A lot can happen in a space of a year and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are the very definition of such a statement. The Gunners were once again impressive at home against Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa, walking away 2-1 victors.
Questions of Arsenal’s depth were asked early on due to injuries to key players such as Thomas Partey, Aleksandra Zinchenko, and Mohamed El Nenny. With the midfield looking thin, flashes of last season’s meltdown must have crossed most Arsenal supporters’ minds. This, however, is a more mature Arsenal it seems. They totally dominated Aston Villa from the first minute and to only take a single goal lead into halftime was flattering to the visitors.
The second half started at pretty much the same tone although Villa did try to be more inventive by seeking to isolate their big men one on one with the Arsenal center backs. Aston Villa did eventually get their equaliser, albeit in a freakish fashion and just as quick and unexpectedly as their glimmer of hope had shone, Arsenal quickly restored their lead within 150 seconds after falling behind.
That’s 5 wins in 5 for Arteta’s men, next up is a trip to Old Trafford.
The clash between Liverpool and Newcastle definitely lived up to it’s billing. After having secured their first victory of the season in emphatic fashion against Bournemouth over the weekend, Liverpool welcomed a Newcastle on the rise, bouyed by their record signing Alexander Isak.
It didn’t take long for the new man to announce himself to English football with a finish that brought back flashes of a certain Thierry Henry. Newcastle did what was expected of them by maintaining a mid to low defensive block, allowing Liverpool to have most of the ball while waiting to break on a counter. After Liverpool’s second half equaliser, a point a piece seemed a fair result for both sides, but Liverpool were awarded a 97th minute corner kick, which they converted to break Newcastle hearts.
What was more heartbreaking for the Toons was the fact that the fourth official had indicated 5 minutes of optional time. That won’t bother Klopp much as they collect their second win of the season and look forward to a trip to Everton for the Merseyside derby.
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