Two Arsenal stars shine as Arteta learns lesson in Aston Villa win | Football | Sport
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta watched his side battle to a 2-0 win against Aston Villa (Image: Getty)
Mikel Arteta was relieved to see Arsenal make it third time lucky against Aston Villa after a 2-0 victory at Villa Park on Saturday evening.
After a drab first half with few chances to speak of, the Gunners came to life after the Spaniard made changes with Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey finding the net to secure three valuable points.
But if it wasn’t for the defensive efforts of some of Arsenal‘s resolute defenders, the scoreline could have been very different. Instead, they celebrated a second consecutive clean sheet.
Express Sport looks at the biggest talking points from the game, with two players in particular shining for the visitors.
Leandro Trossard scored one and had a part in the second goal (Image: Getty)
Trossard the saviour for Arteta
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Four minutes is all it took for Arteta to correct his error.
Starting Gabriel Martinelli ahead of Leandro Trossard would have raised some eyebrows amongst Arsenal fans, considering how the former has struggled for form and the latter has found the net regularly over the past 12 months.
The Belgian came on for Martinelli with 65 minutes on the clock and by the 69th, it was 1-0 to Arsenal. It was a case of his experience that saw him ghost into the box behind Kai Havertz, waiting for any scraps to fall into his lap. And the composed finish on the swivel was enough to beat even a top goalkeeper like Emi Martinez.
Given Arsenal lost twice to Aston Villa last season without scoring a goal, a 1-0 lead was crucial. Then Trossard executed spin before sending in a dangerous cross, and it eventually led to Thomas Partey striking home from the edge of the box.
Two goals with Trossard, zero without. If Arteta ever needed a clear indication to help decide on the Martinelli-Trossard dilemma, this was it. Leave him out again and he may live to regret it.
David Raya pulled off an astonishing save to deny Ollie Watkins (Image: Getty)
A Raya of sunshine
When considering all of Arsenal‘s transfer business this summer and Arteta’s tough decisions, signing David Raya for £27million could be his smartest decision yet. With every game, the former Brentford stopper is showing why he is preferred over Aaron Ramsdale with a marvellous save that left Gary Neville astounded.
With 55 minutes on the clock, Amadou Onana’s effort took a wicked deflection and clipped the underside of the bar. Raya had dived to get a fingertip onto the ball, but the Spaniard was left in a heap on the floor. With Ollie Watkins preparing to head home into an empty net, he summoned all of his strength to spring from the ground and somehow palm the striker’s header wide.
It was an incredible save and one that Raya had no right to make, given he was easily second-best while on the floor. But his desire to keep the clean sheet was enough to give him the quickness he needed to save his team from going behind.
There have been some doubts about the goalkeeper’s shot-stopping abilities, even though he finished his debut season at the Emirates with the Golden Glove award. But even so early in the season, these moments can be crucial in defining a title race. If Arsenal are to knock Manchester City off their perch, Raya is going to play a massive part in their bid.
Ollie Watkins somehow failed to score for Aston Villa (Image: Getty)
Watkins rues rare misses
He was England’s hero at Euro 2024 after firing the Three Lions into the final with that 90th-minute winner against the Netherlands. But it’s very possible the striker left his shooting boots in Germany after a rare off day at Villa Park.
The 28-year-old is so often clinical, so to miss a gilt-edged opportunity against Arsenal was odd. When Gabriel was caught dallying on the ball and Morgan Rogers played in Watkins, there looked to be only one outcome.
But the man who scored 19 goals in the Premier League last season somehow missed the target with the entire goal to aim at. Gabriel was a relieved man, and Watkins chuckled in utter disbelief.
Then his second chance came in the second half, although this time he did everything right in getting his header on target. Unluckily for him, Raya briefly transformed into an Marvel superhero to beat away the ball.
He is yet to open his account for the season but there is faith he will find his feet in front of goal. With Jhon Duran potentially leaving, Unai Emery needs him more than ever.
Timber proves his point
Jurrien Timber might just be the extra ingredient that Arteta needed in his title fight last season, only for injury to scupper his chances.
The £38million signing has been frustrated by the long-term knee injury that kept him out of the game. But to produce such a confident display would have delighted his manager, who may now be wondering whether he moved too quickly to spend £33m on Riccardo Calafiori.
In only the second start of his Arsenal career, Timber would have been eager to make an impression in front of his manager and the away fans. And he did just that, with the Dutchman looking sharp in defending against Leon Bailey and confident on the ball when in possession.
With more displays like this, Calafiori and Oleksandr Zinchenko will be concerned about how they can dislodge the 23-year-old.
