\n
\nLONDON: Arsenal maintained their perfect start to the season and their spot at the top of the Premier League table, with Gabriel Martinelli scoring a second-half winner in a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\nMartinelli let the ball take a short bounce in the area from a Bukayo Saka cross and the Brazilian struck it high into the net to beat Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the 77th minute.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThat\u2019s the mentality that we want to show as a team and the character that we want to show to react immediately after disappointment,\u201d Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.<\/p>\n
\nThe goal canceled out a bizarre equalizer for Villa only three minutes earlier when Douglas Luiz took a corner and the ball curled in without anyone touching it to get the visitors back into the match.<\/p>\n
\nJesus opened the scoring in the first half, poaching a goal in the 30th after Martinelli flew down the left wing and passed to midfielder Granit Xhaka, whose cross deflected off a defender and toward Mart\u00ednez.<\/p>\n
\nThe former Arsenal keeper weakly palmed the ball straight into the path of Jesus, who couldn\u2019t have had an easier tap-in.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHe\u2019s a beast, he\u2019s everywhere on the pitch,\u201d Martinelli said of Jesus, his fellow Brazilian.<\/p>\n
\nThe win means Arsenal are the only team in the league with a a full 15 points from five matches. The Arsenal fans have provided an electrifying atmosphere inside the Emirates so far this season, and the players have been feeding off it.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhen you play in front of this crowd, that helps, because the energy that they generate is just amazing,\u201d Arteta said.<\/p>\n
\nVilla manager Steven Gerrard, on the other hand, is under intense pressure already, with four defeats in five matches.<\/p>\n
\nArsenal should have put this one away much earlier after dominating much of the game and creating a number of scoring opportunities. The best of the chances was an unmarked Saka\u2019s near-post miss after a pinpoint cross from Martinelli in the 23rd. Other opportunities included a curling free kick from midfielder Martin Odegaard in the second half that nearly beat Martinez, and a long-range strike from Martinelli that forced a stellar save from the goalkeeper.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIt\u2019s the most difficult thing in football to score goals, but today we had some big, big, big chances, and we didn\u2019t put them away,\u201d Arteta said.<\/p>\n
\nThe intricate play of Odegaard makes this Arsenal team tick, but Xhaka\u2019s transformation from a defensive midfielder into a marauding playmaker has also boosted the Gunners\u2019 attack. It was his presence in the box that led to Jesus\u2019 goal.<\/p>\n
\nAston Villa resorted to tactical fouls throughout the first half to break up Arsenal\u2019s play through the middle and on the wings. It started in the first 30 seconds of the match, with Lucas Digne setting the tone with a foul along the touchline on Jesus before Jacob Ramsey was booked in the 13th for a strong tackle on Martinelli.<\/p>\n
\nArteta said Odegaard received a \u201cbad kick, and he was struggling\u201d toward the end of the match before he was substituted.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe\u2019ll have to see over the next few hours how he recovers,\u201d Arteta said.<\/p>\n
\nThe visitors were in no rush to take the initiative, drawing boos from the home fans when players took their time during throw-ins and goal kicks. Their game plan was to sit back and try to hit Arsenal on the counterattack with long balls, but the threat only materialized in the 73rd when Leon Bailey\u2019s fierce shot forced Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale to make a fingertip save that led to Luiz\u2019s corner and subsequent goal.<\/p>\n
\nThere was no real Villa press for Arsenal to beat, with Ramsdale able to easily roll the ball to players in midfield at times. And it won\u2019t get easier for Gerrard, whose Villa side next faces champion Manchester City on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve conceded two poor goals because we haven\u2019t got the detail of defending right,\u201d Gerrard said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
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