Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal: Match Report, Goals, Stats and Ratings
Premier League Matchday 2 · Monday 31 August 2026 · Villa Park, Birmingham · referee J. Gillett · full time
Full time: Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal won 1-0 away at Aston Villa in Premier League Matchday 2 on Monday 31 August 2026. The goals: Bukayo Saka 59'.
How Arsenal won it
Arsenal struck first through Bukayo Saka in the 59th minute, set up by Riccardo Calafiori.
It was 0-0 at half-time, and the second half changed the result.
The referee, J. Gillett, showed 4 yellow cards: 3 to Aston Villa and 1 to Arsenal.
Aston Villa: U. Emery Etxegoien, 4-2-3-1 · Arsenal: M. Arteta, 4-2-3-1.
Moneyball's prediction against the result
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Why it went this way
On the day the expected goals were 1.25 for Aston Villa and 0.43 for Arsenal.
Aston Villa scored about 1.2 fewer than their chances were worth: poor finishing, or a goalkeeper at his best.
Aston Villa created the better chances, 1.25 xG to 0.43, and still lost. On chances alone, the result could easily have gone the other way.
Aston Villa had 0 shots on target, Arsenal 2.
Arsenal had 61% of the ball and turned it into the win.
Where the two sides stood before this match
Aston Villa came into it with 5 Premier League matches played, scoring 0.8 and conceding 1.8 a match, with 0.93 expected goals for and 1.77 against, and had won 20% of their matches.
Arsenal came into it with 6 Premier League matches played, scoring 1.7 and conceding 0.8 a match, with 1.89 expected goals for and 0.92 against, and had won 83% of their matches.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal: the match in numbers
| Aston Villa | Match statistics | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
| 39% | Ball possession | 61% |
| 1.25 | Expected goals (xG) | 0.43 |
| 7 | Total shots | 7 |
| 0 | Shots on target | 2 |
| 0 | Big chances | 2 |
| 339 | Total passes | 530 |
| 81% | Pass accuracy | 88% |
| 2 | Corners | 4 |
| 17 | Fouls | 6 |
| 0 | Offsides | 8 |
| 20 | Tackles | 13 |
| 1 | Saves | 0 |
| 3 | Yellow cards | 1 |
Team statistics from Sportmonks.
Player ratings and man of the match
Man of the match: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), rated 7.8 by Sportmonks, with 1 goal.
Aston Villa
- Ross Barkley 7.2
- Boubacar Kamara 6.8
- Matty Cash 6.8
- Nicolas Jackson 6.7
- Emiliano Buendía 6.7
Arsenal
- Bukayo Saka 7.8 1 goal
- Riccardo Calafiori 7.3 1 assist
- Declan Rice 7.3
- Ben White 7.1
- Gabriel 7.0
The lowest-rated starter was Christos Tzolis at 6.1. Ratings run from 0 to 10; around 7.0 is a solid match.
What comes next
- Aston Villa: Aston Villa vs Brentford Saturday 10 October 2026 · Premier League
- Arsenal: Arsenal vs LOSC Lille Tuesday 13 October 2026 · Champions League
Each preview has Moneyball's estimate for the next match, published before kick-off and marked against the result afterwards, as this one is.
Questions about Aston Villa vs Arsenal
What was the score in Aston Villa vs Arsenal?
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal (half-time 0-0), Premier League, Monday 31 August 2026.
Who scored in Aston Villa vs Arsenal?
Bukayo Saka 59'.
Did Moneyball predict Aston Villa vs Arsenal correctly?
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Who was man of the match in Aston Villa vs Arsenal?
Bukayo Saka, rated 7.8 by Sportmonks.
Who refereed Aston Villa vs Arsenal?
J. Gillett.
Every match, before and after
Moneyball Odds writes a preview with its estimate before every match of Europe's top five leagues and the European cups, then marks it against the result, hits and misses alike.
Moneyball Odds is a statistical analysis site, not a bookmaker. No model predicts football reliably. For readers aged 18 and over.