Aston Villa
0 shots on target
0–1
Full time
Arsenal
2 shots on target
Aston Villa
0–1
Arsenal
Premier League | Monday, 31 August 2026 | Full time
39%
Possession
61%
7
Shots
7
0
On target
2
2
Corners
4
Premier League · Matchweek 2 · Monday, 31 August 2026 at 19:00 UTC
Written before kick-off · preview
Aston Villa v Arsenal: what the records say
Written from our own records. Every number here is one we hold.
Aston Villa host Arsenal on Monday 31 August in the Premier League, matchweek 2. Aston Villa have won three of their last eight games. They have scored 14 and conceded 16 in those eight games — 1.8 goals a game, 2.0 against.
Arsenal have won six in a row. They have scored 13 and conceded 5 in those eight games — 1.6 goals a game, 0.6 against, keeping five clean sheets.
John McGinn has been Aston Villa's most productive, with two assists. Bukayo Saka has been Arsenal's most productive, with three goals.
Commentary
Minute by minute, as it happened.- 1' First half begins.
- 5' Foul committed by Riccardo Calafiori of Arsenal. Riccardo Calafiori
- 5' John McGinn from Aston Villa wins a free kick in the attacking half. John McGinn
- 7' John McGinn from Aston Villa misses an attempt with a left-footed shot from outside the box, sending it high and wide to the left. Emiliano Buendía provided the assist. John McGinn
- 8' Arsenal wins a corner after Matty Cash concedes. Matty Cash
- 8' Offside for Arsenal. Declan Rice is flagged for offside. Declan Rice
- 8' Myles Lewis-Skelly's left-footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. The attempt was assisted by Christos Tzolis. Myles Lewis-Skelly
- 8' Attempt missed. Gabriel Magalhães from Arsenal heads the ball from the center of the box, but it goes to the left after a corner. Gabriel
- 12' Emiliano Buendía from Aston Villa hits the bar with a right-footed shot from outside the box, assisted by Boubacar Kamara. Emiliano Buendía
- 13' Bukayo Saka from Arsenal misses an attempt with a left-footed shot from outside the box, sending it high and wide to the left. Declan Rice provided the assist. Declan Rice
- 13' Myles Lewis-Skelly from Arsenal wins a free kick in the attacking half. Myles Lewis-Skelly
- 13' Boubacar Kamara from Aston Villa commits a foul. Boubacar Kamara
- 14' Arsenal is called offside as Kai Havertz is caught in an offside position. Kai Havertz
- 16' Bukayo Saka from Arsenal wins a free kick on the right wing. Bukayo Saka
- 16' Foul committed by George Hemmings of Aston Villa. George Hemmings
- 17' Arsenal win a corner after Matty Cash concedes. Matty Cash
- 18' Attempt missed. Riccardo Calafiori from Arsenal heads the ball from the left side of the six-yard box but it goes too high. He was assisted by Declan Rice, who provided a cross after a corner. Declan Rice
- 19' Aston Villa win a corner after Myles Lewis-Skelly concedes. Myles Lewis-Skelly
- 20' Riccardo Calafiori of Arsenal wins a free kick in the defensive half. Riccardo Calafiori
- 20' Foul committed by John McGinn of Aston Villa. John McGinn
- 25' Arsenal win a corner after Pau Torres concedes. Pau Torres
- 25' Foul committed by Gabriel Magalhães of Arsenal. Gabriel
- 25' John McGinn from Aston Villa wins a free kick in the defensive half. John McGinn
- 27' Attempt missed. Ian Maatsen (Aston Villa) takes a right-footed shot from the left side of the box but it goes wide to the right. He was assisted by Ross Barkley. Ian Maatsen
- 28' Bukayo Saka from Arsenal wins a free kick on the right wing. Bukayo Saka
- 28' Ian Maatsen from Aston Villa commits a foul. Ian Maatsen
- 29' Foul committed by Christos Tzolis of Arsenal. Christos Tzolis
- 29' Matty Cash from Aston Villa is awarded a free kick in the defensive half. Matty Cash
- 29' Christos Tzolis from Arsenal receives a yellow card for a bad foul. Christos Tzolis
- 31' Myles Lewis-Skelly from Arsenal wins a free kick in the attacking half. Myles Lewis-Skelly
- 31' Boubacar Kamara from Aston Villa commits a foul. Boubacar Kamara
- 34' Arsenal is called offside. Bukayo Saka is the player caught offside. Bukayo Saka
- 36' Foul committed by Kai Havertz of Arsenal. Kai Havertz
- 36' Matty Cash from Aston Villa is awarded a free kick in the defensive half. Matty Cash
- 37' Ben White from Arsenal wins a free kick in the defensive half. Ben White
- 37' Foul committed by George Hemmings of Aston Villa. George Hemmings
- 38' Matty Cash from Aston Villa commits a foul. Matty Cash
- 38' Christos Tzolis from Arsenal wins a free kick on the left wing. Christos Tzolis
- 44' Arsenal is called offside as Kai Havertz is caught in an offside position. Kai Havertz
- The first half ends with Aston Villa and Arsenal tied at 0-0.
