6 – Always looked dangerous on the overlap and his crossing was a threat. Struggled in his own half; one back pass in particular almost proved disastrous. AFP

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  Thomas Partey 5 – Was a threat going forward making dangerous runs into the box. Had a couple of chances but his finishing let him down. AP

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  Mohamed Elneny 5 – Had a good chance to score but overall struggled to keep pace with Barkley and Grealish. Getty

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  Bukayo Saka 4 – Looked dangerous when going forward but couldn’t match his usual standards and was unfortunate at the other end when he bundled into his own net. Getty

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  Willian 4 – Didn’t bring his shooting boots and shot wildly on two separate occasions. His passing was also amiss at times. PA

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  Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 4 – Another poor game from the skipper, who offered very little going forward whether on the left or in a more advanced central position. AP

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  Alexander Lacazette 4 – Should have added his name to the scoresheet but headed over when Kieran Tierney put it on a plate for him. Disappointing display. Getty

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  SUBS: Dani Ceballos 5 – Came on for the injured Partey and came close with a curled effort within ten minutes of coming on. Made a key intervention on the line with Arsenal already two down. AP

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  Nicolas Pepe 6 – Made a difference. Within five minutes of coming on, he had enjoyed as many shots as his teammates. AP

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  Eddie Nketiah 5 – Brought on to try and add more of an attacking threat but in the end was guilty of committing too many needless fouls. Getty

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  ASTON VILLA RATINGS: Emiliano Martinez 7 – An enjoyable return to the Emirates. Reacted quickly to McGinn’s under-hit back pass to deny Partey, and did well to clear a Saka cross. EPA

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  Matty Cash 7 – The full-back didn’t have a great deal to do in his own half, which left him free to get forward and overlap. Gave Villa plenty of width. Getty

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  Ezri Konsa 7 – Solid performance. Was always wise to Arsenal’s crosses and cleared on several occasions. His impressive season keeps getting better. Reuters

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  Tyrone Mings 7 – His second clean sheet in as many away starts. He was rarely troubled on what was a very comfortable night. AP

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  Matt Targett 6 – Had a slow start and was shaky for the first ten minutes, but was solid thereafter. Provided a perfect low cross for Villa’s opener. Getty

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  Douglas Luiz 8 – Super performance. Luiz had the better of Thomas Partey in the first half, and his evening got easier when Partey hobbled off. Getty

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  John McGinn 9 – McGinn was a key player at both ends. Had a goal disallowed, but his range of passing was superb and he was a constant threat down the middle. Getty

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  Ross Barkley 9 – Looked full of confidence. Was adjudged to have been in an offside position for the disallowed goal, but made up for it with a sumptuous reverse pass for Villa’s second. Central to everything. AP

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  Trezeguet 8 – Was influential in the opening goal and offered Villa plenty of energy and composure in the final third. Getty

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  Jack Grealish 9 – Villa’s midfield creator was constantly in the thick of the action. Came close to scoring himself in the second half when he forced Leno into a save, but he was dominant all game from the left. AP

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  Ollie Watkins 9 – Grew into the game and linked well with Ross Barkley on numerous occasions. He headed home Villa’s second and slotted home a third through Leno’s legs. Reuters

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  SUB: Anwar El Ghazi N/A – Villa had peaked before El Ghazi came on and as such he struggled to keep pace with his teammates. Getty

Aston Villa returned to winning ways in stunning fashion as Ollie Watkins scored twice in a 3-0 away thumping of an abject Arsenal on Sunday.

The visitors had already seen a John McGinn goal ruled out for a harsh offside decision when Bukayo Saka, under pressure from Trezeguet, put into his own goal after 25 minutes.

Villa went up a gear in the second half with Jack Grealish pulling the strings in midfield and it was no surprise when Arsenal-fan Watkins headed home in the 72nd minute.

Watkins struck again three minutes later after a rapid counter-attack to seal the points.

Consecutive defeats to Leeds United and Southampton had halted Villa's early-season charge but they moved back up to sixth with 15 points from seven games.

Inconsistent Arsenal are down in 11th with 12 points after four wins and four defeats so far.

"We've conceded a few goals the last couple of games and it's how you bounce back and we've done that tonight," Watkins, who signed from Brentford in the transfer window, said.

"You've seen tonight and against Liverpool, we're a great side and we can beat anyone."