Bukayo Saka had a strong two-word message for Arsenal’s rivals after his winner at Aston Villa on Monday night as he screamed to the away fans: “We’re champions.”
Saka scored the only goal of the game in the 59th minute, as he tapped in Riccardo Calafiori’s pinpoint cross across the box, to make it two wins from two at the start of this season for Mikel Arteta’s side.
After breaking their 22-year title duck last season, Arsenal are strong favourites to retain their crown this season and Saka, having notched his second goal of the campaign, celebrated with a passionate knee-slide in front of the away section at Villa Park before his rallying cry.
“This is our club,” he shouted at the away fans after his winner. “We’re champions. Our club, our club.”
Arteta, meanwhile, insisted he spoke to his players before the game about last season’s 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa and using it as motivation for Monday’s clash.
“It was still in my tummy and I spoke to the players about it,” Arteta said. “That image when the players were on the floor, totally battered, it was a really difficult one to take.
“We used that to bring energy, to bring more conviction on the pitch, to understand the difficulty of the challenge that we had ahead, especially against a team that was so successful last year and then they lost a few days ago in a really big way [4-0 at Brighton].
“You expect that reaction. And it’s a stadium, it’s a really difficult one, big matches, and they make those moments count. And today we have to suffer, we did suffer, and we have to be really dominant, and we were, so I’m really pleased.”
Arteta added that he will “get back on” trying to sort out any late transfer arrivals and departures ahead of Tuesday’s 11pm deadline, with Julian Alvarez still linked with a move to the Emirates.
“We are trying to improve the squad, and until tomorrow night we’re going to try to do that,” Arteta said on Monday.
“I’ve been disconnected from the world for 24 hours, because I think my energy and focus has to be on the match, and I will get back on it now.”
