Saka's Strike Seals Arsenal's 1-0 Win at Aston Villa

BIRMINGHAM, England — Bukayo Saka's 59th-minute goal gave Arsenal a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Aston Villa on Monday, extending their flawless start to the Premier League season. The win kept the reigning champions joint top of the table with six points from two games, one of four teams with a perfect record.

Saka, who also scored in Arsenal's season-opening 3-0 win over Coventry, bundled home from close range after neat interplay between Eberechi Eze and Riccardo Calafiori. The goal was the decisive moment in a match where clear-cut chances were few and neither side managed to dominate.

Mikel Arteta, marking his 250th league game in charge, selected the same starting line-up that beat Coventry, and his side have now taken maximum points from their opening two matches without conceding a goal.

The only concern for Arteta was a potential injury to Declan Rice, who limped off in the closing stages.

Villa's Rebuild Continues

Aston Villa suffered a second consecutive defeat, having lost 4-0 at Brighton in their opener. More than half of the players who started Villa's Europa League win in May have since left the club, as the club sold Konsa, Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Martinez, Lucas Digne and Youri Tielemans — a summer sale motivated in part by the need to comply with Premier League financial rules.

Two of Villa's new signings started against Arsenal: Nicolas Jackson, who arrived from Chelsea as Watkins's replacement, and Zion Suzuki, who replaced Martinez in goal. Suzuki made history by becoming the first Japanese goalkeeper to play in the Premier League.

Host Villa began brightly, with Emiliano Buendia cracking a long-range effort against the bar, but Arsenal came into the game as the half wore on. The visitors thought they had a penalty when Ian Maatsen felled Saka, but the award was downgraded to a free kick after a video review.

England centre-back Ezri Konsa came off the bench in the closing stages for his Arsenal debut against his former club, following his £51 million (RM279 million) move on August 21.

Looking Ahead

Arsenal host Chelsea on Sunday, with Chelsea also having won their first two matches. Villa, meanwhile, face a daunting rebuild under Unai Emery as they look to recover from their winless start. One end of Villa Park was closed to fans due to building work.