Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal: Bukayo Saka earns win for the Gunners as they begin title defence with back-to-back victories

Bukayo Saka's goal just before the hour mark was enough for champions Arsenal to maintain their perfect start with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park. <p>This fixture was one of the few matches that the Gunners lost in winning the Premier League title last season but Saka's close-range effort decided what was a tight game despite an improved showing from Unai Emery's much-changed Aston Villa line-up.</p><p>Villa were four down after 31 minutes in that astonishing capitulation at Brighton on the opening weekend but they showed far more resilience against the Gunners from the outset. Emiliano Buendia crashed the ball against David Raya's crossbar on 12 minutes.</p><widget id="6"></widget><ul><li><strong><a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/aston-villa-vs-arsenal/559454">As it happened</a> | <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/aston-villa-vs-arsenal/teams/559454">Teams</a> | <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/aston-villa-vs-arsenal/stats/559454">Stats</a> | <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/live-blog/12040/13568761/watch-premier-league-goals-and-highlights-free-online-for-every-match-in-2026-27-season">Watch FREE PL highlights</a></strong></li><li><strong>Latest news and rumours: <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/live-blog/41780/13025491/aston-villa-transfer-news-rumours-and-gossip-live-updates-and-latest-on-deals-signings-loans-and-contracts">Aston Villa</a> | <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/live-blog/11095/13025486/arsenal-transfer-news-rumours-and-gossip-live-updates-and-latest-on-deals-signings-loans-and-contracts">Arsenal</a></strong></li><li><strong>Got Sky? <a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/WatchPremarticles" target="_blank">Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone</a>📱</strong></li><li><strong>Not got Sky?