London, Mar 25: Arsenal beat Aston Villa 3-0 on Saturday to tighten its grip on third place in the Premier League and move closer to Champions League football next season.
After nearest rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea drew 0-0 in the early kickoff, goals from Kieran Gibbs in the 16th minute and Theo Walcott in the 25th set Arsenal on its way to a seventh consecutive league victory.
Mikel Arteta added the third with a long-distance free kick in stoppage time.
Arsenal has 58 points, a three-point cushion over fourth-place Tottenham and eight ahead of Chelsea in fifth.
Gibbs scored his first league goal when his angled drive squirmed under Shay Given and Walcott latched onto Alex Song's chipped pass into the Villa box to put the Gunners in control.
