On 31 August 2026, Arsenal secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park in the 2nd round of the Premier League. The only goal of the match was scored in the 59th minute by Bukayo Saka, who tapped in from close range after Riccardo Calafiori's cross was set up by substitute Eberechi Eze. The game started with a scare for Arsenal when Emiliano Buendía struck the crossbar in the 12th minute. In the second half, on 54 minutes, Ian Maatsen fouled Saka inside the box, and referee Jarred Gillett initially awarded a penalty, but after a VAR review the decision was overturned as the foul was deemed to have occurred outside the area. Martin Ødegaard curled the resulting free-kick just wide, but moments later Saka broke the deadlock. Arsenal finished the match with two shots on target to Villa's zero and 60.8% possession. Mikel Arteta took charge of his 250th game for the Gunners. With six points, Arsenal climbed to 2nd place, while Aston Villa remain 19th with zero points. Can Arteta's men maintain their perfect start against Chelsea next week?
