As Arsenal make it five from five, the question is not how long they can keep this up but how long Steven Gerrard can keep his job.
Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow has invested a lot of trust and club money into his former Liverpool star’s project, and he is likely to get games after Saturday’s daunting home fixture against Manchester City, but the wonder is whether they will all be overtaken by events. Or, rather, defeats. Here, at a buoyant Arsenal stadium, it was as if Villa were almost powerless to stop Mikel Arteta’s effervescent side from claiming a 2-1 win. There was barely a challenge for Gabriel Martinelli’s winning goal. Gerrard’s approach, in stark contrast to Arsenal’s run, seems unsustainable.
