Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka scored the decisive goal as his side secured a 1-0 victory over a resolute Aston Villa on Monday night.
Saka found the back of the net in the 59th minute to reward Arsenal’s dominant display.
Eberechi Eze found Calafiori with a brilliant pass, and the Italian defender sent in a low cross for Saka to finish beyond the Aston Villa goalkeeper.
The victory lifted Arsenal to six points, level with Manchester City, Hull City and Chelsea.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta described the result as a massive win for his side.
“I am really happy. This was a massive win. I think we deserved it. It was a great squad performance. I know how tough it is to win here,” he said.
The victory was Arteta’s 151st in 250 league games in charge of Arsenal.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery admitted that his side had faced a better team, adding that the club was still rebuilding following the departure of several key first-team players.
“We competed well against the team that is favourite to win the title.
“We are rebuilding but there were a lot of positive things. We did not make clear chances but we did not concede clear chances,” he said.
Aston Villa will look to get off the mark when they travel to Hull City on Saturday, while Arsenal’s watertight defence will face its first major test when they host Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea on Sunday.
