The smile on Declan Rice’s face a few minutes from time, on Monday (yesterday) said it all. The Arsenal midfielder had just shut down Ian Maatsen as the Aston Villa full-back zoomed into the box.
Arsenal were hardly imperious, Bukayo Saka scoring the only goal, but Unai Emery’s side struggled to hurt the champions, David Raya untroubled.
The records will show Villa have lost their first two league matches of a season without scoring for the first time since 2002 but, despite successive defeats, this time there was no capitulation.
For Villa, this was a marked improvement on defeat at Brighton in their opener. After 31 minutes in their last game, they trailed 4-0 and after 40 were down to 10 men. But they could take plenty of encouragement from a promising first-half performance, the debutants Zion Suzuki and Nicolas Jackson impressing, having taken the Nos 1 and 11 vacated by Emiliano Martínez and Ollie Watkins respectively.
Suzuki’s eye for a pass was particularly noticeable, pinging 50-yard balls to the 19-year-old George Hemmings and John McGinn, the pair operating on opposite flanks.
Suzuki and Jackson were the only changes to Villa’s starting XI but they appeared far more cohesive, Ross Barkley partnering Boubacar Kamara at the base of midfield.
Emi Buendía smacked the crossbar after Kamara overawed Christos Tzolis – Martin Ødegaard subsequently asked questions of the referee, Jarred Gillett – but Jackson otherwise created Villa’s best opening. The Senegal forward, who worked under Emery at Villarreal, pinched possession from Gabriel Magalhães a few yards into the Villa half and galloped into the other before sending in a near-perfect cross from the right.
Hemmings burst into the six-yard box but was unable to convert. How Villa welcomed having an orthodox striker on the pitch after Watkins’s omission at Brighton.
This was an advert for a new-look Villa, on and off the pitch. A handful of staff in hard hats were positioned in the closed North Stand moonlighting as ball boys; the corner of rubble between the remaining skeleton and the Trinity Road Stand is akin to an excavation site.
Ibrahim Mbaye, whose £47m move from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is to be announced on Tuesday (today), was in the directors’ box.
Six of Villa’s starting XI from their Europa League triumph may have departed but Emery has made no complaints and has relayed his no-excuses mantra to his squad. “We do not look backwards,” Villa’s manager said in the buildup.
“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” crowed Villa’s supporters as Arsenal players huddled before kick-off close to the visiting support.
Ezri Konsa was on the bench on his return to Villa Park and received a warm welcome as he headed for the away dugout.
Suzuki grew into the game, his first action of note failing to claim the ball at a corner, allowing Gabriel to send a header off target.
Up the other end Kai Havertz sent a shot wide after a neat pass from Ødegaard at the end of an intricate move, though the Arsenal forward was offside. Matty Cash largely muted Tzolis, such an influence in Arsenal’s previous matches.
Tzolis got little change out of Cash and was booked for bringing him down after the Villa full-back snatched the ball. Cash celebrated winning the free-kick by revving up the home crowd, the stadium’s capacity down to 37,000.
Eberechi Eze Creates Arsenal’s Goal
Cash had to focus on marking a different opponent in the second half and Tzolis’s replacement, Eberechi Eze, was involved in Arsenal seizing the lead approaching the hour.
Arsenal slowed things down and then came alive, punishing Villa for switching off.
Cristhian Mosquera pushed a pass to Eze, who Cash afforded space, Villa’s defender concerned about an unmarked Riccardo Calafiori.
Eze promptly spied Calafiori’s underlapping run and the Italian steered the ball across the six-yard box, where Saka beat Maatsen to the punch and scrambled the cross into the net.
Prior Danger Signs To Villa
Five minutes earlier Villa survived a scare. Maatsen clipped Saka’s heels as the winger raced on to Declan Rice’s through ball and Gillett initially awarded a penalty.
But a VAR review showed the foul was outside the area and soon the Arsenal players in lemon yellow gathered by the spot moseyed towards the edge of Villa’s 18-yard box. Ødegaard sent the free-kick into the side netting.
Mikel Merino and Bruno Guimarães arrived from the bench as Villa pushed for an equaliser.
Up the other end Suzuki made a mess of a routine save from Havertz but almost instantly made amends, diverting Havertz’s shot wide after the forward, subsequently flagged offside, was released on goal.
Yamal, Raphinha Doubles Maintain Barca Perfect LaLiga Start
Barcelona made it three wins from three in LaLiga with a 5-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano at the Spotify Camp Nou, Monday night, despite falling behind early to Sergio Camello.
Rayo striker Camello scored twice, but Barcelona responded through braces from Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, while Florian Lejeune also turned Anthony Gordon’s cross into his own net.
Difference-Maker Gordon
Gordon was again heavily involved on the left and later set up Raphinha’s second as Hansi Flick’s side extended their winning start to the season.
Barcelona dominated the ball from the start but were caught on the counter in the 12th minute. Rayo Vallecano winger Álvaro García broke down the left and pulled the ball back for Sergio Camello, who beat Joan García at the near post.
The lead lasted only seven minutes. Barcelona forward Raphinha received the ball from Xavi Espart, shifted past Pathé Ciss on the edge of the area and finished beyond Dani Cárdenas to make it 1-1.
Yamal Scores
Barcelona were ahead two minutes later. After appeals for a handball were ignored, Marc Bernal kept the attack alive and found Lamine Yamal on the right.
The winger cut inside before curling a left-footed shot into the top corner for his first league goal of the season.
The hosts thought they had added a third before half-time when Jules Koundé converted after Cárdenas had saved Anthony Gordon’s effort, but VAR ruled the Barcelona defender offside.
Barca Make It 3
The third eventually arrived six minutes after the restart. Gordon was released down the left and attempted to pull the ball back for Raphinha, only for Rayo defender Florian Lejeune to divert it into his own net.
Rayo Reduce The Deficit 3-2
Rayo refused to go away. Unai López delivered a corner in the 59th minute and Camello rose above the Barcelona defence to head into the bottom corner, completing his brace and reducing the deficit to 3-2.
Gordon Facilitates Another
Barcelona restored their two-goal advantage in the 71st minute. Gordon collected the ball on the left and cleverly flicked it into the path of the overlapping Raphinha, who drove into the box and finished past Cárdenas for his second of the night.
Yamal Makes It 5
Yamal completed the scoring in the 90th minute. Substitute Karim Adeyemi pulled the ball back from the left and the 19-year-old curled a composed finish into the bottom corner to seal a 5-2 win.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Barcelona’s Yamal and Raphinha dance in celebration of one of their goals.
