~snip~
Last season Arsenal almost won the EPL after staying at the top of the standings for a very long time, due to a small mistake towards the end of the competition, they were the losers after Manchester City managed to collect more points than them. This season Arsenal is trying to chase their dreams again, but the competition this season is tougher than last season. Liverpool appear very consistent, Manchester City are also starting to find their best form, it will be very difficult for Arsenal to return to the top of the standings if they don't appear as consistent as they were at the start of the season.
Arsenal were too confident and forgot that below them there was Manchester City who were waiting for an opportunity to move to the top of the standings and it seemed that when Arsenal made a mistake they fell and Manchester City took advantage of this opportunity very well.
But for this season, there is actually still a chance for Arsenal to improve their standings, but it will be very difficult if they want to win the title because what you said is true is that the competition is getting tougher with the increasing performance of Liverpool and Manchester City in collecting points.
For Aston Villa itself, it is not very possible to maintain its position as the third most dominant team in terms of points, Arsenal's only chance is to overtake Aston Villa and the battle for first position is still held by Liverpool and Manchester City.
There are still 17 matches remaining to be able to determine who is actually the strongest and there is still quite a long time that can be used to collect as many points as possible, but it will be difficult for Arsenal to occupy the top position.