Aston Villa vs Arsenal LIVE
Bukayo Saka scored the vital winner as Arsenal ground out a narrow 1-0 defeat of Aston Villa despite producing a markedly unconvincing performance. The champions were a shadow of the side which picked apart Coventry last time out despite Mikel Arteta making no changes to his lineup, and they went frustrated for long stretches before Saka finally tapped home in the second half.
The performance from Arsenal was reminiscent of so many of those that saw them through to the title last season, in that they dug in and got the job done with few frills. It was the substitutes who really decided it, with Eberechi Eze’s impetus and Bruno Guimaraes’ enforcing presence in midfield having a grand effect in a match where their team-mates struggled to fight through a stubborn defence.
Villa, meanwhile, were much improved as Nicolas Jackson and Zion Suzuki made debuts, and were unlucky not to score one of their several chances. Catch up with the action from Villa Park as it happened below with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog, complete with expert insight and analysis from Matt Verri.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal latest news
- GOAL! Saka breaks deadlock at long last
Arsenal player ratings vs Aston Villa
22:13 , Arthur Ferridge
Which Gunners impressed at Villa Park? Who struggled? Which substitute cameos were most decisive?
Standard Sport had Matt Verri on hand to rate the Arsenal squad. CLICK HERE to see his scores!
MATCH REPORT: Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
22:12 , Arthur Ferridge
Bukayo Saka’s second-half strike gave Arsenal an edgy 1-0 victory at Aston Villa.
The England international converted from close range just before the hour as the defending Premier League champions made it two wins from two in the new campaign.
This was far from a vintage display, but the Gunners ground out the win in familiar fashion.
Click here to read the full report!
FULL-TIME: Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:58 , Arthur Ferridge
That does it! Arsenal see the result over the line.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:57 , Arthur Ferridge
90+9mins: Gabriel has clattered McGinn, now, but Gillet awards no foul. Unsavoury ending to this match as the referee fields a number of complaints.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:56 , Arthur Ferridge
90+7mins: Another Maatsen-related penalty shout as the full-back appears to misjudge a tackle on Guimaraes in the box, but VAR has checked and cleared. Again.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:53 , Arthur Ferridge
90+6mins: Maatsen goes into the book for a clumsy tackle on Saka.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:53 , Arthur Ferridge
90+5mins: A real sense of urgency about Villa now. Three minutes or so to play, and they know all it’ll take is one moment to nick a point here.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:51 , Arthur Ferridge
90+3mins: Guimaraes does well to dispossess Buendia and win a goal kick in doing so. He celebrates the moment animatedly.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:48 , Arthur Ferridge
There will be EIGHT MINUTES of stoppage time!
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:47 , Arthur Ferridge
89mins: Into the dying seconds. Can Arsenal cling on to their lead?
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:43 , Arthur Ferridge
86mins: Rice is replaced by Zubimendi and appears to be limping as he leaves the pitch. Let’s hope that’s nothing serious...
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:42 , Arthur Ferridge
85mins: Another incisive pass from Guimaraes has Saka in behind, but he can’t pick out Havertz in the middle.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:41 , Arthur Ferridge
84mins: Rice barges Maatsen off the ball in the box and, once again, the home support want a penalty. Not much in it.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:39 , Arthur Ferridge
81mins: Raya claims Buendia’s corner without much issue. He sends Merino away on the counter, but McGinn hacks him down cynically and takes a deserved booking.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:38 , Arthur Ferridge
80mins: Garnacho wins a corner with his first involvement of the evening. Alysson is subsequently booked for catching Gabriel late.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:37 , Arthur Ferridge
80mins: Eze goes through on goal, but Torres is there to foil his plans as he squares for Havertz.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:36 , Arthur Ferridge
78mins: Changes incoming for both sides. It will be Garnacho and Wan-Bissaka for Villa, replacing Barkley and Cash.