- 45+1' The fourth official has indicated there will be 1 minute of added time.
- Half time · Aston Villa 0 Arsenal 0
- 46' Substitution for Arsenal: Eberechi Eze comes on for Christos Tzolis. Eberechi Eze
- 46' The second half begins with the score at Aston Villa 0, Arsenal 0.
- 47' Attempt missed. Ian Maatsen (Aston Villa) shoots with his left foot from the left side of the box, but it's too high. He was assisted by Ross Barkley. Ian Maatsen
- 52' Foul committed by Ian Maatsen of Aston Villa. Ian Maatsen
- 52' Bukayo Saka from Arsenal wins a free kick in the defensive half. Bukayo Saka
- 54' Ian Maatsen from Aston Villa commits a foul. Ian Maatsen
- 54' Bukayo Saka from Arsenal wins a free kick in the attacking half. Bukayo Saka
- 55' VAR review concludes: No penalty for Arsenal.
- 57' Martin Ødegaard from Arsenal takes a left-footed shot from outside the box following a direct free kick, but it goes close and misses to the right. Martin Ødegaard
-
59'
⚽ Aston Villa 0–1 Arsenal
Goal! Arsenal takes the lead 1-0 against Aston Villa. Bukayo Saka scores with a right-footed shot from very close range into the bottom left corner, assisted by Riccardo Calafiori. Bukayo Saka3Saka goals this seasonCalafioriAssist - 61' Eberechi Eze from Arsenal wins a free kick on the left wing. Eberechi Eze
- 61' Foul committed by Matty Cash of Aston Villa. Matty Cash
- 63' Kai Havertz from Arsenal wins a free kick in the defensive half. Kai Havertz
- 63' Pau Torres from Aston Villa commits a foul. Pau Torres
- 64' Bukayo Saka from Arsenal wins a free kick on the right wing. Bukayo Saka
- 64' Foul committed by Ian Maatsen of Aston Villa. Ian Maatsen
- 65' Matty Cash's left-footed shot from the center of the box is blocked. John McGinn provided the assist. Matty Cash
- 68' Ross Barkley's right-footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Ross Barkley
- 70' Attempt missed. John McGinn from Aston Villa takes a left-footed shot from outside the box, but it goes too high. John McGinn
- 71' Substitution for Aston Villa: Alysson comes on for George Hemmings. Alysson
- 71' Substitution for Aston Villa: Tammy Abraham comes on for Nicolas Jackson. Tammy Abraham
- 71' Substitution for Arsenal: Mikel Merino comes on for Martin Ødegaard. Mikel Merino
- 71' Substitution for Arsenal: Bruno Guimarães comes on for Myles Lewis-Skelly. Bruno Guimarães
- 73' Arsenal is called offside as Kai Havertz is caught in an offside position. Kai Havertz
- 74' Attempt saved. Kai Havertz from Arsenal has a left-footed shot from the right side of the box, but it's saved in the center of the goal by Zion Suzuki of Aston Villa. The shot was assisted by Ben White. Ben White
- 75' Arsenal is called offside as Kai Havertz is caught in an offside position. Kai Havertz
- 75' Foul by Mikel Merino of Arsenal. Mikel Merino
- 75' Ross Barkley from Aston Villa wins a free kick in the defensive half. Ross Barkley
- 76' Arsenal is called offside as Riccardo Calafiori is caught in an offside position. Riccardo Calafiori
- 77' The match is delayed due to an injury to Cristhian Mosquera from Arsenal. Cristhian Mosquera
- 78' Delay is over, and they are set to continue.
