Arteta after Villa win: 'A squad victory in every sense'

Arsenal claimed a 1-0 victory at Aston Villa on August 31, with Bukayo Saka scoring the only goal on Mikel Arteta's 250th Premier League match as manager.

"I think it was a squad victory and everybody that was involved in the game in any capacity made a difference for us," Arteta said at the post-match press conference at Villa Park. "That's a big message for all of us because with the depth that we have and with the quality that we have, if you really make that count, that's going to be a massive boost for us."

Arteta acknowledged the emotional weight of returning to Villa Park after last season's defeat there. "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."

Debutant Ezri Nwaneri drew particular praise from the manager. "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," Arteta said.

On new signing Eze's contribution, Arteta pointed to both his attacking threat and defensive discipline. "He created three actions that he put people almost looking at the goalkeeper one-against-one," he said, adding that Eze had also corrected a defensive error from last season involving Cash's goal.

Arsenal kept Villa to zero shots on target, which Arteta attributed to consistent individual effort throughout the match.

With the transfer deadline the following day, Arteta confirmed the club was still active in the market. "We're trying to improve the squad — until tomorrow night we're going to try to do that," he said, noting he had been "disconnected from the world for 24 hours" ahead of the match.

Arsenal's defensive depth was tested during the game when Mosquera was substituted as a precaution. "He's fine, but he was feeling like he was about to have something," Arteta explained, with Jurrien also already absent through injury.