Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal

A first-half goal from Bukayo Saka condemned Aston Villa to defeat against Arsenal in the Premier League at Villa Park on Saturday.

The winger fired home from the edge of the box after 30 minutes to net the only goal of the game.

Having been below par in the first half, Villa dominated the second half and came within inches of levelling when Ollie Watkins’ deflected shot struck a post.

Villa now head into the international break, with a trip to Wolves next up on Saturday, April 2.

Steven Gerrard made three changes from the team that lost 2-1 against West Ham last weekend, bringing Ezri Konsa, Ashley Young and Emiliano Buendía into the starting XI as he looked to get the better of one of the league’s in-form sides.

The Gunners, who had won five of their last six top flight matches, saw Emile Smith Rowe shoot wide early on before Villa Park came together to pay tribute to former striker Andy Lochhead with a minute’s applause in the ninth minute after his passing on Friday.

As the applause drew to an end, former Arsenal man Emiliano Martínez made a superb reaction save to claw the ball out after Konsa had deflected a cross towards the near post.

Villa’s influence on the game grew after the visitors’ early pressure, but just as Arsenal’s threat seemed to have been nullified, Saka fired them ahead on the half-hour mark.

A free-kick was worked down the right-hand side and delivered by Cedric Soares, eventually breaking to the edge of the box where Saka fired a first-time effort through a mass of bodies and beyond the reach of Martínez.

Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka continued to control the game from the middle of the park and ensured their side took a lead into half-time.

Bernd Leno, standing in for the injured Aaron Ramsdale, had been untested in the first 45 minutes, but his goal came under pressure at the beginning of the second when Young’s dangerous cross forced Gabriel Magalhaes into evasive action at the back post.

The German goalkeeper was scrambling across his goal on the hour mark when John McGinn’s curling effort drifted just wide of the post.

With a raucous crowd behind them, Villa were ramping up the pressure, and they struck the post on 68 minutes when Kieran Tierney deflected Watkins’ shot onto the frame of the goal.

Bertrand Traore and Leon Bailey were introduced as Gerrard made a double switch to try and capitalise on the attacking momentum, and Danny Ings was sent on for the final ten minutes.

Just minutes after entering the fray, Ings got on the end of an inviting cross from McGinn and watched on as his looping header landed on top of the net.

In the closing stages, the striker miscued his shot when the ball fell to him in the box, as Villa’s hopes of taking something from the game faded despite their second half rally.