EPL: Saka Fires Arsenal To Victory Over Villa As Arteta Marks 250th Game

Bukayo Saka scored the only goal as Arsenal defeated Aston Villa 1-0 at Villa Park on Monday, maintaining their perfect start to the 2026/27 Premier League season.

The victory gave Arsenal six points from their opening two matches without conceding a goal, while Villa remain without a point after successive defeats.

The result also provided Mikel Arteta with a memorable way to mark his 250th Premier League game in charge of Arsenal.

Villa started brightly despite their difficult opening-week defeat to Brighton and created the first major opportunity of the match. Emiliano Buendia’s long-range effort after 12 minutes beat David Raya but struck the crossbar.

Arsenal gradually took control of possession but struggled to create clear opportunities during the opening half. Declan Rice came closest when his header from a corner was tipped over by Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.

Arteta responded at half-time by introducing Eberechi Eze as Arsenal searched for greater attacking threat.

Villa created the first opportunity after the restart, but Ian Maatsen fired over from a difficult angle.

Arsenal were then awarded a penalty after Saka went down following a challenge inside the area. However, VAR overturned the decision after determining that the contact had occurred outside the box. Arsenal were instead awarded a free-kick, which Martin Odegaard sent narrowly wide.

The Gunners eventually broke the deadlock in the 59th minute.

Riccardo Calafiori advanced beyond the Villa defence before delivering a low cross into the box. Saka reacted quickly and bundled the ball over the line to give Arsenal the lead.

The goal was Saka’s second in as many Premier League matches this season.

Villa attempted to respond, but Arsenal’s defence remained organised and limited the hosts’ opportunities. Suzuki later produced an excellent save to deny Kai Havertz and keep Villa in the contest.

Arsenal introduced new signing Bruno Guimaraes, while Ezri Konsa also made his Arsenal debut against his former club.

The Gunners eventually held on to secure another clean sheet and extend their winning start.

Arteta’s 250th Premier League match as Arsenal manager ended with his 151st victory, making the occasion even more significant.

Arsenal will now look to build on their strong opening while Villa face pressure to improve after losing their first two matches without scoring.

For Saka and Arteta, however, the victory provided another important step in Arsenal’s early title defence.