Arsenal secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park, with Bukayo Saka scoring the only goal of a tightly contested Premier League encounter.
The match was goalless at half-time, with Arsenal enjoying more possession but struggling to create clear openings against a disciplined Villa side.
Saka broke the deadlock shortly before the hour mark. Eberechi Eze found Riccardo Calafiori’s run into the area, and the Italian’s low delivery was turned in by Saka ahead of Ian Maatsen.
Arsenal had briefly appeared to have been awarded a penalty when Maatsen brought down Saka, but a video assistant referee review showed the foul had taken place just outside the area. Martin Ødegaard sent the resulting free-kick wide.
Villa pressed for an equaliser in the closing stages, but Arsenal defended resolutely to preserve their lead. The result maintained the Gunners’ winning start to the season, while Unai Emery’s side suffered a second successive league defeat.
Highlights from Aston Villa’s match against Arsenal are available to watch for free.
