Arsenal’s game at Aston Villa was only the second of the new Premier League season, but for coach Mikel Arteta it groaned under the weight of its importance.
Arsenal and Arteta are now painfully aware of the level of perfection required to make the leap from second place to champions, having lost to Manchester City in the last two seasons.
And if there is one opponent that is guaranteed to make this task even more of a challenge, it is Aston Villa, who did the most damage to the Gunners’ title ambitions with their league double last season.
The defeat at Villa Park in December came just days after Manchester City suffered a similar fate in that hostile environment.
It was the 2-0 defeat to Villa at the Emirates Stadium in mid-April that effectively ended Arsenal’s chances and handed the initiative back to Pep Guardiola’s team, with inevitable consequences.
Arsenal wanted to make their statement of intent early and at the same time prove that they had learned their lessons and made the necessary improvements – in this case, an actual win against Aston Villa.
The 2-0 victory was achieved through a mixture of determination, luck and moments of brilliance. The decisive moment of the game was the brilliant save by goalkeeper David Raya in the second half when the score was 0-0 against Ollie Watkins.
Watkins, who was unusually wasteful in front of England’s caretaker coach Lee Carsley, had already wasted a golden chance in the first half when he thought his moment of redemption had come after 54 minutes.
Watkins was perfectly positioned to score with a diving header when Amadou Onana’s shot rebounded off Gabriel’s crossbar. Raya stayed down and stopped at his right post, and the finish seemed a formality.
Instead, Raya recovered brilliantly, diving to his left and making a magnificent one-handed save. It was special not only for his execution, but for the way he regained his position and refused to give up on what seemed like a lost cause.
Raya said: “Everyone is a hero because we work together. I’m not the only one holding the ball. It was a crucial moment in the game when it was 0-0. They had chances and I was there.”
“I’m on the ground trying to get up but I can’t reach him. I just see Ollie going in so I react quickly. It’s just a repetition of things. You do drills and you have to save one ball and get up to save another. This time it paid off. It was a reaction. I don’t think it was my best save.”
Watkins should have scored, but he did not stop Raya and showed once again why Arteta mercilessly sent English goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale onto the field last season.
In moments like these, things can be decided. And that’s exactly what happened.
And in games with such close results, the vital signs are always examined for the qualities that can make a champion.
Arsenal were able to capitalise on that performance by securing a win that will taste particularly sweet after the treatment they received at the hands of Villa last season.
Arteta’s substitutions also paid off, with Leandro Trossard putting them ahead against the run of play in the 67th minute when he fired a right-footed shot past Villa keeper Emi Martinez after coming on for Gabriel Martinelli.
It is almost impossible to walk around Villa Park without hearing the World Cup-winning Argentine goalkeeper being hailed as ‘number one in the world’, but ten minutes later he flouted that lofty title with a desperately weak attempt to parry Thomas Partey’s shot, allowing Arsenal to double their lead and secure a victory of huge significance.
Forget that this is only Arsenal’s second game, the celebrations at the end between Arteta, his players and their fans showed what that meant.
Arsenal were far from their best and often lacked skill, but as the old saying goes, any team that wants the big prizes will win even when they are not at their best, and that was the case here.
The Gunners still occasionally look like they need a reliable finisher, but that argument is moot when they still have so many goals to their name. Whether Arteta addresses the issue before the transfer window closes remains to be seen.
Villa will feel that the defeat was self-inflicted and bitter, but there was plenty of encouragement for the home side’s passionate fans, whose anticipation was palpable throughout as they look forward to their Champions League campaign this season.
They had arguably the game’s standout player in Morgan Rogers. The 22-year-old showed great potential, occasionally overwhelming Arsenal with his energetic runs and also had the ability to overcome challenges with the quality of his dribbling.
But in the end it was Arsenal’s day.
The Gunners may not have been the better team. In fact, they were pushed back and struggled at times. But they wanted this win badly and they got it in a way that will have delighted Arteta because of the character and toughness they showed.
