Much has been made of Arsenal’s title ambitions heading into the new 2024/25 Premier League campaign – touted by many to be the year where Manchester City’s dominance is halted, and the Gunners take their first Premier League trophy since 2004.
The team that ultimately cost Mikel Arteta’s side the league last year was Aston Villa, beating Arsenal home and away, with the latter during a crucial point in the run-in.
However, Arteta’s Arsenal once again confronted a demon of the past, securing victory over former manager Unai Emery’s Villa for only the second time.
Second-half goals from substitute Leandro Trossard and midfielder Thomas Partey gave the away side all three points on a testing evening in the Midlands.
Ollie Watkins had multiple opportunities to change the outcome of the game but, crucially for the Gunners, had a rare off day.
Reflecting on the win, here are four key takeaways from the encounter.
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Leandro Trossard is the ultimate substitute
So many times, in the past, when Arsenal have needed a goal, or even a moment of inspiration in a game, Arteta has looked to Trossard on the bench.
The Belgian rarely disappoints, possessing the unnatural consistency of the game’s elite, using his pinpoint finishing skills to regularly turn the tide of the battle.
From his first goal against Brentford back in 2023, to today’s opener at Villa Park, Trossard has undoubtedly proved to be Arteta’s best value acquisition.
However, the forward’s versatility and acceptance to start on the bench has perhaps eased Arteta’s conscience on occasion, with the boss seeming to opt for Gabriel Martinelli at the start of the new campaign.
Last year, Martinelli struggled with injury and overall form, allowing Trossard a run in the side.
The Belgian quickly became one of the leading lights of Arsenal’s late-season title battle, alongside Kai Havertz, with goals against Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea as the campaign reached its climax.
Arteta has often rewarded performance in the Arsenal team, but Trossard still hasn’t done enough in the manager's eyes to warrant a place in the starting 11.
After his cool finish into Emi Martinez’s bottom left corner, Trossard remained calm whilst his teammates burst into wild celebration, perhaps sending a message to the boss regarding his team selection.
No matter what, an on-form Leandro Trossard is a very good thing for the Gunners, despite the potential headache for Mikel Arteta.
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David Raya deserves his flowers
Almost 12 months ago, Arteta shocked the Premier League by dropping the PFA’s 2022/23 goalkeeper of the year, Aaron Ramsdale, in favour of new boy David Raya.
Many fans were outraged, even more so after the Spaniard had a somewhat shaky start, regularly misplacing passes and looking average in regard to shot-stopping.
Supporters and critics alike demanded to know why Arteta had dropped his previous number one in favour of Raya, with the pressure of playing for a top club seemingly getting the better of him.
However, Raya grew into his role as the season progressed and ended with the golden glove, and a place in the PFA 2023/24 team of the year.
Today, any doubters were silenced once and for all, as Raya put in a man-of-the-match performance, single-handedly keeping the Gunners in the contest at one point.
In the 54th minute of play, pouncing on a rebounded shot was Watkins, who headed towards an open net to surely fire his team ahead.
William Saliba and Gabriel stood back, sighing, almost in acceptance of another lost game at Villa Park.
However, Raya wasn’t going to stand for a repeat of last season, clawing the ball away with an almighty leap, keeping the scores level.
This allowed Trossard to dually fire the Gunners ahead, with the rest of the game in Arsenal’s firm control.
In a more implicit manner throughout the game was the Spaniard’s comfortability on the ball, always an option for the defence to fall back on.
Great feet, coupled with cat-like reflexes, is a brilliant combination for the modern-day goalkeeper, and that’s just what David Raya is proving to be.
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The Gunners rode their luck
Despite the feeling of a well-earned, well-fought victory, well warranted by Arteta’s men, it wasn’t without slices of fate falling Arsenal’s way on this Saturday evening.
Firstly, Ollie Watkins will be lying in bed sleeping uneasily tonight after performing well below par, firing wide with a sitter in the first half, before missing from point-blank range with the aforementioned Raya save.
On another day, the England forward converts both these chances and Arsenal go home ruing another defeat at the hands of their discarded former master, Unai Emery.
Morgan Rogers put in another crushing performance as he continues to announce himself as one of the Premier League’s shining talents, skipping past Declan Rice and Partey on multiple occasions to kickstart a Villa attack.
However, his shots and crosses didn’t fall the right way for Villa, in a game where fine margins made the difference.
Speaking of fine margins, Bukayo Saka barely kept the ball in play before pulling it back for Trossard’s opener, on another day this may have gone out and the chance goes begging.
Last year, the games against Villa optimized bad luck, with the Gunners missing multiple glaring chances home and away, going home empty-handed at the end of both.
With a new season full of hope, prospect and opportunity, things falling the right way for Arsenal is nothing Arteta or the fans will be complaining about.
Relying on luck throughout a 38-game campaign won’t prove fruitful, but in moments, it can make the difference come May.
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Arteta gets the better of Emery
Mikel Arteta has earned many plaudits ever since taking hold of Unai Emery’s fractured Arsenal side back in late 2019, transforming a mismanaged group into title contenders.
In what was a rough period in Emery’s career, the Spaniard’s stock was low in England, having now failed with two of Europe’s elite clubs.
Trusting in his managerial experience and skill, Emery returned to his homeland of Spain and took control of Villareal, which is where he first exacted revenge on the Gunners.
Knocking an inconsistent Arsenal team out of the Europa League en route to victory in 2021 will have tasted sweet, but back-to-back victories over Arteta last year, coupled with an excellent fourth position in the league, had some doubting whether Arsenal made the right decision relieving Emery of his duties five years prior.
No matter how Arteta approached the game, who he selected or what chances fell his team’s way, Emery’s Villa team always seemed to come out on top.
Redemption was the theme at Villa Park today, however, and finally Arteta scored an emphatic triumph over his fellow countryman.
Arsenal beat Villa 4-2 back in early 2023, but that was down to an extraordinary Jorginho-assisted Martinez own-goal, in a game that really would’ve ended 2-2 on another day.
The Gunners finally seemed to restrict the persistent Villa attack, with Arteta outthinking Emery throughout the fixture too.
The additions of Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori turned the tide of the battle in the Gunners' favour, leaving Emery without an answer.
Returning to London with three points, and a win over Unai Emery, Mikel Arteta will surely have a wry smile has he plays back this evening’s events in days to come.
