Ian Wright thinks one thing ‘should have’ happened in dramatic Arsenal win over Aston Villa

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Arsenal emerged victorious from their first Premier League away test of the season, beating Aston Villa 2-0 at Villa Park.

It was an equally contested fixture in the Midlands, with the first half providing very little for both sides.

Mikel Arteta was on the hunt for three overdue points against Unai Emery, which he achieved thanks to Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey. 

The pair scored in the second half to confirm that all three points returned to North London however, it was far from a rosy win for the Gunners.

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Ian Wright says Arsenal should have conceded against Aston Villa

Trossard entered the game in the 65th minute and netted Arsenal’s opener with his first touch within two minutes of his arrival. 

The Belgian’s instinctual finishing ability was what Arteta’s side were lacking throughout the game, with his introduction somehow coming when the game was goalless.

Speaking after the game, Arsenal legend Ian Wright admitted that while Trossard was the ‘big difference’, his former club were lucky not to concede against Villa, via Premier League. 

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“We expected Arsenal to dominate possession. Arsenal didn’t have too many problems even though they should have conceded. Trossard was the big difference for me.”

Wright’s assessment is not wrong, with David Raya producing a spectacular save to maintain his clean sheet record.

Arsenal dominated the game with 61% of possession however, fell short to the Villans on expected goals, recording 1.13xG to the host’s 1.35xG, via Sofascore. 

Arteta’s side had to dig incredibly deep to win the game against Emery’s Champions League-level squad, making the three points even more of a celebration.

Arsenal’s win against Villa shows growth under Mikel Arteta

In many instances in the past, Arsenal would have dropped points to Villa as a result of the circumstances during Saturday evening’s fixture.

Instead, moments of goalkeeping brilliance and clinical attacking won the game for the visitors, who claimed their second win of the campaign. 

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Villa Park isn’t an easy place to visit, as Arsenal are aware of having lost 1-0 to the Midlands club last season in Birmingham.

It’s still critically early in the campaign however, the win pinpointed what could be a turning point for the Gunners, with the ability to not concede a stellar point to take from the game.