Aston Villa were Arsenal’s bogey team last season and so this win will have felt extra special for Mikel Arteta.
Twice the Gunners lost to Villa last season and, given they missed out on the title to Manchester City by just two points, it is hard for them to not look back on those losses ruefully.
This win should at least heal some of those scars and ensured Arsenal maintain their perfect start to the season.
They were made to work for it, though, with David Raya making one truly stunning save to deny Ollie Watkins when the goal was gaping.
Simon Collings was at Villa Park and here are three things he learned from Arsenal’s win…
Arsenal answer Arteta’s call to be efficient
When analysing the reasons behind Arsenal’s two defeats to Aston Villa last season, Arteta pointed towards the Gunners not taking their chances.
“There are a lot of patterns there,” he said on the eve of this match. “Efficiency is one of them but I wouldn’t call that a trap, I would call that something else.”
Arsenal certainly corrected that error, here, and instead it was Villa who were guilty of wasting golden opportunities. Watkins missed one in either half, with the second drawing a stunning save from Raya.
Ultimately, Villa were made to pay for that and Arsenal showed the ruthless edge they didn’t last season.
Leandro Trossard scored with his first touch off the bench, sliding the ball into the ball bottom corner after pouncing on Bukayo Saka’s cut-back.
It took all the wind out of Villa’s sails and changed the game, with Arsenal kicking on from there to secure a 2-0 win.
Raya to the rescue
It is strange to think that a year ago, Raya had not even made his Arsenal debut and there were questions about what his role would be.
Aaron Ramsdale had performed well as Arsenal’s No1 and Arteta had boldly suggested he could rotate the pair, even during matches.
Now, though, there is no doubt Raya is the first-choice and performances like this one underlined why.
The Spaniard took time to find his feet at Arsenal, but he is now playing like one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. His save from Watkins will naturally grab the headlines, however his overall display was equally impressive.
Raya exuded calmness, especially on the ball, and he was dominant in his box. The £30million to sign him from Brentford looks like money very well spent.
Timber makes a steady return to action
This was a long time coming for Jurrien Timber.
A year ago, the Dutchman’s season was essentially ended on the opening day after he suffered a serious knee injury.
It has been a long road back from there but finally, after a year on the sidelines, Timber was back making a competitive start.
Arteta picked him at left-back, giving him the nod over Oleksandr Zinchenko, and it proved the right call. Timber dealt well with Villa winger Leon Bailey, whose pace makes him a difficult opponent, and very little came down Arsenal’s left.
It was a solid showing from Timber, who will know this is just the start and that there is great competition for the left-back spot.
Riccardo Calafiori replaced him for the final stages and he too will be hoping that a start isn’t far away.
