Arsenal continued their strong Premier League winning run with a 1-0 victory over hosts Aston Villa at Villa Park on Monday night. Bukayo Saka scored the decisive goal in the second half, giving Mikel Arteta’s side their third consecutive league win and further strengthening their position at the top of the table.

The first half was cautious and defensive, with neither side registering a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes. Arsenal broke through in the 60th minute when Ricardo Calafiori and Eberechi Eze combined from midfield before Eze supplied a clever pass for Saka to finish from close range.

VAR influenced key incidents during the match. A penalty awarded to Arsenal after Ian Maatsen fouled Saka was overturned because the foul occurred just outside the box. Villa’s penalty appeal after Maatsen went down inside the area was also rejected. Bruno Guimaraes made his Premier League debut for Arsenal, while Nicolas Jackson started for Villa. Emiliano Buendia struck the crossbar late on as Villa pressed for an equaliser.