Arsenal forward Theo Walcott hailed his side's performance after they hammered Aston Villa 5-0 on Sunday.

The Gunners ran out comfortable winners at the Emirates Stadium to go level on points with Southampton, who currently hold the final Champions League spot in the Premier League table, and Walcott described the match as "one sided".

"I think the first half was quite cautious to be honest," he told Sky Sports News. "Aston Villa came at us and had a game-plan and they pressurised us. We felt 1-0 [at half time] was probably just deserved.

"Second half though, I couldn't think of a more one-sided game to be honest, and I know when Ashley Westwood had a shot, all the Villa fans were cheering [ironically] to be honest, so it was a great victory."

The England international also reserved a word of praise for Mesut Ozil, who marked his first Premier League start for four months with a goal against Paul Lambert's struggling side.

Walcott added: "Mesut has worked tremendously hard to get fit, and he's got two in two and his whole general play and his touch is absolutely fantastic. Since Mesut's joined the club I haven't had the chance to play with him, but I'm grateful to get the chance to now."

The Gunners travel to White Hart Lane to face local rivals Tottenham Hotspur next week.