Arsenal: 4 big positives from 1-0 Aston Villa win

Whenever an international break is up next the last thing you want is to have a defeat festering in your mind throughout it. There is another gap in fixtures for Arsenal, but we can sit through it with a smile etched across our faces.

Bukayo Saka proved to be the match-winner at a sun soaked Villa Park, coming up with the decisive moment 30 minutes in when a well-taken half volley flew beyond Emi Martinez in the Villa net.

Having previously gone 17 matches unbeaten in this stadium, Mikel Arteta had yet to taste anything other than defeat in his two outings there as Gunners boss. Victory had never been more important than now.

Steven Gerrard has added quality to his side and despite losing to West Ham last time out, the Villans were in good form heading into this one.

Arsenal: 4 big positives from 1-0 Aston Villa win as Mikel Arteta’s side take a grip of the Premier League top four ahead of international break

Yet they were made to look average by this Arsenal team, who were worthy winners in the end.

If there are criticisms to aim it’s that it shouldn’t have been allowed to get as nervy as that. The chances were there for the visitors to put the game to bed, with Alexandre Lacazette in particular spurning one presentable opportunity when he opted to take a shot on instead of feeding Martin Odegaard in acres of space.

There is now time to recover and refocus. Arsenal aren’t back in Premier League action until April 4 when they make the short journey south to Crystal Palace, with the large majority of the squad jetting off on international duty with their respective nations.

In the mean time, what there is still plenty of time for is to enjoy the moment. A performance bursting with positive notes has four that stood out.

1. Domination From the Outset

Speaking after the game Mikel Arteta highlighted the importance of Arsenal putting their foot down early doors and weathering any Aston Villa storm. Insisting that his side expected the hosts to come at them in the opening exchanges, no such onslaught materialised.

That’s because Arsenal took complete control. It was vitally important that they flaunted their authority from the offset.

Having exerted so much energy in the two previous games it would have been really easy for Arsenal to get stuck under the raucous crowd. Their more rested opponents could come out of the blocks, prey on any fatigue and mount the pressure from the first minute.

To have dictated the flow of the match for large spells is a credit to the mentality of this team. Whether or not they played 60 hours earlier and lost, their desire to take control of the match and keep the hosts at bay was as much about quality as it was about having the right mindset.

Villa had been in good form and to starve them of the ball in meaningful areas, fizz passes around, and retain possession when the time called for it showed maturity and character.

The problem? There weren’t enough goals to show for it. Dropping points in this game would have been a travesty, and it prompted the late nerves, but even when the ball was in Villa’s grasp Arsenal still dominated the game from a defensive standpoint with their semi-famous 2-3-5.

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