By Sulaimon Jamiu
Arsenal, who seem to be formidable and having kept an unblemished start into the new Premier league campaign, has yet delivered another masterclass at the Emirates Stadium, to extend their unbeaten run.
Gabriel Martinelli popped up with the winner just 13 minutes from time, to beat Aston Villa 2-1 and extend the team’s winning start to the season to five games.
The Brazilian netted the crucial goal just three minutes after the visitors had pulled level against the run of play through a Douglas Luiz effort direct from corner, which cancelled out Gabriel Jesus’ 30th-minute strike.
However Martinelli’s third goal of the season handed the Gunners a deserved victory from a game they dominated throughout, which was the 200th since they moved to Emirates Stadium.
There wasn’t much danger when Martinelli found Granit Xhaka on the edge of the box, but his low cross clipped Ezri Konsa and spun goalwards, forcing Martinez to palm the ball into the path of Jesus who gobbled up the chance to put his side in front, on the half-hour mark.
Following the restart, chances were more of a premium despite the home team getting into plenty of promising positions; Odegaard again forced Martinez to fling himself through the air to keep the ball out with a free-kick.
But while it was still 1-0 Villa knew they only needed one moment of inspiration or luck and the fingertips of Aaron Ramsdale were required to deny Leon Bailey to complete a counter-attack, but that would lead to the visitors’ equaliser when Douglas Luiz scored directly from a corner, and survived a VAR check for holding on Ramsdale from Ollie Watkins on the goal line.
However, just as the host have done all season when facing a setback, they quickly recovered and three minutes later got back in front, through Martinelli who started and finished the move, cutting in from the left and finding Takehiro Tomiyasu, who coolly slipped in Saka’s cross towards the back post for Martinelli, whose finish just managed to deceive Martinez.
The final stages saw the Gunners hold onto the points relatively comfortably with Ramsdale untested again, as they held onto top spot in the Premier League and kept their 100 per cent record intact.
