Mikel Arteta hails first-half performance but questions killer instinct as Arsenal edge Aston Villa
- Planet Sport writer
- 31 August 2022
Arsenal’s perfect start to the Premier League season continued as they powered to their fifth successive victory.
Gabriel Martinelli hit the winner against Aston Villa on a night of questionable goalkeeping at the Emirates Stadium.
A deserved 2-1 win meant the Gunners remained top of the table with a perfect record, with Martinelli settling the game after Douglas Luiz had levelled direct from a corner.
Ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez had earlier gifted Gabriel Jesus the opener as Steven Gerrard's side slipped to a fourth defeat, heaping the pressure on the former England captain.
For the second home game in a row, Mikel Arteta's Arsenal showed their guile to seal the three points after they had come from behind to beat Fulham four days earlier.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was happy with the resilience his team showed once again.
He told BT Sport: "I'm really happy with the result. It's so tough to win in this league.
"The first half was probably one of the best we have played. We could have scored three, four, five. We didn't kill the game and then in this league, the game is alive.
"In the second half, obviously, the game was a fight. They really stretch you, they play really directly, there are a lot of second balls, actions, fouls and it became a little bit of a transitional game where you don't finish the actions when you have spaces to attack and they're going to come at you.
"Without really allowing anything to them - one corner - we conceded a goal and then it's game on again. But the team reacted again incredibly well and I think we deserved to win the game."
