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How did match-winner Saka do at Villa Park?
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Published
Bukayo Saka’s winner gave Arsenal a narrow victory at Aston Villa.
Here’s how BBC Sport rated the players, and how you rated them.
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What do BBC Sport’s player ratings mean?
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Published21 August
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Aston Villa starting XI
Zion Suzuki: A debut for the £30m goalkeeper from Parma who had no chance with the opening goal. He misjudged his first corner but his distribution caught the eye and will be useful this season. 7
Matty Cash: His usual solid display and got the better of Christos Tzolis, who was replaced at the break. 6
Pau Torres: Helped keep Arsenal at bay until they broke the deadlock in the second half. 6
Victor Lindelof: The Sweden international diligently tried to keep Arsenal in check. Has not let Villa down since arriving on a free transfer. 6
Ian Maatsen: With new signing Matteo Ruggeri on the bench, he has competition and had his hands full with Bukayo Saka, and was beaten to the ball for the goal. 6
Boubacar Kamara: The midfielder is so crucial to how Villa play and he offered an important shield to frustrate the Gunners until Saka’s opener. 7
Ross Barkley: The former Everton youngster has been given a second chance at Villa as they rebuild and tried to keep the hosts flowing. 6
John McGinn: The skipper drilled over and was his usual energetic self as Villa tried to unsettle Arsenal and did not drop his energy levels. 6
Emi Buendia: The Argentina international hit the bar early and was a good creative outlet for the hosts but could not find the killer touch. 6
George Hemmings: Villa rate the 19-year-old highly and he showed no fear against the champions. He threatened in the first half, especially with one low cross. 7
Nicolas Jackson: The £65m record signing will take time as he replaces Ollie Watkins but showed flashes of what he can bring. 6
Subs:
Tammy Abraham (on 71, Jackson): Included despite Ipswich trying to take him on loan, but could not find a leveller. 6
Alysson (on 71, Hemmings): The winger looked lively in his second-half cameo. 6
Alejandro Garnacho (on 78, Barkley): 5
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (on 78, Cash): 5
Subs not used: Bizot, Bogarde, Lynch, Mings, Ruggeri
Arsenal starting XI
David Raya: A reliable display from Raya. A good range of passing. 6
Ben White: He didn’t produce his usual overlapping runs as much but helped the Arsenal back four keep a clean sheet. 6
Cristhian Mosquera: The 22-year-old produced a solid performance next to the more experienced Gabriel. Had to come off with an injury in the second half. 6
Gabriel Magalhaes: A chance early on from an Arsenal corner which he headed over. The Brazilian led the Arsenal back four as they picked up three points. 7
Riccardo Calafiori: Picked up his usual adventurous positions when Arsenal were going forward and provided the assist for Saka’s goal. 8
Declan Rice: Assured in the middle of the pitch and covered a lot of ground. Some important interceptions and threatening set-pieces too. 6
Myles Lewis-Skelly: Continued his excellent start-of-season form. Comfortable when under pressure and played with a lot of responsibility. 7
Martin Odegaard: A couple of nice passes in the first half but not enough impact going forward. Went close with a free kick in the second half. 6
Bukayo Saka: The winger scored the vital goal for Arsenal. The Gunners were not at their best going forward but most of the good moments involved Saka. 8
Christos Tzolis: A disappointing night for the winger who worked hard but lacked quality when going forward. Taken off at half time. 4
Kai Havertz: It was a quieter night for Havertz but the forward still provided a focal point and held the ball up. 6
Subs
Eberechi Eze (on 46, Tzolis): Introduced at half time and played a big part in Saka’s goal. 7
Merino (on 71, Odegaard): Added bite into the Arsenal midfield. 6
Bruno Guimaraes (on 71, Lewis-Skelly): Came on for his Premier League debut. 6
Ezri Konsa (on 78, Mosquera): Made his first appearance for his new club. 6
Martin Zubimendi (on 85, Rice): Came on for Rice as Arsenal looked to see out the game. 5
Subs not used: Kepa, Hincapie, Gyokeres, Madueke.
How did you rate the players?
Player of the match
Average Rating: 6.27
Average Rating: 5.74
Average Rating: 5.66
Average Rating: 5.61
Average Rating: 5.60
Average Rating: 5.58
Average Rating: 5.57
Average Rating: 5.54
Average Rating: 5.51
Average Rating: 5.48
Average Rating: 5.40
Average Rating: 5.39
Average Rating: 5.12
Average Rating: 4.84
Average Rating: 4.54
Average Rating: 7.39
Average Rating: 7.32
Average Rating: 7.03
Average Rating: 6.91
Average Rating: 6.86
Average Rating: 6.68
Average Rating: 6.65
Average Rating: 6.63
Average Rating: 6.54
Average Rating: 6.53
Average Rating: 6.47
Average Rating: 6.39
Average Rating: 6.27
Average Rating: 6.27
Average Rating: 6.03
Average Rating: 5.72
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
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Published8 June
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