ALL GUNS BLAZING
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Arsenal show steel to overcome hoodoo as Villa rue missed opportunties.
“Everyone is a hero because we work together.”
This season, Villa Park is set for big nights under the lights. Thanks to the stewardship of Unai Emery, the Aston faithful will witness Champions League football for the first time. However, the Villans do have history in the competition, winning the then European Cup back in 1982. Before that draw takes place on Thursday and memories of Peter Withe’s winner in Rotterdam stir, their focus had to be firmly set upon this evening’s fixture against Arsenal. Last season, Aston Villa were the only team to complete the double over the Gunners, and that six point differential robbed the north Londoners of breaking Manchester City’s Premier League dominance. If Arsenal want to secure their first top division trophy since 03/04, they’ll likely need to be near invincible again. Avoiding defeat today would be the minimum requirement for such a feat.
The title challengers started off their season well, with a steady 2-0 victory over Wolves. The opening day saw goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka, something the Gunners will no doubt rely upon throughout this campaign. Mikel Arteta decided upon one change from the team that gained three points last Saturday, with Jurrien Timber replacing Oleksandr Zinchenko at left back. Once again, Gabriel Martinelli was favoured on the wing over Leandro Trossard, even with the Belgian impressing as a substitute in their first fixture. There was still no starting berth for summer signing Riccardo Calafiori either, with Arsenal’s centreback pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel unshakable.
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Out into the north Birmingham sunshine it was then, with a packed Holte End welcoming their eleven onto the pitch. A first home game of the season, Villa had actually found themselves down near Arsenal’s patch last week. Jhon Duran’s late winner snatched victory against a testing West Ham, with the Villans more than happy to get the business done in Stratford. Now able to wear their own claret and blue, the recognised surroundings of B6 would do them no harm in a pursuit for back-to-back wins.
After a quarter of an hour however, it wasn’t so comfortable. Forced into an early substitution, Kosta Nedeljkovic replaced Matty Cash when the Pole felt his hamstring go. In the midst of that change, Saka offered the game its first chance, cutting inside and firing a low tester. Former teammate Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martinez was equal to the shot and impressively palmed away for a corner. The opening exchanges were somewhat scrappy and while Arsenal had the lion’s share of possession, little was done with the ball in attacking phases. Leon Bailey then dropped under zero contact, with it appearing as if the winger had damaged his ankle after attempting to twist up Timber. Thankfully for Villa, it proved to be a false alarm. After a few minutes of hobbling around, the Jamaican was back up to speed.
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The first big chance of the game fell to Ollie Watkins, and it was one you’d have put your house on him to bury. Bailey swarmed Gabriel, with the Arsenal defender begging for a foul. No call was to be forthcoming, and Morgan Rogers chased onto the loose ball. The pass was perfectly executed, rolling right into the path of an unmarked Watkins. However, Villa’s forward fluffed his lines horribly. A scuffed finish was weak and trundled past David Raya’s far post. If any contact of value had been made, the net would’ve bulged.
Soon after, tempers flared as John McGinn and Saliba collided. The Scotsman wasn’t for shirking, and bulleted the ball into his floored opponent. Ben White returned the favour, levelling the ricochet right back at Villa’s midfield engine. Match official Michael Oliver decided that strong words would suffice, but it was clear to see that this game’s temperature was starting to rise. While the intensity on show was chaotic, clear cut chances continued to be at a premium. The next opportunity appeared when Declan Rice’s reverse pass opened up space for Martinelli, but his pass to Havertz didn’t offer much as the German could only stab an effort wide. Six minutes of additional time came and went without note, the score remaining deadlocked as Oliver blew for halftime.
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Beginning the second half in a composed fashion, the Gunners tried to unpick Villa’s low block. There was an obvious need to get the creative maestro of Martin Odegaard involved more frequently, with the Arsenal captain a non-factor so far. Yet, it was Villa’s who upped the tempo, as McGinn found Rogers, who released Amadou Onana. His shot deflected viciously off of Gabriel, looping over a flailing Raya to meet with the crossbar. With the goal at his mercy, Watkins launched himself into a diving header from six yards out. Many inside of Villa Park were ready to celebrate, but Arsenal’s shot stopper somehow managed to react in time and acrobatically claw the effort to safety. A truly miraculous save.
Rogers and Onana were cranking into another gear, as Villa’s rangy midfielders continued to drive their team forward. The two were managing to relieve steadily increasing Arsenal pressure through their blistering counter forays. Just after the hour mark, both sides blinked. McGinn and Watkins were sacrificed for Jacob Ramsey and Jhon Duran, while Arsenal sent on Trossard for Martinelli. The next big moment came when Lucas Digne’s long free kick found Ezri Konsa in acres of space at the back post, and the centreback opened his foot to arc a shot across Raya. If any of his teammates had been sniffing around the area in which it dropped, Villa could’ve easily taken the lead.
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Moments later, the flashpoint arrived. A neat one-two between Odegaard and Saka found the latter, who lashed in a low cross from the byline. Bouncing through all-comers, it was met by the newly introduced Trossard. The Belgian swept his shot back in the direction of which it had come, and Martinez was unable to adjust in time as the finish wisped past him. First touch. First goal. Now trailing, Villa looked to react by going to the reinforcements again, Ross Barkley and Ian Maatsen in place of Onana and Digne. Again, it went wrong.
Saka’s layoff invited Thomas Partey to stroll onto the ball from outside the box, with Ghana’s combatant curling in a low drive. Whether Martinez was unsighted on not, his attempt to save was poor. The ball squirmed through his hands at the near post, allowing Arsenal to double their lead. Celebrating with his coaching staff on the sidelines, Arteta quickly looked to new signing Calafiori. The want to secure such a result was evident and Timber made way for the Italian’s Premier League debut. The Gunners had shifted into flow state, with every pass meeting its mark. Even in defensive actions they were perfect, Saliba hawking down Ramsey on the counter. It appeared as if the youngster was about to get a clean shot away, but the Frenchman’s slide tackling block took all pace off the finish.
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Saka was then removed for Reiss Nelson, a substitution straight out of the Hale End youth academy. As much as Villa huffed and puffed, the game had passed them by in the key moments. Arsenal had been clinical with their opportunities, in direct opposition to the home side. Barkley’s late attempt flew high and wide, highlighting the gap. The turning point may very well have been Raya’s tremendous stop from Watkins. If the ball had found the net at that moment, Villa Park would’ve been ablaze with noise. While it might not have been vintage Arsenal, it’s three points they missed out on last year. Come May, it might make all the difference.
Full time, Arsenal 2-0 Aston Villa.