FLYING winger Tony Daley put the seal on Arsenal's fall from power with a one-man show for Aston Villa that made a mockery of the champions' pre-season illusions of security.

After two consecutive crushing defeats and just one point from their opening three games, it will take some talking from manager George Graham to restore his side to credibility.

A defence that was beaten only 18 times in 38 games last season has now already leaked seen goals and was run ragged by the 23-year-old England B winger, having his first game of the season.

Graham drafted in Andy Linighan to shore up the cracks but to no avail.

Arsenal had already been in trouble several times, notably when Paul Davis almost turned Daley's low cross into his own net, before winger stepped on the accelerator to devastating effect in the 40th minute.

He tried to squeeze through a diminishing gap between Nigel Winterbum and David O'Leary on the angle of the penalty area and referee David Allison had no hesitation in pointing to the spot when he went down under Winterburn's challenge.

Steve Staunton drove his left foot penalty beyond Seaman's outstretched left arm for his second goal since leaving Liverpool. Arsenal, to whom trailing is becoming a habit, almost levelled immediately through Anders Limpar but Nigel Spink saved superbly.

However, the little Swede won a free kick in first half injury-time that earned the impressive Shaun Teale a booking for dissent and from the kick Limpar engineered the left wing cross from which Alan Smith headed the equaliser.

That should have been the perfect boost for the champions, especially with Villa losing Staunton at half time.

But Ron Atkinson's expensively rebuilt side is coming together quickly and they ran riot in the second half. Gary Pearice scored his first goal since his £800,000 move from Watford last season to put them back in control after 53 minutes.

He accelerated onto Paul Mortimer's inch=perfect pass down the left and left O'Leary and Adams gazing at each other in bewilderment as he nipped between their inept combined challenge to tuck the ball low inside the near post.

Spink had to produce another first-class save from Smith in the 73rd minute before Daley put the result beyond doubt four minutes later with a spectacular goal.

Taking a pass from Gordon Cowans, he moved across Rocastle before unleashing a right-foot effort from 30 yards that rocketed into Seaman's bottom right-hand corner before the England keeper could move.