Mosquera is down in a spot of bother for Arsenal, though, and will hobble off to be replaced by the debutant Konsa, who gets a generally warm reception from the fans of his former club.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:34 , Arthur Ferridge
75mins: HOW HAS HAVERTZ NOT SCORED?! Suzuki redeems himself! Guimaraes plays Havertz through with a sublime through ball, the German is in acres of space. He is one-on-one with Suzuki, but rather telegraphs his shot and Suzuki does well to save. A frustrating endnote on this uninspiring Havertz performance, though, as Arsenal continue to defend this most narrow of leads into the final quarter of an hour.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:32 , Arthur Ferridge
74mins: Havertz puts his laces through a shot from the corner of the box. Suzuki spills it, continuing his nervous debut, but does enough to keep it out.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:29 , Arthur Ferridge
71mins: Tammy Abraham replaces Nicolas Jackson for Aston Villa.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:28 , Arthur Ferridge
71mins: Merino and Guimaraes replace Lewis-Skelly and Odegaard.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:26 , Arthur Ferridge
68mins: Maatsen is down in the box now, but his appeal - enthusiastically supported by the home fans - is immediately waved off. VAR check and clear.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:25 , Arthur Ferridge
67mins: Havertz remonstrates with Jarred Gillet after going down in the box under pressure from Kamara, but his appeals are waved away.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:25 , Arthur Ferridge
67mins: Bruno Guimaraes and Mikel Merino are both getting ready to come on.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:23 , Arthur Ferridge
66mins: Hemmings breaks and has Arsenal backpedalling, but the quality of his pass to Jackson is not becoming of the chance. Rice intercepts with ease.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:22 , Arthur Ferridge
65mins: Villa fans will be wondering how they aren’t in front. They break into the box and a bit of penalty-area pinball results in a couple of shots, but no goal. McGinn, Jackson, and Cash among those to attempt.
Matt Verri reports
21:19 , Arthur Ferridge
There is that pass that Arsenal needed. Mosquera fires it into Eze's path and that leads to the goal. Another assist for Calafiori and Saka bundles it in. Far from a convincing performance so far from the Gunners but they can control things now with the pressure eased a bit.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
21:18 , Arthur Ferridge
Very nice move from Arsenal. Eze plays Calafiori in behind, and he is at full stretch to square for Saka. The winger slides in and gets just enough on it to tip the ball over the line and open the scoring. Arsenal 1, Aston Villa nil.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal | Saka '59
21:17 , Arthur Ferridge
Arsenal lead through Saka!
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
21:15 , Arthur Ferridge
57mins: Odegaard shoots into the side netting. Not far away, mind. A deep sigh of relief for Suzuki, who was left rooted. Hasn’t been a brilliant debut from the Japan international.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
21:14 , Arthur Ferridge
56mins: This is still a super opportunity for Arsenal. It is a tricky free-kick, arguably too close to shoot. Can you get it up and down in time? The Gunners have plenty of adept takers talking it over...
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
21:13 , Arthur Ferridge
56mins: Bad luck for Arsenal, the penalty is indeed revised. Arsenal will have a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area instead.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
21:13 , Arthur Ferridge
VAR is checking. The contact appears to have taken place outside the box...
PENALTY! Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
21:12 , Arthur Ferridge
54mins: Penalty for Arsenal! Maatsen looks to have caught Saka in the box and both men go down. After taking a moment to consider, Jarred Gillet points to the spot.
Matt Verri reports
21:10 , Arthur Ferridge
Arsenal are really struggling to play the ball into their forward players. Villa rock solid in their shape. This is the kind of game where Arsenal miss Saliba's passing through the lines. Could be a match for Guimaraes to come on and get things moving a bit more progressively in possession, though there is the obvious uncertainty of how fit he is.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
21:08 , Arthur Ferridge
50mins: Rice clips a superb cross in search of Havertz, who does leap higher than Lindelof, but the Swede does just enough to put him off and allow Suzuki to make the save.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
21:07 , Arthur Ferridge
49mins: Nice work from Jackson to cut in and leave Mosquera in his dust as he sets Villa on the attack. He fizzes the ball out wide to McGinn, whose cross is lacking quality.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
21:06 , Arthur Ferridge
48mins: Hemmings gets the better of Saka as the Arsenal man attempts to dribble into the Aston Villa box.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
21:05 , Arthur Ferridge
47mins: Maatsen earns another shooting chance, latching onto a smart pass from Barkley, but he shoots from too tight an angle and misses the mark.
