Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal: 4 talking points from huge win

Arsenal bounced back from its defeat to Liverpool midweek with a dominant performance over a poor Aston Villa side. A first-half strike from Bukayo Saka was enough to give the Gunners a vital 1-0 win, and their fifth straight away victory.

Arsenal started brightly with both Emile Smith Rowe and Thomas Partey having goal-bound efforts inside the opening 10 minutes.

The Gunners would get their noses in front just before the half-hour mark. After a dead ball situation, Saka drove at the Aston Villa box before laying it off for Cedric who clipped in an inviting ball. It bounced around the box before landing at the feet of Saka who lashed home his shot past Emi Martinez to give the visitors a worthy lead.

Thomas Partey was doing his thing in midfield while Saka was getting great joy down his flank, and the Gunners’ left-hand side of Kieran Tierney and Smith Rowe also saw plenty of joy as Villa were often pushed back deep into their half due to Arsenal’s quick and fluid movement.

Arsenal 1-0 Aston Villa: 4 talking points from huge Premier League win as Arteta’s side take another step towards the top four

Overall, it was a superb first half for the visitors as Aston Villa barely had a sniff. Arsenal had more possession, more territory, and did not concede a single shot in the opening 45 minutes, as Arsenal went into the sheds with a 1-0 lead.

Arteta’s side started the second-half as they finished the first, in control. While it was not reflected on the scoreboard, the visitors were in command. Villa did grow into the game but couldn’t register a shot on goal until the 60th minute from John McGinn.

Villa continued to control possession without making any real inroads as Arsenal dismantled Steven Gerrard’s side defensively. The Gunners kept the home side with a single shot on target for the entire game as they saw off Villa and extended their lead inside the Premier League top four to four points.

The game provided plenty of talking points, and here they are.

1-0 to the Arsenal

As the famous saying goes, 1-0 to the Arsenal. In truth, the game felt more like a three or four-nil result, such was the Gunners’ dominance.

Mikel Arteta’s side completely shut down Aston Villa on their home deck while only allowing a single shot on target for the game.

The result had everything that is now the norm for an Arteta-led side: creativity, slick and quick ball movement, a goal, and a defensive steel not seen in previous seasons.

Make no mistake about it, this was as dominant of a performance as the Gunners have put out this season, even if they fatigued at the end. Off the back of the defeat to Liverpool midweek, to produce this kind of gritty display shows the character of the team.

They showed their class for the majority of the game, and then had to show resilience with a battling defensive display. Overall it was a superb outing for Arsenal as they moved one step closer to that coveted top-four spot.

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