Under a manager desperate to get one over the only club he hasn’t excelled at, Villa had the chances to make it three consecutive victories over the Gunners, to once again do damage to a title challenge when one defeat can be the difference between a first league title in 20 years and further frustration.
The teams played out a frustrating first half at Villa Park that was beset with stoppages and breaks of play that favoured the home side and stopped Mikel Arteta’s men finding any rhythm. The Gunners dominated the early stages and Bukayo Saka was denied by Emi Martinez touching his shot wide of the far post.
Villa created two huge opportunities and both came to Ollie Watkins. The first saw him turn the ball wide after Morgan Rogers picks him out in the box and the second saw the striker’s headed effort palmed away by a scrambling David Raya in what could have been the moment of the game.
Arsenal pass Villa test and prove why they’re Man City’s main title rivals
The second half brought about a change in the fortunes of the two sides. The Gunners looked more confident, more composed and more dangerous in attack. It was a moment of magic from Leandro Trossard who broke the deadlock within minutes of coming off the bench. His first touch of the ball saw him turn a loose ball home from inside the box.
Trossard was then brought on and arrived at the right time to turn a loose ball home from inside the box. He then drove Arsenal up the pitch and found Saka at the far post. Saka rolled a pass back to Partey whose shot from range beat Martinez to give the Gunners a cushion.
Arsenal take the points and continue their winning runs.
Here is Leandro Trossard’s first touch, and Arsenal’s opening goal:
Leandro Trossard's first TOUCH of the game for Arsenal 🔥🔴 pic.twitter.com/5CSdbVi4aD
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 24, 2024
And Thomas Partey’s goal which sealed the victory for Arsenal:
Trossard ➡️ Saka ➡️ Partey 2-0 to Arsenal! 🔴 pic.twitter.com/jWgpUxcwVM
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 24, 2024
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya speaking to Sky Sports: “Everyone is a hero because we work together. It’s not just me saving the ball. It was a crucial moment in the game where it was 0-0 and they had chances and I was there to save Ollie’s [Watkins] header.
“I think of what I remember, it’s a shot from outside the box. I’m on the floor so I try to get up and I can’t reach it. I just see Ollie going in there so I react as quickly as possible I put my hand there and there’s no one there to get the ball.
“It’s just a repetition of things. You do drills and have to save one ball and get up to save another. This time it paid off. This is a reaction one, I don’t think it’s my best save.
“I try to help the team as much as possible to win games.”
Arsenal are up to third in the Premier League, level on points with Brighton and Manchester City. The champions are currently top due to goal difference after hammering Ipswich 4-1 earlier today.
Arsenal lost both of their Premier League meetings with Aston Villa last season.
They are already three points better off this time around as Mikel Arteta and his team head over to applaud the jubilant away fans.
Mikel Arteta will be pleased. His team didn’t reach their peak today but have come away from Villa Park with a fine victory and three points.
Arsenal have scored four goals, conceding none, in the opening two games of the Premier League campaign.
It’s the defence that will win them the Premier League this season with Mikel Arteta determined to keep as many clean sheets as possible.
So far so good for the Gunners.
Arsenal could lose Fabio Vieira as they move closer to securing Mikel Merino in a midfield shuffle.
Fabrizio Romano reports that the Gunners will send Vieira to Porto on loan.
There will be no buy option, yet the Portuguese club will cover Vieira’s salary for the season.
Neither Fabio Vieira nor Gabriel Jesus are on the bench for Arsenal. Vieira is being rumoured with a move to Porto so as the transfer window comes to a close Arsenal are taking no chances with the midfielder.
Gabriel Jesus meanwhile seems to have picked up an injury (rumoured to be with his groin) and will play no part in today’s proceedings.
Mikel Arteta has told Arsenal fans not to panic about his contract with talks set to get under way once the summer transfer window shuts.
Arteta has entered the final 12 months of his deal at the Emirates and while he insisted last month fresh terms would not be an issue, no announcement has been forthcoming.
Ahead of facing predecessor Unai Emery on Saturday night, the Gunners boss attempted to allay any fears amongst supporters.
Both of these managers have done very good jobs, both of these clubs have made sizeable strides. One of them is nonetheless likely about to get criticised and told they need to do more in the next week or risk missing out on their objectives. And it almost doesn’t matter which coach it’s aimed at.
Such is the relentless, never-stand-still nature of the Premier League and the focus point of most outsider commentators, who see transfer necessities in draws and trophy pushes in victories, even two weeks into the season.
Defeat? That can mean anything, from a side going stale to a manager falling short. But both of these clubs will sidestep those hot takes, of course. Regardless of a single result in isolation, both will feel they are prepared and on course for their respective seasonal objectives – it’s just that Arsenal have far less margin for error. And that makes this trip to Villa Park a particularly noteworthy one, with the Gunners up against their former boss Unai Emery, and their former goalkeeper Emi Martinez.
It doesn’t matter that it’s early – Arsenal have a title fight of tiny margins
The Gunners have won 17 of their 19 top-flight matches in 2024, with their only defeat coming at home to Aston Villa in April. They can equal the record of 18 league wins from the first 20 matches of a calendar year, set by Liverpool in 1982 and matched by Manchester City in both 2019 and 2021.
Aston Villa are looking to win their opening two Premier League matches of a season for a fourth time, having done so in 1995-96, 1999-00 and 2020-21.
They have won their opening home league fixture in each of the past four seasons – and began 2023-24 with eight straight top-flight victories at Villa Park.
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has signed an extension to his existing contract and will now be at the midlands club until 2029.
