“It made me wince as a right-back” - Gary Neville salutes Arsenal star for his role in Thomas Partey’s goal against Aston Villa
Pundit Gary Neville has only words of praise for Arsenal winger Leandro Trossard for his role in Thomas Partey's goal against Aston Villa in the Premier League. It was a long time coming, but the Gunners were able to secure a 2-0 win away from home at Villa Park on August 24.
The hosts had two massive chances to open the scoring through Ollie Watkins, as goalkeeper David Raya was in tiptop form on the day. Watkins went on to rue his missed chances as the Gunners found their feet in the second half and began firing clinically.
A key factor in Arsenal's attack was Leandro Trossard, who came on in the 65th minute, to replace Gabriel Martinelli on the left flank. The Belgian forward was immediately a bright spark. With his first touch of the ball, he opened the scoring for the Gunners in the 67th minute.
Only 10 minutes later, he was instrumental in cementing their lead as he partook in the buildup play that led to Thomas Partey's goal. Gary Neville, who was a commentator for Sky Sports, couldn't hide how impressed he was as he praised Trossard, saying (via TBR Football):
“There is real celebration going on in this far corner, but this is absolutely beautiful. It made me wince as a right-back, the spin, the timing of Trossard is wonderful. It really is. He drives it across goal.”
Leandro Trossard will certainly be pleased with the impact he made from the bench, as will Gunners manager Mikel Arteta.
Mikel Arteta pleased with Arsenal's 2-0 win over Aston Villa
Mikel Arteta has every reason to be pleased about leaving Villa Park with a clean sheet and all three points. It was a concerning first half for Arsenal, who nearly conceded from Ollie Watkins' low chance just wide of the post.
However, they rallied well in the second half, despite another close call from Watkins, eventually securing the win to the delight of their fans. Mikel Arteta told BBC Radio 5 Live afterwards:
"The two previous performances [against Aston Villa], on paper, you have to win comfortably. But we didn't, so there was something missing. Today, we did it - with a bit of luck and individual performances, we managed to win the game."
Arsenal held onto most of the possession (61%), but it was their clinical approach in the final third that gave them the win. They had nine shots with four on target, compared to Villa's 11 shots with only three on target. The Gunners also kept the ball well, making 457 passes (91% accuracy) compared to Villa's 265 passes (83%).