Gunners Pop Villains

Arsenal may have been sans Sanchez, but they still had enough to mow down Aston Villa, 5-0, at the Emirates Stadium.

So far, the the Gunners' firing cap has been Alexis Sánchez, but a brace hometown heroes were locked and loaded on this day. Villa just happened to be in the way.

Frenchman Olivier Giroud got the show on the road only eight minutes into the proceedings:

Got a goal, but mind the pass, dude.

Giroud soon returned the favor for that flick-on by Özil:

It doesn’t look like he returned from a long injury spell.

Another returning hero, Theo Walcott, also was amongst the goal.

The tally to date: Left-footed players 2, Right-booters 1.

It was that kind of day for the Villains. Even when they were right, they were wrong. Check Santi Cazorla's ricochet off their 'keeper:

Just as Aston Villa thought it was clear to peer out of the foxhole, Arsenal's Héctor Bellerin fired the final bullet:

It was the first time that Arsenal have posted a five-spot in a single match without Sánchez. The barrage drove them above their North Side rival Tottenham Hotspur and on par with fourth-place Southampton, losers at home to Swansea. Arsène Wenger must be very pleased.