Mikel Arteta's 1-0 win over Aston Villa marked his 250th Premier League game in charge of Arsenal, making him just the second person after Mark Hughes to have both played and managed at least 250 top-flight matches. It also placed him among a select group of 10 managers to have overseen 250 Premier League games at a single club, alongside figures such as Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola, underlining his growing standing among the competition's most successful bosses.

The victory, sealed by a second-half Bukayo Saka goal, saw Arsenal concede no shots on target, continuing the defensive record that helped them win the title last season for the first time in 22 years. Arteta now boasts the fourth-best win percentage of any manager to reach 250 Premier League games, behind only Guardiola, Ferguson and Jurgen Klopp, and Arsenal have won their opening two league matches for a fifth consecutive season. The club have also invested heavily in the squad, spending around £200m this summer on players including Bruno Guimaraes, Christos Tzolis and Ezri Konsa, following an £250m outlay last summer.