Arteta reveals last season's Villa heartbreak fuelled Arsenal's hard-fought opening win

Bukayo Saka’s second-half strike gave Arsenal a 1-0 victory at Villa Park on Monday night, with manager Mikel Arteta revealing that the pain of last season’s late defeat at the same ground had served as a driving force for his players.

The Gunners had been stunned at Villa Park last season when Emiliano Buendia scored a last-gasp winner, and Arteta made no secret of the fact that the memory lingered. “Last year, we lost here in a really difficult way. That was still in the tummy,” he said. “I know how tough it is to win here. Every big team has struggled against them because they are so good.”

Arteta was effusive in his praise for the result, calling it “a massive win” and insisting his side deserved the three points. “We had a great performance. I always trust my players,” he added. The victory gives Arsenal two wins from two to open their title defence.

Substitute Eberechi Eze, introduced at half-time, played a decisive role in creating the winning goal, while Ezri Konsa — returning to face his former club — was composed throughout after coming off the bench. “Ebs creates the action that wins us the game. Ezri, as well, really calm with every decision he made. I’m really happy with all of them,” said Arteta.

Saka reflected on the difficulty of the fixture. “Very, very tough game. It’s not easy coming here, we knew that, and they made it hard for us so it feels great to come out with the win,” he said. “One goal is normally enough for us because we’re so solid at the back. We had two penalty shouts that didn’t go our way.”

Arteta also addressed transfer deadline day activity, admitting he had deliberately switched off from the market ahead of the match. “I disconnected for a day. My focus had to be on the game, we have the right people at the club to look after that,” he said, while acknowledging Arsenal could still make moves before the window closes.

For Aston Villa, the result extended a difficult start to the season. Unai Emery’s side failed to register a single shot on target — a feat they also managed in their opening defeat at Brighton — though the Spaniard urged calm. “To lose one match is painful, but we must try to get positive things. There are 38 matches, we have played two and have no points, but hopefully we can get better,” Emery said.