Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey’s second-half goals ensured Arsenal continued their winning start to the Premier League season as they beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Villa Park.
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In an entertaining contest that saw Ollie Watkins squander glorious chances in either half, Mikel Arteta’s side would hit the front in the 67th minute.
Substitute Trossard struck 110 seconds after his introduction with a fine finish from the edge of the area before Partey’s price shot sealed the triumph 10 minutes later.
Martin Odegaard could have added further gloss to the Gunners’ impressive display but blazed over from inside the area after being picked out by Declan Rice.
Arsenal join Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion at the top with six points from their first two games, while Aston Villa are down in 12th.
How the match unfolded
A cagey opening burst into life when Bukayo Saka registered the encounter's first meaningful attempt on target, striking from the edge of the area to force Emiliano Martinez into a smart save.
Moments after going down with an injury, Leon Bailey sprung to his feet to force Gabriel Magalhaes into a mistake, allowing Morgan Rogers to play in Watkins, who uncharacteristically scuffed his effort wide.
Villa thought they had taken the lead eight minutes after the restart when Amadou Onana’s effort deflected onto the crossbar, with the rebound falling for Watkins to head home, only for David Raya to spring back up to save brilliantly.
But against the run of play, Villa were caught out, as Trossard struck low into the bottom corner with the Gunners’ first attempt of the second period.
Partey concluded the scoring in the 77th minute, curling an effort in at Martinez’s near post, although the Villa goalkeeper may feel he should have done better.
Dynamic Villa lacking a clinical edge
After scoring 76 goals in the Premier League last season, Villa have so far failed to replicate the clinical showing that secured them their top-four finish.
Unai Emery’s side have managed just six shots on target from their 25 attempts in their two matches so far, but it was not through a lack of trying as they were denied by a combination of poor finishing and an inspired goalkeeping display.
Watkins was tipped to challenge Man City’s Erling Haaland for the Premier League Golden Boot after an impressive showing at UEFA EURO 2024 but failed to find the net with the two golden opportunities presented to him.
And despite the introductions of Jacob Ramsey and Jhon Duran, Villa struggled against last season's sternest defence, failing to take advantage of their impressive first-half showing.
The dynamism and expansive style of play that earned them many admirers showed no signs of disappearing any time soon though. Rogers’ energetic display was a notable standout for the home side as he continues to make his mark under Emery’s guidance.
Arteta overcomes Emery hoodoo
After seeing last season's title charge derailed by Emery’s side, when they lost 2-0 at Emirates Stadium in April, Arteta exempted revenge on his recent foes with a stylish, yet combative, display that highlighted their Premier League credentials this time around.
A stop-start opening to the match threatened to restrict the Gunners’ attacking momentum, and had it not been for Villa’s wastefulness, they could have found themselves coming from a goal behind at Villa Park.
The tide shifted towards the interval as Arsenal’s intricate passing failed to penetrate Villa’s stern rearguard, with Rogers proving to be a particular thorn in their side.
However, Arteta’s side did not divert from the possession style of play that has brought them success in the division over the past two seasons, evident with Saka’s 63rd-minute effort after being found by Odegaard, only for Martinez to stand in his way.
That confidence in their play proved fruitful for Trossard’s opening goal, seemingly giving them the swagger they needed for the closing stages as Partey rounded off a performance that could prove pivotal just two games into the campaign.
Arsenal's victory also means that at the age of 22 years and 354 days, Saka is the third-youngest player to reach 100 Premier League wins after Wayne Rooney (22y 86d) and Cesc Fabregas (22y 108d).
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
11 | +15 | 28 |
| 2 |
Man City
MCI
|
11 | +9 | 23 |
| 3 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
11 | +8 | 19 |
| 4 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
11 | +6 | 19 |
| 5 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
11 | +5 | 19 |
Club reports
What the managers said:
Unai Emery: "We played competitively and faced them. We were more or less safe and we had our chance to score and had even better chances than them. The first half was a little bit more them than us. The second half we created two very good chances to score."
Mikel Arteta: "We had to change momentum, we had a 10-minute gap when we didn't get the rhythm and they were on top. They had the big chance that David [Raya] made an unbelievable save and it is was the magic moment of the game. I gave his moment to him [Trossard] to control the game."
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Key facts
Arsenal have won their first two games in a top-flight campaign without conceding for the third time in their history, previously doing so in 1924/25 and 1971/72.
Aston Villa have failed to win three consecutive Premier League home games for the first time under Unai Emery (D2 L1), while this is the first time since 2019-20 they’ve lost their first home league match of the season.
Bukayo Saka has been involved in 17 goals in his last 19 Premier League appearances for Arsenal (12 goals, 5 assists).
Six of Leandro Trossard’s 14 Premier League goals for Arsenal have been as a substitute, the highest share of any player to score 10+ goals for the club in the competition (43%).