Arsenal came out impressive 3-1 winners against Aston Villa which has been a tough fixture in the past after failing to beat the Premier League side in the previous three attempts.
The Gunners controlled the match from the opening whistle and were excellent in every phase of the play with the last 10 minutes of the match being the only nervy moment after Jacob Ramsey scored a consolation goal.
Arsenal started the game with a change in defence for the first time in five matches as Kieran Tierney withdrew from the squad after picking up an injury, meaning Nuno Tavares replaced him.
Last season Tierney’s absence from the side would have spelled major danger for the Gunners but due to the acquisitions of Takehiro Tomiyasu and Nuno Tavares at full back, the North London side still thrived.
Tavares joined the club in the summer or a £7m fee from Benfica with the clear role to be a useful back-up for Tierney.
He started his first Premier League game against Aston Villa and put in an excellent display which could be argued had eclipsed any of Kieran Tierney’s performances this season.
The youngster's energy was bouncing which seemed to be contagious for the other players starting as from the opening minute, the 21-year-old was bombing down the left-hand side.
He linked up exceptionally well with Emile Smith Rowe who was awarded with the man of the match after playing in the left wing position.
Tavares is certainly still a raw talent but he can play as an inverted full-back perfectly due to his preferred foot being on the right, which means he also cuts in a lot.
This created a promising link with right back Tomiyasu as they exchanged passes from one side of the of the pitch to other showing the confidence against Aston Villa.
The Japanese international is also an accomplished inverted full-back which gives Arsenal more solidarity in defence and fluidity in attack.
Tierney’s absence from the side last season would have resulted in Cedric Soares or Ainsley Maitland-Niles covering in that position which teams usually took advantage of.
This was even seen in the reverse fixture against Aston Villa at Villa park last season as Cedric was the perpetrator for goal conceded in Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat.
It was a relief to have an attacking threat down both sides from the full-backs without the presence of Tierney showing that Edu may have succeeded with shrewd transfer business by signing both Tomiyasu and Tavares.
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