by On Saturday, Leandro Trossard, an Arsenal substitute, scored with his first touch to lead his team to a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa.
At Villa Park, Mikel Arteta’s team was having trouble breaking through until Belgium attacker Trossard showed up and made an immediate difference.
Midway through the second half, Trossard finished coolly, and Arsenal’s second straight win was sealed by Thomas Partey’s late goal, which was made possible by a mistake made by Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
This cathartic moment for the North Londoners has helped Arsenal get off to a great start in their latest attempt to capture the Premier League title. The Gunners’ title challenge was severely damaged by Villa’s 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the final weeks of the previous year.
Last season, Arsenal suffered a devastating loss at Villa Park as well, ultimately finishing just two points behind champion Manchester City. Arsenal, who have finished second to City the past two seasons, is eager to capture their first championship since 2004.
After their opening 2-0 triumph over Wolves, Arteta must have been delighted to witness his players’ steely side emerge in a hard-fought victory over Villa.
Villa’s opening Champions League campaign since 1982-1983 began with a 2-1 victory over West Ham last weekend. But as they look to repeat their top-four finish from the previous season, Unai Emery’s team needed this reality check.
Saka came in from the right for a low effort that the Argentine keeper Martinez swiped away at full stretch, forcing the former Arsenal goalkeeper to make an early stop. Ollie Watkins squandered a fantastic chance to give Villa the lead after Leon Bailey had robbed the asleep Gabriel Magalhaes.
Emery threw back his head in shock as Watkins, who only had Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya to beat, managed to spin his shot wide from six yards out. After Gabriel Martinelli found the German, Kai Havertz missed a close-range shot, highlighting Arsenal’s much-discussed need for another forward.
In the second half, Villa appeared to be the team to break the deadlock when Amadou Onana’s deflected attempt struck Watkins in the bar. The England striker had the goal at his mercy, but Raya made a fantastic stop to keep Arsenal in the game. His header was not accurate enough to beat Raya.
A few moments later, Martinez produced another spectacular stop, diving at Saka’s feet to deny the Arsenal winger, who had raced onto a pass from Martin Odegaard.
Just before the ball could go out of play, Saka crossed the touchline. Morgan Rogers then challenged Havertz in the area, and Trossard took advantage of the deflection to slide a calm finish past Martinez from ten yards out.
Martinez had no chance with that one, but he was at fault when Partey received a pass from Saka and beat the Argentine’s appalling attempt at a low strike in the 77th minute.
