Declan Rice simply labels Arsenal teammate 'sensational' on Instagram after win at Aston Villa

08/25/2024 10:15 AM

Heading into Arsenal’s clash with Aston Villa, the battle between Ollie Watkins, and William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes looked set to go a long way to deciding how the game at Villa Park would be decided.

Ollie Watkins had scored five goals against the Gunners previously, with his performance at the Emirates late last season playing a key role in inflicting such a damaging defeat on Mikel Arteta‘s men as they looked to win the Premier League title race.

Of course, Watkins went on to miss two massive chances on Saturday. He dragged a shot wide during the first-half, while David Raya produced a stunning save to deny Watkins’ header after the break.

But apart from that, it proved to be a very quiet evening for the England international – and the display from William Saliba, in particular, proved pivotal in setting the stage for Arsenal to score twice late on to secure the three points.

William Saliba lauded on Instagram after Arsenal win at Aston Villa

Villa looked dangerous at times on the counter, particularly whenever the ball went to Morgan Rogers. But Raya was not overly busy, with the Frenchman proving to be dominant once again.

Saliba took to Instagram after the win, and it is fair to say that the reactions from Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard seemed to hit the nail right on the head…

The amazing statistics from Frenchman’s display

Unsurprisingly, Saliba led the way for passes completed, according to Whoscored, with 89 of his 90 passes finding another Arsenal player. Gabriel was second, while no-one else on either side managed more than 56 passes during the game.

Meanwhile, he made five successful tackles – once again, no-one on either team made more. Saliba also managed to make four clearances.

Watkins was one of the best forwards in the Premier League last season, and on another day he could have easily scored twice against Arsenal. But Saliba’s display ensured that he was largely feeding on scraps as Arsenal made a real statement.