Arsenal’s top four hopes were handed a significant boost after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon.

Bukayo Saka scored the game’s opening goal just shy of the 30-minute mark will a volley from the edge of the area that unsighted Emiliano Martinez.

Instead, they failed to lay a glove on their hosts with Bernd Leno’s most notable save coming in the final few seconds.

Mirror Football has analysed five talking points from a cagey affair at Villa Park.

The Gunners saw their long-running unbeaten run come to an end on Wednesday night after they were beaten by Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool at the Emirates.

The defeat sparked fears that Arsenal’s top-four hopes could soon unravel given they have three away games out of their next four, but they have gone some way to putting those fears at ease with a win at Villa Park.

Defeat against Liverpool hardly came as a shock and while Arteta would have been desperate to spring a surprise against the Reds, he would have been fully aware the meeting with Steven Gerrard’s side presented a far more winnable game.

Defeat against Liverpool hardly came as a shock and while Arteta would have been desperate to spring a surprise against the Reds, he would have been fully aware the meeting with Steven Gerrard’s side presented a far more winnable game.