Mikel Arteta has joined an exclusive group of Premier League managers by reaching 250 top-flight games in charge of a single club — and the statistics place him firmly among the competition's finest.

Monday's 1-0 victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park was Arteta's 250th Premier League match at the helm of Arsenal, making him the 10th manager ever to reach that milestone with one club. He is also only the fourth in terms of win percentage among that group, sitting behind Pep Guardiola, Sir Alex Ferguson, and Jurgen Klopp.

A defence built to dominate

Arsenal's 1-0 win was as composed as it was decisive. Bukayo Saka's second-half finish settled the contest, while the Gunners did not concede a single shot on target — a feat that has become almost routine under Arteta's watch.

Across their first two Premier League fixtures this season, Arsenal have faced only three shots on target. Last season, during their title-winning campaign — their first league championship in 22 years — they shut out opponents completely in six matches, equalling the record for any side since the 2003-04 season.

Goalkeeper David Raya has claimed the Golden Glove for most clean sheets in each of the past three seasons. Defenders William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have both been named in the PFA Team of the Year for three consecutive campaigns. Since the start of March, Arsenal have kept eight Premier League clean sheets — three more than any other side in England, and only Juventus, with nine, have bettered that figure across Europe's big-five leagues.