2ND HALF: Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
21:03 , Arthur Ferridge
We are back underway, and Eze has indeed replaced Tzolis. Let’s see if he can help the Gunners find the breakthrough.
Back underway shortly...
21:01 , Arthur Ferridge
And it looks like Eberechi Eze will be coming on!
And one more from the under-construction North Stand
21:00 , Arthur Ferridge
First half pictures
20:59 , Arthur Ferridge
HALF-TIME: Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:47 , Arthur Ferridge
Nothing to separate the sides at the break.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:46 , Arthur Ferridge
There will be one added minute.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:45 , Arthur Ferridge
43mins: Havertz looks to run onto a pass in behind, but has strayed offside.
Not long left in the first-half, now. Will either side find a breakthrough?
Matt Verri reports
20:42 , Arthur Ferridge
Seven touches for Havertz, nine for Jackson. Not exactly a vintage showing from the two strikers in the opening 40 minutes or so. Game has passed them both by.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:41 , Arthur Ferridge
41mins: Calafiori goes down under pressure from Torres as he looks to get on the end of an Odegaard cross. There are appeals for a penalty, but the referee is unmoved and VAR promptly back him up.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:40 , Arthur Ferridge
39mins: Another spot of conflict between Cash and Tzolis, with the Villa man the offender this time around. He catches the Greek late with a full-blooded tackle.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:36 , Arthur Ferridge
36mins: Villa break away on a pacey counter-attack which has Arsenal’s defenders backtracking, but Buendia’s through ball for Jackson is too easily cut out.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:32 , Arthur Ferridge
32mins: Odegaard whips his cross to the back stick and Havertz does well to nod it back into a dangerous area, but no yellow shirt can get on the end of it.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:32 , Arthur Ferridge
Rice and Odegaard are standing over it - will they shoot or pass?
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:31 , Arthur Ferridge
31mins: Lewis-Skelly wins a free-kick about 30 yards out. This is a big opportunity for Arsenal...
Matt Verri reports
20:31 , Arthur Ferridge
No real surprise Tzolis made that foul. He's been left frustrated a couple of times already when his appeals for a foul have been waved away and now he drags back Cash after taking a heavy touch. Frustrating first half an hour for Tzolis, who up to this point has made a flying start to life at the club.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:29 , Arthur Ferridge
28mins: Rice lines up a free kick from just inside the Villa half, but fails to beat the first man. Tzolis then fouls Cash as he looks to prevent the counter. He has had his name taken.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:27 , Arthur Ferridge
27mins: A lovely attacking move from Villa ends in disappointment as Maatsen shoots wide.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:26 , Arthur Ferridge
25mins: Rice loses his marker and turns a tidy header goalwards from this Arsenal corner, but Suzuki is equal to it.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:21 , Arthur Ferridge
20mins: But the latest Villa attack is cut short as a high boot from McGinn meets the nose of a ducking Calafiori. Unfortunate incident, but the Italian seems O.K. to soldier on. No obvious damage, cosmetic or otherwise.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:20 , Arthur Ferridge
20mins: This match has been so open. Calafiori and White being as advanced as they are is allowing Villa plenty of space to run in behind, which has seen this become something of a basketball match in the early stages.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:18 , Arthur Ferridge
17mins: Cash slides in to put Tzolis’ cross away from danger, before hopping back to his feet to berate a team-mate. Aston Villa have also been far from perfect thus far, though they have succeeded in denying this latest corner.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:17 , Arthur Ferridge
16mins: It's just a bit rough around the edges from Arsenal so far. There’s been an uncharacteristic number of misplaced passes, and such. Crucially, Villa are yet to punish them.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:15 , Arthur Ferridge
14mins: CHANCE! Havertz shoots wide from close range before the offside flag goes up to spare his blushes.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:14 , Arthur Ferridge
Here’s a look at that missed Gabriel header. Not an ideal start for the debutant Zion Suzuki.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:14 , Arthur Ferridge
13mins: In retort, Saka whips one over the bar from the edge of the area.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:12 , Arthur Ferridge
11mins: A thunderous hit from Buendia rattles off the crossbar! Hard to say if it would have stood had it been on target, mind, as it appears there was a foul on Tzolis in the buildup.
