Against the odds: Arsenal get the job done at Aston Villa
A hard-fought win over a stubborn opponent
Arsenal picked up a valuable away win at Villa Park on Monday evening, beating Aston Villa 1-0 in the second round of the Premier League.
The result took the Gunners to 6 points and a perfect start to the defence of their title.
From the opening minutes, Arsenal took control of the contest. They dominated possession at 66%, while the hosts leaned on counter-attacks and efforts from outside the box.
Aston Villa almost struck first in the 12th minute. Emiliano Buendia rattled a powerful ball off the crossbar, and fortune spared Mikel Arteta's side.
Arsenal replied with several attempts of their own, most notably a Declan Rice header that goalkeeper Zion Suzuki gathered comfortably. The visitors kept pressing without reward, and the first half ended goalless.
At the start of the second half, Arteta sent on Eberechi Eze for Christos Tzolis to sharpen the attack, and Arsenal continued to dictate the rhythm.
In the 55th minute, the Gunners appealed for a penalty when Bukayo Saka went down inside the area. Referee Jarred Gillett waved play on, then checked the video technology, which backed his decision to rule out any foul.
The response came quickly. Arsenal turned their superiority into the winning goal in the 59th minute, Riccardo Calafiori threading a precise ball to Bukayo Saka inside the box, and the England star drilled it low into the left corner past Zion Suzuki.
Aston Villa chased an equaliser. Unai Emery threw on attackers, most notably Tammy Abraham, Alejandro Garnacho and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but Arsenal's defence and goalkeeper David Raya held firm.
Kai Havertz wasted the chance to double the lead in the 74th minute with a shot Suzuki dealt with, while the hosts kept coming through crosses and corners in the closing stages. The Gunners' back line stood solid.
The referee added eight minutes of stoppage time. Arsenal saw them out intelligently to claim a valuable 1-0 win, one bearing Bukayo Saka's signature, and keep their strong Premier League start going.
