Arsenal made it back-to-back wins to kick off their Premier League title defence on Monday night, beating Aston Villa 1-0.
A far-from-vintage first half saw the side go in level at the break, with neither goalkeeper particularly busy.
The visitors turned things up a notch in the second half, however, with their pressure telling through Bukayo Saka, who scored his second goal of the campaign, tapping into an empty net from a Riccardo Calafiori pull-back.
Showing the defensive resilience that took them to the title, Arsenal didn't allow a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes, seeing out a well earned 1-0 win.
Take a look at our Arsenal player ratings and match stats below.
Arsenal player ratings
David Raya - 6
Completely untested, didn't have a save to make.
Ben White - 5
Sloppy in possession. A performance that suggested Ben White was starting his final Arsenal game for the foreseeable future until Cristhian Mosquera's injury.
Cristhian Mosquera - 6
Not always at his best defensively, but played a crucial pass in the build-up to the goal.
Gabriel - 7
An effortlessly robust performance from Gabriel, who allowed Villa very little throughout the evening.
Riccardo Calafiori - 6
Not particularly strong at the back but shows plenty of adventure going forward and did well to provide the game's only goal.
Declan Rice - 7
A typically industrious performance from Declan Rice. Involved throughout defensively and offensively.
Myles Lewis-Skelly - 6
A tidy display from Myles Lewis-Skelly; should be an excellent squad option this season.
Bukayo Saka - 7
A quiet first half but came to life in the second with a good run to turn home Riccardo Calafiori's pull-back
Martin Odegaard - 5
A number 10 for an elite team cannot be as ineffectual as Martin Odegaard was tonight. Drifted through the game and taken off after 70 minutes.
Christos Tzolis - 4
A huge drop-off from last week's encouraging performance. Pocketed by Matty Cash and hooked at half-time.
Kai Havertz - 4
Lots of running in behind from the forward, but too often mistimed. As many offsides as touches in the Aston Villa box.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal match stats
Aston Villa | Arsenal | |
39 | Possession | 61 |
0.31 | Expected Goals | 1.05 |
7 | Shots | 7 |
0 | Shots on Target | 2 |
1 | Goalkeeper Saves | 0 |
2 | Corners | 4 |
337 | Total Passes | 527 |
81% | Pass Accuracy | 88% |
20 | Tackles | 13 |
16 | Clearances | 20 |
3 | Yellow Cards | 1 |
0 | Red Cards | 0 |
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal timeline
29' - Yellow card for Christos Tzolis
59' - GOAL for Arsenal, scored by Bukayo Saka, assisted by Riccardo Calafiori
81' - Yellow card for Alysson Edward
81' - Yellow card for John McGinn
90+6' - Yellow card for Ian Maatsen
