Mikel Arteta Reacts After Bukayo Saka Helped Arsenal Beat Aston Villa
- Arsenal secured a narrow victory away at Aston Villa to keep their 100% record in the Premier League this season
- Bukayo Saka scored the decisive goal after a VAR controversy involving a penalty decision overturned by officials
- Mikel Arteta praised his squad's performance and now faces a tough London derby against Chelsea next
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Arsenal kept their winning run in the Premier League intact with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Aston Villa's ground in Birmingham, making it two wins from two games to open the season.
Bukayo Saka delivered the match-winning moment in the second half, but the build-up to the goal was not without drama. The referee had initially awarded Arsenal a penalty after Saka appeared to be brought down inside the area, only for VAR to intervene and rule that the contact occurred outside the box.
Source: Getty Images
The England international attacker recovered from the setback and eventually found the net to settle the contest in the champions’ favour.
The result places Arsenal fourth in the Premier League table, level on points with Manchester City, Hull City, and Chelsea, the only other sides to have won both of their opening matches.
Arsenal sit second behind Manchester City on the Premier League table, with the two clubs separated by goals scored, as they have the same goal difference.
Arteta reacts to Arsenal’s win
Speaking after the final whistle, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made clear how much the victory meant, given the difficulty of the fixture.
“Really happy. It's a massive win at a tough place to come and earn three points. I think we had a great squad performance as 11 wasn't enough to finish off this game,” he told NBC Sports.
Arteta also reflected on the contrast with last season's visit to Villa Park:
“I always trust in my players. The level depends on the moment. Last year we lost here in a very difficult moment.”
Arsenal will now turn their attention to a home fixture against Chelsea, a London derby that carries added weight given both clubs have begun the campaign with back-to-back victories.
The clash promises to be one of the standout matches of the early season, with neither side yet dropping a point.
Supercomputer predicts Premier League winner
Legit.ng previously reported that Opta's supercomputer predicted the Premier League winner after Arsenal secured a narrow win over Aston Villa.
The Gunners extended their advantage in the title race over other teams based on Opta’s prediction after the difficult win in Birmingham.
Source: Legit.ng
