Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal's title defence pressure is already on after narrow win against Aston Villa

Arsenal may only be two games into their Premier League title defence, but Arteta already feels the pressure is on to pick up points. The Gunners maintained their 100% start to the season on Monday as Bukayo Saka's second-half strike clinched a 1-0 away win over Villa. It is the seventh time in the last eight seasons that Arsenal have won their opening two matches of a Premier League campaign, and the fifth time in a row.

Arteta was candid about the emotional weight of the early season. He told Sky Sports after full-time: "We are in the second game and it's like, 'we have to win this game!' We know that last year was the same. We know the level, we know how difficult it is for every team to earn points in this league, so we have to be really proud tonight. It's a massive win. It's a tough place to come and earn the three points. I think we deserved it."

Arteta also revealed how the agony of last season's dramatic late defeat at Villa Park fueled their victory on Monday. Reflecting on the significance of the result following last season's disappointment at the same ground, Arteta admitted the previous loss had left a lasting scar on his psyche.

"That was still in the tummy," he explained. "I spoke to the players about it. That image when the players were on the floor totally gutted. It was a really difficult one to take and we used that to bring energy, to bring more conviction and belief to understand the difficulty of the challenge that we had ahead, especially against a team that was so successful last year and then they lost a few days ago in a really big way."

"You expect a reaction and this stadium is a really difficult one, one for the big matches and they make those moments count. Today when we had to suffer, we did suffer and when we had to be really dominant, we were. So I'm really pleased."

The match also featured significant milestones for several individuals, including debuts for Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa. The latter was thrust into action against his former club following an injury concern for Cristhian Mosquera, yet he looked remarkably comfortable in the heart of the Gunners' backline. Arteta expressed his satisfaction with how his defensive reinforcements handled the pressure, specifically praising the composure shown by the England international in a high-stakes environment away from home.

"Ezri makes a debut in really difficult circumstances; it’s not easy emotionally to come here and play. But he looks so composed, so calm, so in control. For all those reasons, I think that's the reason why we won the game. On Mosquera, he’s fine, but he was feeling like he was about to have something, and that’s why we have the bench that we have, and that’s why we had to bring Ezri in. We knew that if we had an injury on the backline with Jurrien out, we'd be in big trouble - so we had to do Ezri," Arteta said.

Perhaps the most impressive statistic from the encounter was Arsenal’s ability to limit Unai Emery’s side to zero shots on target. In a stadium known for its hostile atmosphere and high-scoring affairs, the Gunners’ back four remained disciplined throughout the 90 minutes.

Arteta was glowing in his appraisal of the defensive performance, stating: "In the Premier League away from home, when you come to these quality squads, these quality coaches and they know how to make life really tough for you, you have to be at it. Consistently throughout the game, and individually, we did that really well."