- 78' Substitution for Aston Villa: Alejandro Garnacho comes on for Ross Barkley. Ross Barkley
- 78' Substitution for Aston Villa: Aaron Wan-Bissaka comes on for Matty Cash. Aaron Wan-Bissaka
- 79' Substitution for Arsenal: Ezri Konsa comes on for Cristhian Mosquera due to an injury. Cristhian Mosquera
- 80' Aston Villa wins a corner after Bukayo Saka concedes. Bukayo Saka
- 81' John McGinn of Aston Villa receives a yellow card for a foul. John McGinn
- 81' Mikel Merino from Arsenal wins a free kick in the defensive half. Mikel Merino
- 81' Foul committed by John McGinn of Aston Villa. John McGinn
- 81' Alysson from Aston Villa receives a yellow card for a bad foul. Alysson
- 85' Arsenal win a corner after Victor Lindelöf concedes. Victor Lindelöf
- 85' Substitution for Arsenal: Martín Zubimendi comes on for Declan Rice. Martín Zubimendi
- 90+1' The fourth official has indicated that there will be 8 minutes of added time.
- 90+3' Boubacar Kamara from Aston Villa commits a foul. Boubacar Kamara
- 90+3' Kai Havertz from Arsenal wins a free kick on the right wing. Kai Havertz
- 90+4' Mikel Merino from Arsenal wins a free kick on the right wing. Mikel Merino
- 90+4' Foul committed by John McGinn of Aston Villa. John McGinn
- 90+5' Arsenal is called offside as Kai Havertz is caught in an offside position. Kai Havertz
- 90+6' Foul committed by Ian Maatsen of Aston Villa. Ian Maatsen
- 90+6' Ian Maatsen of Aston Villa receives a yellow card for a bad foul. Ian Maatsen
- 90+6' Bukayo Saka from Arsenal wins a free kick on the right wing. Bukayo Saka
- 90+8' Foul committed by Mikel Merino of Arsenal. Mikel Merino
- 90+8' Emiliano Buendía from Aston Villa wins a free kick in the defensive half. Emiliano Buendía
- 90+9' Handball by Aaron Wan-Bissaka of Aston Villa. Aaron Wan-Bissaka
- The second half ends with Aston Villa trailing Arsenal 1-0.
- The match ends with Aston Villa losing 0-1 to Arsenal.
Goals and cards
- 29' ■ C. Tzolis Yellow Card Arsenal
- 59' ⚽ B. Saka · assist R. Calafiori Normal Goal Arsenal
Match statistics
Aston Villa on the left, Arsenal on the right.
The game
39%
Ball possession
61%
83
Total attacks
123
33
Dangerous attacks
46
Attack
7
Shots total
7
0
Shots on target
2
5
Shots off target
4
2
Shots blocked
1
3
Shots inside the box
5
4
Shots outside the box
2
1
Hit the woodwork
0
0
Big chances created
2
0
Big chances missed
1
2
Corners
4
0
Offsides
8
Build-up
339
Passes
530
273
Accurate passes
465
81%
Pass accuracy
88%
11
Crosses
16
1
Accurate crosses
3
10
Dribble attempts
20
5
Successful dribbles
8
15
Throw-ins
21
4
Goal kicks
7
Defence
1
Saves
0
20
Tackles
13
3
Interceptions
9
40
Duels won
51
17
Fouls
6
3
Yellow cards
1
0
Injuries
1
4
Substitutions
5
Player statistics
Every number on this table is the number the fantasy game scored from. Scroll for more columns.
