Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal: Player ratings as Saka strike continues Gunners' winning start

Arsenal continued their winning start to the season as Bukayo Saka's second-half strike fired them to a 1-0 victory away to Aston Villa.

Mikel Arteta named an unchanged starting XI following his side's opening 3-0 win over Coventry City last week. There were alterations on the bench however as Bruno Guimarães returned from a minor groin issue and Ezri Konsa was included ahead of potentially making his debut against his former side.

Villa started the game the stronger side as they caused problems for the Gunners, but the visitors' first chance came when Myles Lewis-Skelly picked the ball up on the edge and struck towards goal, but his effort was blocked.

The hosts almost took the lead in stunning circumstances through Emiliano Buendía, who unleashed an effort from range only to see it strike the crossbar.

Arsenal grew into the game, but they struggled to carve out clear chances and were hindered by the offside flag on a number of occasions while Villa continued to be a source of trouble at the other end of the pitch. However, neither side could find the breakthrough before half-time.

Arteta opted to make a change to his side after the restart, bringing Eberechi Eze on for Christos Tzolis, who had significantly underperformed on the left wing.

The Gunners thought they had been awarded a penalty 10 minutes into the second-half when Declan Rice played Bukayo Saka through only for him to be brought down as he darted into the box. However, the foul was deemed to have happened outside the area and a free kick was given.

They took the lead minutes after Martin Ødegaard fired the dead ball wide when substitute Eze played a neat ball in for Riccardo Calafiori to race onto and square for Saka to tap in from close range.

Kai Havertz had a great chance to double his side's lead when he was played clean through on goal, but he couldn't beat Zion Suzuki with his effort as the Japan international stood firm to block the shot.

It didn't matter though as Arsenal saw out the closing stages, including eight minutes of stoppage time, to keep Villa at bay and secure the three points from their first away game of the season.

Here are the Gunners' player ratings from their 1-0 win over Aston Villa.

Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal player ratings

Goalkeeper & Defenders

David Raya (GK) - 7/10 - Steady between the sticks to keep a second clean sheet in his second game. Good when collecting in the air and calm with the ball at his feet.

Ben White (RB) - 6.5/10 - Made a few good runs down the right side to support Saka and did his defensive job too, dealing with the Villa pressure down the left side well.

Cristhian Mosquera (CB) - 6.5/10 - Solid at the back once again and unfortunate to see his night come to an end due to injury with just over 10 minutes left to play.

Gabriel Magalhães (CB) - 6.5/10 - A good performance in the backline as he dealt pretty well with Villa's attack throughout the tie.

Riccardo Calafiori (LB) - 7/10 - Villa seemed to be afforded plenty of space in behind him. Pushed down by Torres in the box, but nothing given. Made a good run into the box to pick up possession and square for Saka to open the scoring.

Midfielders

Martin Ødegaard (CM) - 6.5/10 - Fired a free kick just wide of the post in the second-half. Played a few nice passes, including a disguised pass for Havertz, but wasn't as impactful as last week. Taken off after 70 minutes.

Myles Lewis-Skelly (CM) - 7/10 - Did really well to shield the ball and kill off a Villa attack in the box. Pretty solid in midfield before being replaced with 20 minutes to play.

Declan Rice (CM) - 7/10 - Caused problems for Suzuki with his set piece deliveries. Played a nice ball through for Saka to run onto and win the overturned penalty. Helped out in attack and defence as always. Subbed in the late stages.

Forwards

Bukayo Saka (RW) - 7/10 - Won his side a penalty when he was dragged down, but the foul was deemed to have happened outside of the box. Broke the deadlock from close range when he tapped in from Calafiori's square ball.

Kai Havertz (ST) - 6/10 - Denied a great chance to double his side's lead when he was played through on goal, only to see his attempt saved well by Suzuki. Not his best all-round performance up front.

Christos Tzolis (LW) - 5/10 - Picked up a yellow card in the first-half and could have been shown a second but got away with it. Struggled to get the better of Cash throughout and withdrawn at the break.

Substitutes

• Eberechi Eze (on 46' for Tzolis) - 7/10
• Mikel Merino (on 71' for Ødegaard) - 6.5/10
• Bruno Guimarães (on 71' for Lewis-Skelly) - 7/10
• Ezri Konsa (on 79' for Mosquera) - 6.5/10
• Martín Zubimendi (on 85' for Rice) - N/A

Player of the match: Bukayo Saka

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