Matt Verri reports
20:11 , Arthur Ferridge
Big chance for Arsenal, that. Perfect delivery from Rice, as it so often is, and Gabriel had pretty much an open goal once Suzuki got caught under the ball. Anything on target and it was 1-0. Not like Gabriel to make a mess of things from those situations.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:10 , Arthur Ferridge
9mins: Again Villa cede possession in the defensive third, but Saka seems to lose his footing as he bids to capitalise on the error.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:09 , Arthur Ferridge
8mins: Lewis-Skelly takes Arsenal’s first shot of the afternoon. McGinn loses possession in a dangerous place before the Arsenal youngster sees his effort deflected behind for a corner.
Rice whips it in and Suzuki can only flap at it, but the Gunners cannot get their shot in target.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:07 , Arthur Ferridge
6mins: McGinn has a crack from range, but it bends into the under-renovation North Stand. It is collected and returned by a construction worker. All feels a bit Sunday league, this.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:06 , Arthur Ferridge
5mins: Calafiori is penalised for clattering through the back of McGinn.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:05 , Arthur Ferridge
5mins: Odegaard is loudly booed as he makes a run down the right flank. Hard to say why, but he is subsequently jeered after misplacing a pass.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:03 , Arthur Ferridge
3mins: The first chance of the day falls to Villa! McGinn spins away from Lewis-Skelly and plays Cash into space, but his cross for Buendia is blocked.
Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:01 , Arthur Ferridge
1min: Not a brilliant start for Arsenal. Odegaard looks to play forward immediately from kick-off, but Bukayo Saka miscontrols his long pass out to the flank and Villa have a throw-in.
KICK-OFF! Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
20:00 , Arthur Ferridge
After a minute of applause in memory of Jimmy Rimmer, we’re underway!
Here we go...
19:55 , Arthur Ferridge
The players are taking to the pitch at Villa Park. Kick-off up next!
Team news reminder
19:50 , Arthur Ferridge
With ten minutes to kick-off, a reminder of tonight’s starting XIs.
Aston Villa XI: Suzuki, Cash, Pau, Maatsen, Hemmings, Lindelof, Barkley, McGinn, Kamara, Buendia, Jackson
Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Tzolis
Villa Park under construction
19:45 , Arthur Ferridge
Villa Park will look a little different tonight as its North Stand is out of action.
It is presently being redeveloped with an eye to taking the stadium’s capacity over 50,000.
Arteta on whether Guimaraes and Konsa will feature off the bench tonight
19:35 , Arthur Ferridge
"We will have time to make changes throughout the game. We have players that have the right qualities and that's how we start."
A record for Arteta
19:25 , Arthur Ferridge
Tonight, Mikel Arteta will become just the second person to both play and manage 250 Premier League matches.
Mark Hughes came first.
What kit will Arsenal wear tonight?
19:15 , Arthur Ferridge
Arsenal’s new yellow third kit will make its competitive debut tonight!
David Raya will be pretty in purple.
Aston Villa team news
19:06 , Arthur Ferridge
An intriguing side from Unai Emery.
Nicolas Jackson and Zion Suzuki are both straight into the side for their full debuts with the club.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka is named to the bench, where Tammy Abraham has been deemed fit enough to travel with the squad.
Arsenal team news
18:57 , Arthur Ferridge
The Gunners’ XI is unchanged from that which picked Coventry apart last time out, but there is good news on the bench as Bruno Guimaraes returns to the side.
Ezri Konsa also features on the bench as he awaits his debut.
