'He scares defenders to death' – Danny Murphy hails Arsenal duo after Villa win

Former England midfielder Danny Murphy reserved special praise for Bukayo Saka and Albert Sambi Lokonga after Arsenal’s Premier League victory over Aston Villa.

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The Gunners made it five wins from five as they clinched a narrow 2-1 win over Steven Gerrard’s Villa on Wednesday night.

The impressive Gabriel Jesus put Arsenal in front and Gabriel Martinelli restored the home side’s lead after Douglas Luiz equalised after half-time.

Arsenal’s win sees them stay top of the Premier League and take a maximum 15 points from their opening five games of the season.

Murphy was impressed by Arsenal’s latest victory and told BBC’s Match of the Day: ‘I need to mention Lokonga first because he was terrific tonight.

‘He came in for his first start and with no [Thomas] Partey or [Mohamed] Elneny it looked as though it could be a problem. But he was terrific and deserves a mention.

‘Saka was so sharp, there was a tweak in his game, we know he’s direct and loves going past people. But tonight he was much more narrower and nearer to the goal.

‘He was looking to get into areas to affect the game and score goals. He missed a couple of chances actually but he was in the right place. I think Mikel Arteta has been working with him.

‘He just kept impacting the game. He was the key player in Arsenal’s moves because he scares defenders to death.

‘Arsenal needed someone to produce a moment of magic and he did that. Most of Arsenal’s best work came through him. He looked back to his best, it was a terrific performance.’

Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Arteta insisted there was plenty of room for improvement despite his side’s 100% start to the 2022-23 campaign.

‘I was very pleased especially in the first half. We were really dominant and at it and created chance after chance,’ he said.

‘The regret is that we didn’t score four or five. In this league you never get two halves exactly the same and I think we responded really well in key moments to show character and resilience to win the game.

‘The atmosphere is incredibly helpful for the team. We are winning games and deserving to but there are still a lot of things we can do better.’

Premier League leaders Arsenal return to action on Sunday with a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.

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