Riccardo Calafiori gives Arsenal the spark at Aston Villa

Riccardo Calafiori was Arsenal's standout at Aston Villa, and the clearest reason they left Aston Villa vs Arsenal with a 0-1 win. He finished with a team-high 7.9 rating, supplied the assist for Bukayo Saka's winner, and turned a tight night at Villa Park in Arsenal's favour.

The goal came from Calafiori's surge forward and a cutback for Saka, not from a sustained Arsenal barrage. Aston Villa had their penalty area checked early when VAR overturned an award to a free kick after Ian Maatsen's nudge on Saka was judged to be outside the box. After that, the game belonged to a side that were compact without the ball and direct when they found space.

Calafiori's left-sided influence

Calafiori did more than join the attack for the decisive move. He completed 21 passes, won 5 of 7 duels, and looked like the left-sided release valve in Arsenal's build-up. That is a decent sign for Mikel Arteta, who has leaned on defenders to add control and invention from deeper areas.

Miguel Delaney wrote in the independent.co.uk coverage: "Perhaps typically, given the Arsenal manager’s obsession with accumulating defenders, it involves a man whose day job is at the back."

He also described Calafiori as the "charismatic, compelling left-back" who provided the unpredictability Arsenal needed. That fits the match well. Arsenal did not need a classic attacking avalanche, they needed one full-back to create something from a controlled game, and Calafiori did exactly that.

Villa's threat never really arrived

Aston Villa finished without a shot on target, even though Emi Buendia clipped the bar early. Nicolas Jackson also made his debut after a £47.5m move from Chelsea, but Unai Emery's side never put sustained pressure on Arsenal's goal.

Arsenal have now opened the Premier League season with two wins, and this was the more instructive of the pair. A controlled away performance is one thing. Getting the winner from a left-back who spent much of the night helping the structure and then broke it open going forward is better.