Aston Villa
| Player | Min | G | A | Sh | SoT | xG | KP | Pass | Pass% | Touch | Drb | Tkl | Int | Duel% | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tammy Abraham sub | 19 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 100 | 1 | – | – | – | 50 | 6.51 |
| Alysson sub | 19 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7 | 86 | 11 | – | 1 | – | 50 | 6.58 |
| Alejandro Garnacho sub | 12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7 | 100 | 10 | – | – | – | NaN | 6.46 |
| Aaron Wan-Bissaka sub | 12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8 | 88 | 11 | – | 1 | – | 100 | 6.64 |
Goalkeeper
| Player | Min | Saves | In box | Conceded | Prevented | Claims | Pass | Pass% | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zion Suzuki | 90 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 27 | 62 | 6.43 |
| Victor Lindelöf | 90 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 38 | 89 | 6.50 |
| John McGinn | 90 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 21 | 71 | 6.24 |
| Boubacar Kamara | 90 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 42 | 90 | 6.83 |
| Emiliano Buendía | 90 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 33 | 68 | 6.68 |
| Pau Torres | 90 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 52 | 79 | 6.36 |
| Ian Maatsen | 90 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 15 | 88 | 6.19 |
| Matty Cash | 78 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 23 | 82 | 6.82 |
| Ross Barkley | 78 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 37 | 92 | 7.21 |
| Nicolas Jackson | 71 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 12 | 79 | 6.69 |
| George Hemmings | 71 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 16 | 63 | 6.18 |
Arsenal
| Player | Min | G | A | Sh | SoT | xG | KP | Pass | Pass% | Touch | Drb | Tkl | Int | Duel% | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben White | 90 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 36 | 66 | 59 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 7.14 |
| Gabriel | 90 | – | – | 1 | – | 0.10 | – | 74 | 92 | 89 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 60 | 7.04 |
| Bukayo Saka | 90 | 1 | – | 2 | 1 | 0.87 | – | 47 | 83 | 77 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 67 | 7.80 |
| Kai Havertz | 90 | – | – | 1 | 1 | 0.03 | – | 15 | 73 | 26 | – | – | – | 40 | 6.55 |
| Riccardo Calafiori | 90 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 0.12 | 1 | 21 | 90 | 38 | – | 1 | 1 | 71 | 7.33 |
| Declan Rice | 85 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 77 | 92 | 88 | – | 2 | 1 | 75 | 7.32 |
| Cristhian Mosquera | 79 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 55 | 95 | 61 | – | – | 1 | NaN | 6.62 |
| Martin Ødegaard | 71 | – | – | 1 | – | 0.07 | – | 44 | 93 | 55 | – | 1 | – | 40 | 6.71 |
| Myles Lewis-Skelly | 71 | – | – | 1 | – | 0.05 | – | 50 | 94 | 57 | – | – | 1 | 100 | 6.91 |
| Christos Tzolis | 46 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 10 | 90 | 24 | – | – | – | 14 | 6.14 |
| Eberechi Eze sub | 44 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 20 | 80 | 29 | 1 | – | – | 40 | 6.48 |
| Mikel Merino sub | 19 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 14 | 100 | 19 | 3 | – | – | 75 | 6.93 |
| Bruno Guimarães sub | 19 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15 | 88 | 22 | – | – | – | NaN | 6.41 |
| Ezri Konsa sub | 11 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | 100 | 11 | – | – | – | 50 | 6.52 |
| Martín Zubimendi sub | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9 | 89 | 14 | – | 1 | – | 67 | 6.65 |
Goalkeeper
| Player | Min | Saves | In box | Conceded | Prevented | Claims | Pass | Pass% | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Raya | 90 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 33 | 71 | 6.77 |
Player cards
Bukayo Saka had the best game by the SAM rating. These are his numbers.
Bukayo Saka
Passing
Premier League | Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal | 31 August 2026
39 successful
8 unsuccessful
2
final third passes
47
passes
83%
accuracy
Form
Results each side took into this game, most recent on the right.
Aston Villa
LDWWL
| Played | 8 |
| Won · drawn · lost | 3–2–3 |
| Goals for · against | 14–16 |
Arsenal
WWWWW
| Played | 8 |
| Won · drawn · lost | 6–0–2 |
| Goals for · against | 13–5 |
Who to watch
Goals and assists this season, across every competition we cover.
Aston Villa
|
John McGinn
2 assists
|
2 |
|
Johan Manzambi
1 goal · 1 assist
|
2 |
|
Boubacar Kamara
1 assist
|
1 |
Arsenal
|
Bukayo Saka
3 goals
|
3 |
|
Declan Rice
2 assists
|
2 |
|
Martin Ødegaard
2 goals
|
2 |