In a bid for revival following a fateful loss to Aston Villa which left them short of a title for two decades, Arsenal emerged victorious with a 2-0 win in the Premier League. Leandro Trossard swiftly opened the scoreline with his introductory touch, trailed by a confident strike from Thomas Partey. Arsenal dominated the proceedings early on, in their quest for redemption.
Emi Martinez, who now gazes long-term at Villa Park, had a face-off with his previous team twice, yet the noteworthy chance of the first half was squandered by Ollie Watkins for the hosts. The commendable performance of David Raya at one end facilitated Trossard’s goal for Arsenal, which was topped off by Partey’s skilful execution in the second part of the match.
As kickoff experienced a minor delay, Villa Park vibrated with anticipation, with the audience delivering a roaring applause to their players ahead of their European season. “Holte Enders in the sky” resonated through the stadium pre-match, setting an upbeat mood.
The first spectre of danger appeared in the form of Gabriel Martinelli breaking down the right for Arsenal. Emi Martinez was quick on his feet and intercepted Bukayo Saka’s maiden cross and Declan Rice’s subsequent effort.
The first few minutes saw a repeated halt in the match due to injuries to Amadou Onana and Matty Cash, which led to Kosta Nedeljkovic replacing Cash just 16 minutes into the game.
Arsenal almost drew first blood with Martinez thwarting Saka’s bottom corner shot. Arsenal spearheaded the majority of the attacks but it was Villa who squandered a golden opportunity mid-half.
The Villa duo, Leon Bailey and Morgan Rogers, capitalised on Gabriel’s lack of attention and set up Ollie Watkins for what could’ve been a match turning strike, only for Watkins to shoot wide of the mark.
Rogers displayed the greatest threat for Villa, deciding to take matters into his own hands and charging through the Arsenal midfield, only to result in a weak effort caught effortlessly by Raya.
Towards the end of the first half, tempers began to flare. John McGinn’s powerful shot at Saliba resulted in his Arsenal colleague Ben White seeking retaliation on the Scot. This required the intervention of referee Michael Oliver.
Despite being inches away from conceding a goal ten minutes into the subsequent half, the guests had their goalkeeper Raya to thank for keeping the scoreline at nil. Onana received the ball and attempted a 20-yard shot that deflected off Saliba and hit the bar. The subsequent header from Watkins was impressively saved by Raya.
The second half mirrored the first as Rogers relentlessly pressed forward. Eluding both Martinelli and Partey, he made another solitary attempt that narrowly missed the target. Aston Villa appeared the more likely to score. In one instance, Lucas Digne’s free-kick found Ezri Konsa who was unmarked. However, his barely wide shot missed the far post.
Despite Villa’s superior play, they paid the price for their missed opportunities midway through the second half. Saka charged down the right flank and found Trossard with a perfectly timed pass. Trossard, having just come on as a substitute, made no mistake and drilled the ball into the bottom corner.
Ten minutes later, Arsenal doubled their lead with Saka once again serving as the orchestrator. He set up Partey to fire a low shot that Martinez could only deflect into the net, thus securing Arsenal’s victory.