Arsenal secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over a resolute Aston Villa on Monday, extending their winning run at the start of the Premier League campaign.
A late strike from Bukayo Saka in the 59th minute proved decisive for the defending champions in a tightly contested encounter.
The result lifted Arsenal to a share of the top spot, level on six points from two matches with three other clubs. Villa, meanwhile, remain without a point and face growing concerns for head coach Unai Emery, whose side has yet to register a shot on target this season.
More than half of the players who featured in Villa’s Europa League victory last May have since departed the club, leaving Emery with a substantial rebuilding task ahead.
Two of his recent acquisitions were handed starts against Arsenal, with Nicolas Jackson leading the attack and Zion Suzuki replacing goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez between the posts.
Villa began the match brightly, with Emiliano Buendia rattling the crossbar from long range. However, Arsenal gradually grew into the contest and finished the opening period on the front foot, though they rarely tested Suzuki, who marked his appearance by becoming the first Japanese goalkeeper to feature in the Premier League.
The pattern resumed after the break, and Arsenal believed they had been awarded a penalty nine minutes into the second half when Ian Maatsen brought down Saka inside the area.
The decision was overturned following a video review, with a free kick awarded instead, but Saka remained undeterred. Just before the hour mark, he converted from close range after a well-worked exchange between Eberechi Eze and Riccardo Calafiori.
Neither side managed to assert control for long stretches, and clear-cut opportunities remained scarce throughout the fixture.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
