ASTON VILLA 0-2 ARSENAL: Leandro Trossard climbs off the bench to help the Gunners avenge last season’s defeats against Villa after Ollie Watkins misses two huge chances
Leandro Trossard scored with his first touch to help Arsenal secure a hard-fought victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Arsenal were beaten home and away by Villa last season in matches that proved crucial to their failed title attempt, but there was no repeat of their struggles this time around as Trossard made Ollie Watkins pay for missing two huge opportunities.
Emi Martinez tipped Bukayo Saka’s shot around the post to keep Villa level before Watkins scuffed a glorious chance wide at the other end. The England striker had another brilliant opportunity to open the scoring, but David Raya produced a stunning reaction save to keep out his diving header.
Saka wasted a one-on-one chance with Martinez, although he was likely offside, before Trossard clinically slotted into the bottom corner when a loose ball broke his way in the box. The Belgian was instrumental in the build-up for the second goal, too, as Saka teed up Thomas Partey to beat Martinez from the edge of the box and make it 2-0.
Martin Odegaard blazed over another chance, but it didn’t matter. Here are the talking points from a big win for Arsenal.
Watkins fluffs his chances
Ollie Watkins missed a huge chance in the first half (
Sky Sports)
Watkins has an excellent record against Arsenal – the club he grew up supporting – and would have been hoping to impress interim England manager Lee Carsley, who was in the house at Villa Park. And he got the perfect chance to make his mark 25 minutes in when Morgan Rogers teed him up.
It was his first shot of the season and it was a shocker. Watkins never looked confident and scuffed his effort wide with David Raya already committed in the other direction. Villa need their England striker to come to the party this season, with a Champions League campaign added to the mix.
It wasn’t a promising start and a huge groan from the crowd after a trampoline touch early in the second half summed up his performance. It got even worse for the Villa striker, too, with his diving header clawed out by Raya. He was hauled off for Jhon Duran in the 65th minute, leaving him lots of time to think about his misses.
Merino to add depth
Mikel Merino will be an upgrade on Thomas Partey (
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As they did in their opening game of the season against Wolves, Arsenal started with Partey in holding midfield, with Jorginho on the bench as the only alternative. The Gunners will soon also be able to call upon Mikel Merino in central midfield.
Partey is an out-and-out ball-winner – a safety blanket who sits in front of the back four and keeps things simple after gaining possession. The potential problem Arsenal have is that Arteta demands more from his players; Declan Rice showed last season that he is the full package, capable of impacting the game at both ends of the pitch, but it’s a hard role to do for the entire season.
Partey’s goal was a rare one: he now has six goals and four assists in 117 games for Arsenal. Merino, by contrast, is a true No.8 with 27 goals and 30 assists in 242 games for Real Sociedad. His arrival for £27m plus £4.25m add-ons will add useful strength and depth.
Raya’s incredible reactions
Ollie Watkins was brilliantly thwarted by David Raya (
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It’s not often that a save stops you in your tracks. David Raya’s flying save from Watkins’ header in the second half was one of those moments. Watkins should have buried it by placing his effort in the corner, but Raya’s reflexes were such that he didn’t even think he needed to be accurate.
Arteta deserves credit in such moments. The Arsenal boss made the big call to bring Raya in on loan from Brentford last season – and to then put him ahead of Aaron Ramsdale in the pecking order. It wasn’t a popular decision at the time, but it has proven to be a shrewd one. Ramsdale was on the bench at Villa Park, yet a transfer could be brewing before the window closes.
His save was to prove absolutely crucial to Arsenal’s victory – and he was named player of the match by Gary Neville on Sky Sports.
Super sub embellishes his reputation
Leandro Trossard was excellent off the bench for Arsenal (
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