ArsenalvsAston Villa
ARS 1/AVL 0
Things to say
Arsenal won 1-0 at Aston Villa to stay perfect on the season.
01
opener
Arsenal grinded out a 1-nil win at Villa Park. Not pretty, but they took the three points. That's three-for-three to start the year.
02
key player
Declan Rice ran that midfield, 71 accurate passes. Villa couldn't get near him all day.
03
hot take
Villa got shut out at home and honestly barely threatened. Maatsen leading the team with two shots tells you everything.
04
deep cut
Gabriel had 12 defensive interventions at the back. Arsenal walked out with the clean sheet because of him.
05
exit
Anyway, Arsenal look like the real deal early. Curious if they keep it up when the schedule gets tougher.
The recap
Arsenal went into Villa Park and walked out with a 1-0 win, and it was the kind of grind-it-out road result that separates the contenders. One goal was all they needed, and once they had it, Gabriel and the back line slammed the door for a clean sheet.
Villa huffed and puffed but never really tested Arsenal's keeper, managing just a single save's worth of danger all night. That's two wins from two for Arsenal, while Villa are still searching for their first result of the season.