ASTON VILLA CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS
18:48 , Arthur Ferridge
Aston Villa XI: Suzuki, Cash, Pau, Maatsen, Hemmings, Lindelof, Barkley, McGinn, Kamara, Buendia, Jackson
Subs: Bizot, Mings, Ruggeri, Garnacho, Abraham, Bogarde, Wan-Bissaka, Alysson, Lynch
ARSENAL CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS
18:46 , Arthur Ferridge
Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Tzolis
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Hincapie, Konsa, Zubimendi, Guimaraes, Merino, Eze, Madueke, Gyokeres
Team news coming up
18:40 , Arthur Ferridge
We will know tonight’s lineups in five minutes!
Arsenal predicted XI
18:32 , Arthur Ferridge
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Lewis-Skelly, Rice; Saka, Odegaard, Tzolis; Havertz
Injured: Timber, Saliba
Doubt: Guimaraes
Arsenal vs Aston Villa head to head
18:28 , Arthur Ferridge
Aston Villa got the better of Arsenal here last season thanks to an injury-time winner from Emi Buendia.
The Gunners hold the edge in the head-to-head, though...
Aston Villa wins: 72
Arsenal wins: 89
Draws: 46
Transfer latest: Arsenal eye Fofana
18:20 , Arthur Ferridge
Arsenal have been linked with Lyon forward Malick Fofana.
Per BBC Sport, the player was offered to the Gunners by intermediaries today, but the club’s executives are divided over whether to bid.
The saga will be one to watch on Deadline Day...
Standard Sport prediction
18:20 , Arthur Ferridge
Unai Emery will surely give his side a hearty pre-match speech tonight, and Villa have a lot to prove after rolling over at Brighton.
They have their work cut out for them, though. Much to the chagrin of the rest of the league, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal only seems to have improved in the months since winning the title.
They picked Coventry apart on day one and we expect them to secure three more points here.
Arsenal to win, 3-1.
ICYMI: Arteta issues warning over player sales before deadline
18:11 , Arthur Ferridge
Mikel Arteta has warned Arsenal must be "very careful" over who they sell in the final days of the transfer window.
The Gunners have invested significantly over the past 12 months, spending more than £250million last summer and bringing in barely £10m in sales.
There has been a greater focus on finding the right balance during this window, though outgoings have proved difficult.
Arteta confirmed that Arsenal are still pursuing a self-sustaining model, but emphasised that did not mean making sales that were not in the club's best interest.
"That's what we are trying to get as a club but the balance has to be right," Arteta said.
Emery speaks out
18:02 , Arthur Ferridge
It has been a chastening summer for Unai Emery and Aston Villa, with a number of key players departing.
He is adamant, though, that Villa will keep their heads up and carry on in kind.
The Basque wrote in tonight’s matchday programme: “Generations of players come and go, but the badge remains. Aston Villa remains. Villa Park remains. And, above everything else, what remains is the feeling and passion of you, the supporters.”
Aston Villa early team news: Jackson to debut
17:53 , Arthur Ferridge
Nicolas Jackson is expected to play his first minutes for Villa tonight after sealing a transfer from Chelsea last week. It remains to be seen if he will start, though.
Amadou Onana and Johan Manzambi are both injured, as is Leon Bailey.
Summer signing Joao Gomez is suspended after being sent off last week.
Arsenal early team news: Can Guimaraes feature?
17:44 , Arthur Ferridge
Arsenal are expected to make a late call as to whether Bruno Guimaraes is able to feature tonight. He impressed in the Community Shield but has not featured for his new club since, and Arteta says the club is managing his load.
He joins William Saliba and Jurrien Timber on the treatment table.
Elsewhere, it remains to be seen whether Ezri Konsa will get into the side for his debut tonight.
How to watch Aston Villa vs Arsenal
17:35 , Arthur Ferridge
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event. Coverage will start at 6.30pm BST ahead of an 8pm kick-off at Villa Park.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app and website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog - that’s this one, you’re already here!
Good evening
17:25 , Arthur Ferridge
Hello, and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Aston Villa vs Arsenal in the Premier League!
These two sides both won titles last season, but have had hugely contrasting starts to the new season. Will Villa get their first points on the board here, or will it be the Gunners continuing their perfect start?
We shall see! Stick with us right here for all the latest from Villa Park, where proceedings will get underway at 8pm BST.
