A couple of games into the season Mikel Arteta must feel as though this really could be his year. Arteta knew his side were fortunate when Ollie Watkins missed a sitter in each half and Arsenal had just watched another Aston Villa chance go to waste. Then Arteta brought on Leandro Trossard, the quiet king of scoring big goals, and the substitute scored with his first touch to pave the way to an impressive victory. “Trossard again, ole ole,” sang the away support, a nod to the Belgian’s timely interventions against Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Manchester City and Wolves last season.
Thomas Partey doubled Arsenal’s advantage with a shot from the edge of Villa’s 18-yard box and while it was not plain-sailing, Arteta’s side ultimately could have won by a bigger margin. Martin Ødegaard, the Arsenal captain, skied a chance to make it three after 80 minutes, seconds after Ricardo Calafiori, signed from Bologna this summer, entered for his debut. Villa hampered Arsenal’s title hopes last season, beating them home and away, but this time they emerged victorious.
“All aboard!” The strains of Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train signalled the start of another season at Villa Park and it should be an exciting one, with at least four Champions League games guaranteed to take place here. Unai Emery has always maintained the Premier League is the most important competition, however, and the visit of Arsenal, runners-up last season and supposed title contenders again this season, provided an early barometer of Villa’s credentials. Emery had said how these kinds of matches would define whether they can improve on fourth this season.
The first half was not teeming with quality but there was certainly entertainment, some slapstick sparring in the 34th minute after William Saliba tailgated Watkins to the corner flag, prompting the referee, Michael Oliver, to intervene. What happened next was amusing if not petulant. Saliba came out on top but John McGinn rifled the ball straight at the Arsenal defender, at least able to disguise the action as a clearance. Ben White did not take kindly to McGinn winding Saliba and rushed in to boot the ball straight at McGinn, sparking a melee.
Moments earlier Villa winger Leon Bailey had wellied the ball clear on the edge of the Villa six-yard box after Kai Havertz side-footed an inviting pass into the area in a rare opening. Havertz sent a shot wide under pressure from Pau Torres and earlier hit the bar from a corner, though the referee had given a lenient foul against Emiliano Martínez. The corner stemmed from a magnificent right-hand save from the former Arsenal goalkeeper Martínez, who pawed Bukayo Saka’s curling left-foot shot past his right post, triggering double-fisted celebrations and high-fives from teammates. A minute later a visibly upset Matty Cash was forced off with an apparently ankle injury, with the 18-year-old Kosta Nedeljkovic, who signed in January, tasked with taming Gabriel Martinelli.
The clearest first-half chance came at the other end, Watkins pulling a first-time shot wide after Oliver waved play on. Bailey pickpocketed Gabriel, the Arsenal defender, the impressive Morgan Rogers flicked the ball to Watkins, in on goal close to the penalty spot, but he elected to take the ball with his right foot when his left appeared the better option and dragged his shot wide.
Rogers surged past five black Arsenal shirts approaching the interval and dinked a teasing cross into the box but an alert David Raya extinguished the danger. Rogers was surely among those who caught the eye for the watching England interim manager Lee Carsley, the former Birmingham City midfielder who could be forgiven for wanting to go under the radar. It remains to be seen whether White declares himself available for selection in the post-Southgate era.
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Watkins will wonder how he departed on 65 minutes without a goal to his name. After Amadou Onana’s side-footed shot deflected off Gabriel and looped over Raya on to the crossbar, there in the six-yard box was Watkins to feast on the rebound. But the England striker’s header was too close to the goalkeeper and lacked conviction. Raya deserves credit for repelling Watkins’s effort with a left-hand stop but Watkins should have rippled the net, by whichever means. Emery placed his hands on his head, Raya gestured for calm. It was easy for him to say. Villa kept pressing, Rogers going close after another superb driving run and later so did Ezri Konsa.
Arsenal equally did not relent. Arteta introduced Trossard in place of Martinelli and two minutes later he was being mobbed by his teammates. Saka cut the ball back from the goalline, Rogers and Havertz contested the ball and it ran through to Trossard, who swept a shot into the bottom corner. Partey made sure of victory, his whipped shot – also struck first time – too powerful for Martínez to keep out with his left glove. Saka again was the provider, nudging the ball inside to Partey. The travelling Arsenal supporters went berserk. Even this early on in the season, this win, while not flawless, felt a significant takeaway.