Arsenal defeated Aston Villa 1-0 thanks to a Bukayo Saka goal – a fitting way to win given how the game unfolded.
The reigning Premier League champions extended their perfect start to the new campaign, winning two from two. They have continued their fine defensive form as well, keeping a clean sheet both times.
It wasn’t a pretty football game though, seeing as both sides failed to reach double digits in shot attempts. In fact, there were none for the final 24 minutes of play (including stoppage time).
But there were tactical reasons for that, especially in the first half which was particularly dull. So let’s start there.
How did Aston Villa vs Arsenal unfold?
How Aston Villa ‘iced’ the first half
Aston Villa found a way to neutralise Arsenal’s dominance and render it basically useless in the first half. Unai Emery set his team up to defend in a zonal and narrow 4-4-2 that eventually turned into a 5-3-2 when the Gunners reached the final third.
Either one of the wingers (George Hemmings on the left, John McGinn on the right) would act as a wing-back and form a line of five defenders.
Around the 20th-25th-minute mark, Emery decided to push one of them back as soon as Arsenal started their possessions. This meant that whenever the ball went wide, which was what Mikel Arteta wanted especially down the right flank (more on that later), Bukayo Saka would face more than just one defender.
As a result, Arsenal’s wide combinations on that side – that also featured Ben White, Martin Odegaard and sometimes Kai Havertz – weren’t matched one-on-one. Villa started having more men to defend those actions and conceded less danger.
Of course, it took a toll on their own attacking end. Their breakthroughs became less and less frequent, with one fewer man to join the fast attacks. For perspective, the last shot of the first half came in the 27th minute, courtesy of Ian Maatsen.
How Arsenal’s strategy paid off in the second half
As we mentioned before, Arsenal had a clear preference when trying to attack Aston Villa: the right-hand side.
As any manager would, Arteta identified Maatsen as the weakest link in the Villans’ defence. There was a real chance Saka would get good things out of that match-up.
No player on the pitch neither contested nor won more duels than the Gunners’ No.7 tonight. He won a whopping 12 of his 18 individual battles – half of which were against the Villa left-back:
| Duel type | Result |
|---|---|
| Take-on | Lost |
| Foul | Won |
| Take-on | Won |
| Foul | Won |
| Foul | Won |
| Foul | Won |
| Tackle | Won |
| Foul | Won |
| Dispossessed | Lost |
And that does not include Saka anticipating Maatsen and being the first to the ball when Riccardo Calafiori’s cross came to score the opener. Arsenal stuck to their game plan and their perseverence was rewarded with the goal and the win.
More open-play success
Lots of rival fans mocked the Gunners for relying so much on set pieces over the past few years. The opening day win over Coventry City featured three goals – all of which came from open play. Tonight at Villa Park, yet another one.
Eberechi Eze replaced Christos Tzolis at half time and balanced things a bit more for Arsenal in terms of variations in their attacks. 24% of them came through the left flank in the first half with the Greek’s poor play. But that number went up to 30% in the second half and it’s where the build-up to the goal actually happened.
And you could see it was a move straight off the training ground. Cristhian Mosquera showed patience in-possession and only passed the ball to Eze when Calafiori joined the four-man attacking line to match the five defenders Villa had lined up at the back.
This was the trigger for Mosquera to find Eze, so that the Englishman had time to receive and launch the pass without giving Matty Cash a chance of blocking it. Calafiori had momentum in his run, which game no time for Victor Lindelof to adapt and get to the ball first. Then Saka anticipated Maatsen and scored an easy tap-in.
It’s also a perfect encapsulation of the shortcomings of zonal defending. Villa sat deep and narrow, but if a pass breaks the lines through the centre, the defence is left in a tough situation.
As for Aston Villa, three straight losses across all competitions to start the new season doesn’t sound too promising. But things should get better once the new signings are up and running – especially Johan Manzambi who is still injured.
Zion Suzuki had a decent debut, looking shaky sometimes having to leave his line in set pieces or securing the ball when making a save. But his passing range, which was a huge weapon for Japan in the World Cup, was in full display tonight. Many of their direct attacks started with his long passes straight to the forwards.
Nicolas Jackson was solid in his 71 minutes, looking more loose and comfortable than we grew used to watching at Chelsea. Aaron Wan-Bissaka also delivered a steady cameo off the bench defensively.