Here’s what Unai Emery had to say about working with the Argentinian in the future: “We are very happy because Emiliano Martínez is very important. He’s involved completely in this project.
“When I arrived here, I knew him before because we were working in Arsenal together. I knew his mentality and even now it’s stronger than before because he’s achieving individual objectives with his national team and here with Aston Villa.
“His extension is fantastic for us and very good for every supporter of Aston Villa, we can be proud of him.”
“We are excited, we are motivated, but we have to show again our capacity,” says Unai Emery.
“If we are able to repeat with the different players, with the different ways, one year more here how we can compete, how we can face teams like Arsenal.
“The challenge is motivating for us and our supporters to face them.”
Mikel Arteta praised an “unbelievable” contribution from Bukayo Saka after the winger fired in Arsenal’s second goal in their 2-0 win over Wolves at the Emirates to kick off their Premier League campaign.
The Gunners are looking to end a 21-year wait for the title, having finished second to Manchester City in each of the last two seasons, missing out by two points in May despite winning 16 of their final 18 games.
And they got off to an ideal start in north London against Gary O’Neil’s side when Kai Havertz dashed towards the six-yard box to meet Saka’s cross in the 25th minute, squeezing between goalkeeper Jose Sa and defender Yerson Mosquera and heading his side into a deserved lead following early pressure.
Mikel Arteta compares Bukayo Saka to Lionel Messi: ‘You can’t stop him’
Kai Havertz praised Arsenal team-mate Bukayo Saka’s “perfect” contribution after the winger scored and assisted to help his side to a 2-0 opening-day Premier League win against Wolves.
Saka’s cross from the right in the 25th minute set up Havertz to head in the Gunners’ first goal of the new season and hand them an ideal start at the Emirates Stadium as they seek to end a 21-year wait for the title.
Gary O’Neil’s side gave their hosts some nervous moments thereafter and Arsenal twice had goalkeeper David Raya to thank for preserving their lead, most spectacularly after he pulled off a brilliant one-handed save to deny debutant striker Jorgen Strand Larsen midway through the first half.
The win was sealed 16 minutes from time when Saka’s left-footed drive inside the near post capped a fine individual display.
Kai Havertz talks up Bukayo Saka after Arsenal start season with victory
Wolves have made an offer to sign Arsenal’s England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale on a season-long loan.
The PA news agency understands the bid, submitted on Monday, also includes an option to buy at the end of the campaign.
Ramsdale fell out of favour last season as manager Mikel Arteta promoted David Raya to number one and he made just 11 appearances, only two of which came after the turn of the year.
Despite his lack of activity the 26-year-old, whose contract has two years to run, was still included in England’s Euro 2024 squad.
Before that tournament Ramsdale told talkSPORT: “No footballer wants to not play. I’ve had a tough year personally not playing and I never want to do that again.”
Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams is Arsenal’s preferred target for a wide player in the last week of the window, although there is an acceptance they may have to wait for a major move.
Mikel Arteta is now keen to increase the options in his forward line, with the London club set to secure midfielder Mikel Merino’s move from Real Sociedad. One issue influencing recruitment, however, is Arsenal effectively operating off a different budget depending if a player is a named target or not.
It isn’t quite a case of the club just being willing to pay a certain amount for a necessary position. Arsenal are willing to pay what it takes for those specific named targets they feel would be certain starters, as could be seen with Declan Rice last summer.
Arsenal might have to wait as they target Nico Williams
Mikel Arteta has told Arsenal fans not to panic about his contract with talks set to get under way once the summer transfer window shuts.
Arteta has entered the final 12 months of his deal at the Emirates and while he insisted last month fresh terms would not be an issue, no announcement has been forthcoming.
Ahead of facing predecessor Unai Emery on Saturday night, the Gunners boss attempted to allay any fears amongst supporters.
Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana was the only one of Villa’s eight summer signings to start against West Ham last weekend, when full-backs Ian Maatsen and Kosta Nedeljkovic made their club debuts as late substitutes.
Arsenal don’t have any fresh fitness concerns though Mikel Arteta is unsure whether Jurrien Timber is ready to start as the club carefully manage his comeback from long-term injury.
Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Bailey; Watkins
Your Aston Villa squad for our home opener. 👊👊#AVLARS || #UpTheVilla pic.twitter.com/l5SR9R6BgA
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 24, 2024
Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
⚫️ 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 🔴💪 Timber starts at the back⚖️ Rice features in the middle⚡️ Saka out wideReady to work - COME ON YOU GUNNERS!
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 24, 2024
Unai Emery makes no changes to his Aston Villa side backing the team who defeated West Ham last time out to perform well against Arsenal too.
Mikel Arteta meanwhile replaces Oleksandr Zinchenko with Jurrien Timber at left-back.
Hello, and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Aston Villa vs Arsenal in the Premier League!
The Gunners are aiming to build on a strong start to their title challenge, having beaten Wolves 2-0 at home on the season’s opening weekend. That victory came courtesy of goals from Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, who provided the assist for Saka’s second-half strike after nodding home inside the first half-hour.
Aston Villa also enter this fixture on the back of a win in gameweek one, however. Emery’s side came out on top against West Ham at London Stadium, as Amadou Onana struck early and Jhon Duran ensured a 2-1 victory.
For Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, almost every game is a must-win this season, after their last two campaigns saw them challenge Manchester City valiantly but come up short both times. They could, therefore, be in for a nervy afternoon at Villa Park, as play a team that beat them twice last season – en route to securing Champions League football, no less. Emery and co prevailed 2-0 away and 1-0 at home, and they will believe they can repeat the trick here.
Follow live as we build up to kick-off at 5.30pm BST.
