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Arsenal of England youngster, Bukayo Saka has spoken in glowing terms about his side’s chances of getting into next season’s UEFA Champions League, after he notched a single goal that kept their hope alive.
Megasportsarena.com reports that Saka was Arsenal’s hero on Saturday afternoon, as his 30th minute goal was all the London-based side needed to get victory away to Aston Villa.
Saka’s first half effort helped The Gunners tighten their grip on fourth spot, as the youngster’s first-half strike was enough to secure a 1-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday.
While Calvin Chukwuemeka and Timothy Iroegbunam were benched by Villa, Arthur Okonkwo also watched on for all 90 minutes for Arsenal, as Mikel Arteta’s side dominated possession and chances for the first period of the game and got their reward in the 30th minute.
A short free-kick out on the right was played into the box and, when it fell to man of the match Saka on the edge, he beat Emiliano Martinez with a shot that came through a crowd of defenders.
Villa, who remain ninth in the Premier League on 36 points from 29 games, belatedly rallied as Ollie Watkins’ deflected effort struck the outside of the post after 68 minutes.
Arsenal withstood late pressure to move onto 54 points – four clear of Manchester United in fifth place with a game still in hand over their Champions League rivals heading into the international break.
It is nearly seven years since Arsenal last won five on the bounce on the road – in May 2015 when they would go on to finish third – and Arteta called on his team to maintain a high level of performance after their four-game winning streak was ended against Liverpool.
The Gunners were without Aaron Ramsdale with Arteta confirming the goalkeeper’s hip injury will rule him out for “a few weeks” meaning he is set to miss out on England’s forthcoming friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast.
Saka said afterwards: “We created a few chances before and after, but that goal put us in the driving seat.
“I wasn’t complaining, but I wanted to let him know that is my game. I’m going to run at players.
“Sometimes I need a bit more protection when the opposition is trying to kick me.”
“We are better at it. We have been working on it and improving, you can see that.
“The Champions League is the goal, but we’ve got to stay humble. It’s very, very, very satisfying. I thought we created a lot.
“We started very well. The early goal helped us get into the game, but we need to start finishing games to prevent things from getting too nervy.
“My ankle is a bit bloody, but I’ll be going again in the next game. It’s part of my game, so I’ll be doing it again next time.
“We defended really well. Credit to the goalkeeper and defence, who were so solid again.
“The way we defended and saw out the game, we’ve done that quite a few times this season.
“It’s making a real difference. We have to treat each game like a cup final. [The top four] is definitely possible.”
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