Ozil, Welbeck fire Arsenal to win

LONDON: Arsenal stopped Aston Villa going top of the Premier League courtesy of a 3-0 win on Saturday with the much-criticised Mesut Ozil on target.

Villa had conceded just one league goal in their previous four league matches but all that changed as Arsenal fired in three inside four minutes at Villa Park.

Ozil put the Gunners in front in the 32nd minute and former Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck scored his first Arsenal goal two minutes later before Villa´s Aly Cissokho turned the ball into his own net.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had been forced to defend Germany World Cup-winner Ozil, a club record £42 million ($76 million) signing from Real Madrid last term, after the playmaker came under fire again following another uninspiring display in the Gunners´ 2-0 Champions League defeat at Borussia Dortmund in midweek.

But, played in by Welbeck, he made no mistake with a side-foot chance to put Arsenal ahead at Villa.

Minutes later, the roles were reversed when Ozil´s cross found Welbeck, who fired the ball into the roof of the net.

A stunned Villa then saw Kieran Gibbs´s cross-shot turned into their net by Cissokho, with Arsenal´s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain waiting to pounce.

Arsenal moved to within a point of second-placed Villa and three adrift of Chelsea. (AFP)