Arsenal failed to bounce back from their mid-week defeat as an early Ollie Watkins strike handed Aston Villa a 1-0 win over the Gunners in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The Gunners came into the match looking to bounce back from their mid-week 2-1 loss against Wolves, while Villa were also aiming to get back to winning ways after a loss against West Ham in their last outing.

The hosts got off to the perfect start as Ollie Watkins fired in the opener with just two minutes on the clock, as Villa punished some sloppy defending from Arsenal.

All smiles for @AVFCOfficial after a perfect start! 😃#AVLARS pic.twitter.com/TvEqLZQFrI

— Premier League (@premierleague) February 6, 2021

Dean Smith’s team looked to build on their positive start but despite creating a couple of opportunities they couldn’t add to the scoreline before the break.

Arsenal came out with good intention in the second half and put the Villa goal under pressure for large portions of the second stanza. Mikel Arteta’s men, though, couldn’t find the all-important equaliser and have now lost two on the spin.

Defeat at Villa Park.#AVLARS

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 6, 2021