Aston Villa FC 0 - 1 Arsenal FC — Highlights & Result
Premier League
·
(1 month ago)
· MD 2
Highlights
▶
Recent meetings had swung unpredictably between these two sides, including an Arsenal victory here back in August 2024 and an Aston Villa triumph at home in December 2025. This latest encounter on 31 August 2026 ultimately added to the visitors' ledger. Bukayo Saka broke the deadlock in the 59th minute, turning in an assist from Riccardo Calafiori to decide the contest. The goal preserved a longer sequence for the visitors, who extended their scoring run across all competitions to ten consecutive matches.
The low-scoring outcome shifted both teams significantly within the Premier League table on matchday 2. Arsenal arrived having finished 1st in the competition last season with 85 points, while Aston Villa placed 4th with 65 points. Following the final whistle, the victors moved up from 9th to 2nd place. Conversely, the hosts slipped further down the standings, dropping from 18th to 19th position. Statistical indicators reflected the tight nature of the fixture, with Arsenal registering 61% possession alongside an expected goals tally of 1.04, compared to Aston Villa's 39% possession and 0.33 expected goals.
Individual contributions stood out in the narrow triumph, with the visitors' goalscorer and provider earning identical top marks of 7.9 out of 10. For the home side, Ross Barkley received a 7.3 rating and Matty Cash collected a 7.
Aston Villa must now turn their attention to an away fixture at Hull City on 5 September, leaving them sitting 6 points behind the league leaders.
The low-scoring outcome shifted both teams significantly within the Premier League table on matchday 2. Arsenal arrived having finished 1st in the competition last season with 85 points, while Aston Villa placed 4th with 65 points. Following the final whistle, the victors moved up from 9th to 2nd place. Conversely, the hosts slipped further down the standings, dropping from 18th to 19th position. Statistical indicators reflected the tight nature of the fixture, with Arsenal registering 61% possession alongside an expected goals tally of 1.04, compared to Aston Villa's 39% possession and 0.33 expected goals.
Individual contributions stood out in the narrow triumph, with the visitors' goalscorer and provider earning identical top marks of 7.9 out of 10. For the home side, Ross Barkley received a 7.3 rating and Matty Cash collected a 7.
Aston Villa must now turn their attention to an away fixture at Hull City on 5 September, leaving them sitting 6 points behind the league leaders.
Summary based on match data. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Match stats
Aston Villa v Arsenal
39%
Possession
61%
0.33
Expected goals (xG)
1.04
7
Shots
7
0
Shots on target
2
3
Shots inside the box
5
2
Corners
4
339
Passes
530
81%
Pass accuracy
88%
1
Saves
0
17
Fouls
6
0
Offsides
8
3
Yellow cards
1
Lineups & player ratings
7.9
Top rated
Riccardo Calafiori · Arsenal
90'
· 1 assist
Key moments
- 29' 🟨 Christos Tzolis · Arsenal
- 55' ⚽ · Arsenal
- 59' ⚽ B. Saka · assist R. Calafiori · Arsenal
- 80' 🟨 Alysson · Aston Villa
- 81' 🟨 John McGinn · Aston Villa
- 90+6' 🟨 Ian Maatsen · Aston Villa
Aston Villa
4-2-3-1- 1 Zion Suzuki 90' 6.3
- 3 Victor Lindelöf 90' 6.9
- 14 Pau Torres 90' 6.3
- 22 Ian Maatsen 🟨 90' 5.6
- 8 Boubacar Kamara 90' 6.9
- 7 John McGinn (c) 🟨 90' 6.0
- 10 Emiliano Buendía 90' 6.3
- 2 Matty Cash 78' 7.0
- 6 Ross Barkley 78' 7.3
- 53 George Hemmings 71' 6.3
- 11 Nicolas Jackson 71' 7.0
- 47 Alysson · sub 🟨 19' 6.7
- 18 Tammy Abraham · sub 19' 6.3
- 29 Aaron Wan-Bissaka · sub 12' 6.9
- 17 Alejandro Garnacho · sub 12' 6.3
Arsenal
4-2-3-1- 1 David Raya 90' 6.9
- 4 Ben White 90' 7.2
- 6 Gabriel Magalhães 90' 7.3
- 33 Riccardo Calafiori 🅰️ 90' 7.9
- 7 Bukayo Saka ⚽ 90' 7.9
- 29 Kai Havertz 90' 6.2
- 41 Declan Rice 85' 7.2
- 3 Cristhian Mosquera 79' 6.9
- 49 Myles Lewis-Skelly 71' 7.2
- 8 Martin Ødegaard (c) 71' 6.9
- 17 Christos Tzolis 🟨 45' 6.2
- 10 Eberechi Eze · sub 45' 6.3
- 39 Bruno Guimarães · sub 19' 6.3
- 23 Mikel Merino · sub 19' 7.2
- 36 Martín Zubimendi · sub 15' 6.6
- 15 Ezri Konsa · sub 11' 6.6
Ratings out of 10. Data: API-Football. How ratings work
Match facts
Aston Villa
18th
in the table · 0 pts from 1
· GD -4
Arsenal
9th
in the table · 3 pts from 1
· GD +3
Form going into the match
Aston Villa