For this reason, Arsenal acquired David Raya. It’s often said that today’s goalies must be playmakers, yet the best goalies are those who can stop the ball from entering the net when it appears that the opposition will score.

Leandro Trossard made an incredible impression for Arsenal, scoring just moments after joining the team.

There was no goal early in the second half, and Aston Villa’s spirits were soaring. Subsequently, an attempt by Amadou Onana from the outside of the box struck Gabriel, an Arsenal defender, and rebounded back into the goal. Raya leaped backwards and hit the ball over the bar in a hurry to make things right.

Nor was that the end of him. There was no defender in sight, so Ollie Watkins appeared ready to head in the loose ball. However, Raya rushed himself forward and blocked it just as the Holte End was about to applaud.

It happened after David Raya made an incredible close-range save to deny Ollie Watkins.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Mikel Arteta’s squad took the lead thanks to a goal from replacement Leandro Trossard on his first touch. Thomas Partey won it all shortly after that. Raya’s saves were even more impressive because Emi Martinez, a Villa player who was once an Arsenal player but left the team four years ago, could have performed better with that. After making that error, the visiting fans were extremely cruel to Martinez, who now believes he is the finest player in the world.

Emi Martinez may have done a better job on a strike from Thomas Partey to secure the victory.

Nothing is certain at this time in the season, but Arsenal’s two losses against Villa cost them the title last year. Although the Gunners were fortunate at times, it seemed like a really significant victory.

“Our last two games against Aston Villa should have been simple victories, but that wasn’t the case. We filled the void that was present today, Arteta stated. “With a little bit of luck and solid play from all of our players, we won the game.”

In the first half, with the scores tied, Ollie Watkins missed a fantastic opportunity to score.

The first action of the match occurred in the fifteenth minute when Emi Martinez stopped Bukayo Saka with a fantastic low save. Due to communication issues between the VAR room and the referees, the game was delayed by five minutes, and spectators were still settling in well into the first half. Villa Park had large lineups outside due to a new ticketing system.

In the first half, Villa were delighted to give Arsenal possession of the ball, and the Gunners took a while to warm up. Following Arteta’s foul, John McGinn and the Villa captain got into a furious altercation. Watkins then squandered a fantastic opportunity to put Villa ahead.

Watkins lamented his missed chances as Villa was unable to build on their victory from the previous week.

Morgan Rogers was able to slide the ball across for Watkins after Gabriel was picked off by Leon Bailey. Somehow, Watkins missed the target and shot the ball wide twelve yards from the goal, in front of the North Stand. Villa Park let out a sound.

For a brief moment, Kosta Nedeljkovic—a stand-in for the injured Matty Cash—pushed Timber off the ball, giving Arsenal cause for concern. But the anxieties were starting to consume them. After Pau Torres mishandled a straightforward pass, Unai Emery furiously leaped down the sidelines.

Supporters applauded Raya’s save, and one even made the comparison between him and Gordon Banks.

Bailey found it difficult to attack at times, but he performed admirably when it came to blocking a cross from Kai Havertz. Then something hilarious happened: Ben White returned the ball to Scotland’s William Saliba after McGinn had hit him while he was on the ground. Michael Oliver, the referee, was excellent throughout and did a superb job of keeping the players calm without issuing any cards.

Martinelli received the ball from Declan Rice and crossed it to Havertz. But the German became entangled at the adjacent post. It was beginning to scare Arsenal’s defence line as Rogers slid low and attacked them. The youthful striker was driving for the goal when Rice stopped him, and Rice received a yellow card.

Substitute Trossard swept a first time finish into the net after the ball fell kindly into his path

Arteta was also growing agitated, furious that Onana had gotten away with pushing Thomas Partey without being jailed.

Next was Raya’s masterwork. He started by pushing Onana’s shot, which had struck the post after looping off Gabriel. Then, he somehow got back up to stop Watkins’ follow-up header. Although Raya’s speed was certainly astounding, Watkins should have scored.

Partey’s well placed low effort had enough to beat Martinez to wrap up the three points