Arsenal analysed: 5 reasons we were victorious at Villa

Bukayo Saka's goal was all we needed to secure three points against Aston Villa at Villa Park.

The number 7 bagged his second in as many games to keep our season perfect so far, but how did we overcome Unai Emery's side?

Adrian Clarke has dived into the detail to unearth five reasons why our trip to the Midlands was a successful one.

KEEPING THE DOOR SHUT 

This was yet another impressive defensive lockdown from Mikel Arteta’s well-oiled defensive machine.  

Limiting the hosts to very little in terms of goalmouth action, this was the first time Aston Villa had failed to register a shot on target at home in the Premier League since 2016.  

The only minor success the home side had was in the wide areas, especially when switching play from right to left, but down the spine of the pitch they made no headway whatsoever.  

We were compact out of possession with Declan Rice often the deepest midfielder, occasionally taking up positions alongside the centre backs.  

This 5-4-1 out-of-possession shape was used for around 20 per cent of the contest, and clearly highlights how Rice dropped in… 

Towards the end of the match, when Mikel Merino replaced Martin Odegaard as our number 10, we tweaked our off-the-ball shape to good effect.  

Trying not to sit too deep, opting to press with a little more force, we saw Merino and Havertz lead a 4-2-2-2 formation for the closing stages.

While we were comfortable dealing with Villa’s forays forward, on the rare occasion when a gap opened up, it was notable how quickly we regrouped as a side.  

Working incredibly hard, we ensured the door was never left open for Aston Villa to trouble David Raya.  

MATCH WINNING MOVEMENT  

The only goal of the game owed so much to clever, forceful off-the-ball movement by Riccardo Calafiori and Bukayo Saka.  

It was not easy to break down a well-organised mid-block from Villa, but one moment of collective excellence helped us take the lead.  

Initially, Calafiori was blocking the path for Christhian Mosquera to pass to Eberechi Eze, but the bright Italian was smart enough to realise that if he spun into a different space, the area would open up nicely.

By moving himself behind his marker, while staying on the inside, our rampaging left back allowed Mosquera to find Eze, while simultaneously offering himself to our No.10, who slipped a lovely pass to him beyond the last line.   

Please also note (below) how early Bukayo Saka makes his darting run, sensing an opportunity to score… 

Calafiori then produced a perfect low cross on the slide for Saka, who cleverly changed the angle of his run to cut across Ian Maatsen’s path.  

This allowed Saka to get to the ball first, netting his second goal of the campaign.  

It was great play which was indebted to the brightness of those two players’ movement.  

WONDERFUL WORK RATE  

We ran an incredible 123.2km at Villa Park, the longest distance recorded by any side across the first 20 games of the new campaign.  

Incessant in our running, on and off the ball, it superseded an impressive distance covered of 119.8km against Coventry City on the opening night.  

ARSENAL v Aston Villa 

123.2km 

FULHAM v Chelsea 

121.2km 

CHELSEA v Fulham 

120.1km 

ARSENAL v Coventry City 

119.8km 

In the context of this match in isolation, we certainly proved that we had superior athleticism.  

As outlined in the table below, we significantly topped Villa’s running stats in all departments.

Individually, Kai Havertz led the way. In footballing terms, it was a difficult evening for the German striker, but his effort levels remained high throughout.  

Always moving in search of the ball, and determined to press with ferocity, Havertz could not have worked any harder.  

His 12.3km shift, coupled with 25 sprints (the third most by any player in a game so far) saw the front man run with more intensity than any other striker has managed this term.  

MAGNIFICENT RICE

Our central midfield unit purred all game long, dominating their opposite numbers at Villa Park.  

All three starters, Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Martin Odegaard, helped us take a firm grip of a game which was largely played out between both penalty boxes.  

Rice delivered a wonderful individual display, especially in the second half when his determination leapt off the page.  

This block & tackle combination (below), occurring within four seconds of each other in the second half, showcased how vital the England international is when we are defending a lead.  

Sprinting eight yards to throw himself in front of a Ross Barkley shot, Rice tumbled to the ground before instantly picking himself up to win a key tackle against Emi Buendia… 

That was one of several defensive highlights. Before leaving the field late on, Rice’s numbers read;   

• Passes: 77 
• Passes in Final Third: 20 
• Pass Accuracy: 92.2% 
• Tackles: 3 
• Interceptions: 1 
• Ball Recoveries: 7 
• Chances Created: 2 

SUPER SUBS

Mikel Merino and debutant Bruno Guimaraes both played outstandingly well after being introduced in the 71st minute.  

World Cup winner Merino held onto the ball wonderfully well under pressure, completing all 14 of his passes and all three of his dribbles. Winning six of eight duels too, the Spaniard was very strong.  

Those qualities calmed us down, took us further up the pitch and eased some pressure. Below is a map of Merino's passes, defensive work and dribbles during his crucial cameo.

On his Premier League debut for the Gunners, Guimaraes also sparkled, thanks to some fine defensive work and a willingness to show attacking ambition. 

Looking very nimble and classy, the Brazil international was first to several 50-50s, and this slide rule pass to release Havertz for a 1v1 was top class.  

In and out of possession, Guimaraes has built a reputation for being one of the most effective all-round central midfielders in the game.  

And this brief but confident cameo gave us reasons to feel very optimistic about his potential influence this season.  

Guimaraes and Merino improved the engine room at just the right moment at Villa Park.