Arsenal edge past troubled Aston Villa 1-0 as Saka scores only goal

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkBukayo Saka scores Arsenal's first goal past Zion Suzuki of Aston Villa [Naomi Baker/Getty Images]By Al Jazeera Staff and AFPPublished On 31 Aug 202631 Aug 2026Arsenal extended their flawless start to the Premier League season as Bukayo Saka sealed the champions’ 1-0 win against troubled Aston Villa.Saka’s second-half strike at Villa Park on Monday wrapped up Arsenal’s second successive victory.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘The time has come’: Messi retires from international footballlist 2 of 4Transfer deadline day 2026: All to know about target signings, clubs, feeslist 3 of 4FIFA president Infantino ‘must go’, says former UEFA boss Platinilist 4 of 4Lamine Yamal getting back to ‘top level’, Barcelona coach Flick saysend of listIn a statement of intent to their title rivals, Mikel Arteta’s side have taken maximum points from their opening two games without conceding a goal.It was the ideal way for Arteta to mark his 250th league game in charge of the Gunners.Arteta had picked the same starting lineup that cruised to a 3-0 win against Coventry in their season opener 10 days earlier.Saka was on the scoresheet in that victory and once again the England winger delivered a valuable contribution.Underlining the quality at Arteta’s disposal, England centre-back Ezri Konsa came off the bench in the closing stages for his Arsenal debut against his former club after leaving Villa in a 51 million pound ($69m) move on August 21.Arsenal will face the first serious test of their ability to retain the title on Sunday when they host London rivals Chelsea, who have also won their first two matches.By then, Arsenal could be bolstered by another new arrival as they continue to track unsettled Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez ahead of Tuesday’s transfer deadline.The only concern for Arteta was a potential injury that forced Declan Rice to limp off in the closing stages.For Villa, the feeling of frustration is growing after a second consecutive defeat.Unai Emery’s team slumped to a 4-0 loss at Brighton in their opener in the midst of the club’s astonishing summer sale.Motivated in part by the need to keep in line with Premier League financial rules, Villa have ripped apart their Europa League-winning squad, selling Konsa, Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Martinez, Lucas Digne and Youri Tielemans.Villa look a shadow of the vibrant team that ended their 30-year trophy drought last term, leaving Emery with a daunting job on his hands.In keeping with the sense of a club under renovation, one end of Villa Park was closed to fans on Monday due to building work to increase the capacity. Ruthless ArsenalNicolas Jackson made his Villa debut after arriving from Chelsea as Watkins’s replacement in attack, while Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, a recent signing from Parma, was given his maiden appearance.Villa winger Emiliano Buendia lashed a fierce strike against the crossbar in a rocky start for Arsenal.The Gunners eventually recovered their composure and Villa defender Pau Torres was forced to make a superb block to stop Christos Tzolis tapping in Saka’s cross.Arsenal appealed in vain for a penalty when Riccardo Calafiori tumbled under contact from Torres late in the first half.After his side showed a distinct lack of cutting edge in the opening period, Arteta replaced Tzolis with Eberechi Eze at the interval.The change made an impact and Victor Lindelof needed to make a last-ditch intervention to stop Kai Havertz converting Rice’s pass.Martin Odegaard curled a free kick inches wide after VAR overturned the initial decision to award a penalty for Ian Maatsen’s barge on Saka because the foul took place just outside the area.It was only a temporary reprieve for Villa as Saka broke the deadlock at the climax of a perfectly constructed raid in the 59th minute.Eze’s pass picked out Calafiori’s run into the Villa area and the defender’s low cross was poked in by Saka from close range.Havertz’s blast was saved by Suzuki before Konsa made his debut to a mix of boos and applause from conflicted Villa fans.With Konsa helping to shutdown Villa’s forwards, Arsenal were able to wrap up a gritty success.Arteta told Sky Sports that it was a “massive win” for his side.“It’s a tough place to come and earn three points. I think we deserved it,” he said.“We had a great performance. With 11, it wasn’t enough, the [subs] came in and did a magnificent job to finish the game and win it. I know how tough it is to win here. Every big team has struggled against them because they are so good.”Saka told Sky Sports that Villa made it hard for the Gunners.“One goal is normally enough for us because we are so solid at the back. When we got the first one, it actually opened the game up. We wanted to push for the second,” he said.“We weren’t at our highest level with the ball. Without it, we were incredible. As soon as we lost it, we were running back. All the boys put in a shift tonight. It helps with a clean sheet.”