45+2 min: Mings puts the ball out for a corner under pressure from Martinelli, when kicking it out for a throw-in looked the more sensible and easier option. Odegaard’s inswinger is cleared at the near post and that’s it for the first half.

45+1 min: We’re into time added on in the first half and Arsenal are worth their slender lead, having severely restricted Aston Villa’s attacking opportunities. David Raya has had to make one save for the hosts, who have otherwise dominated, albeit without creating too much in the way of scoring opportunities.

44 min: Morgan Rogers and Leandro Trossard have a contretemps which results in the Villa midfielder getting a ticking-off from referee Chris Kavanagh. I think Rogers shaped to butt the Arsenal winger but didn’t actually make any contact with him.

41 min: That Merino shot was one you’d expect the likes of Bukayo Saka, Mo Salah or Andros Townsend to score in their sleep, but the Spanish midfielder didn’t demonstrate quite the same finesse as the aforementioned trio.

40 min: Merino curls a decent shooting opportunity wide after receiving a neat pass from Partey following good work down the right from Leandro Trossard.

38 min: A Partey pass is prodded into the path of Trossard by Maatsen but the Arsenal forward balloons the ball over the bar before sinking his face into his hands.

37 min: Aston Villa substitution: Amadou Onana is forced off with what looks like a hamstring injury and is replaced by Lamare Bogarde.

GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Aston Villa (Martinelli 35)

32 min: A terrible throw-in from Thomas Partey allows Ollie Watkins to try and lob the bouncing ball over David Raya from distance. His effort goes over the bar.

31 min: Myles Lewis-Skelly wins the ball from Morgan Rogers and Arsenal work it through to Havertz. He’s flagged for offside but only after failing to hit the target.

30 min: Mikel Arteta is booked for ranting at the fourth official over a throw-in he felt should have been awarded to Arsenal but wasn’t. Pick your battles, Mikel.

29 min: We approach the half-hour mark of an encounter that has been absorbing but not massively entertaining. Following Liverpool’s win over Brentford earlier, a Villa goal would really put the cat amongst the pigeons for us neutrals.

27 min: Kai Havertz sends a low, skidding effort from a few yards outside the Villa penalty area well wide of the right post.

26 min: A Martinelli cross from the byline fails to trouble Emi Martinez, who leaps unchallenged to pluck the ball from the air near his far post.

25 min: Mikel Merino goes to ground hurt after coming out second best from a coming-together with Matty Cash. He’ll live and is quickly back on his feet after a short breather.

24 min: Jurrien Timber does well to get back and intercept a through ball down the centre aimed at Ollie Watkins by Youri Tielemans.

23 min: A Havertz cross from the right is partially blocked by Jacob Ramsey, who is back to help out Ian Maatsen in defence. Villa clear their lines.

21 min: Arsenal free-kick, wide on the right a long way out. Rice and Odegaard stand over it, play it short and the cross, when it comes, is too high for it’s intended target, Gabriel.

19 min: Tielemans tries to play Watkins in behind the Arsenal defence but his dink over Gabriel isn’t high enough and the defender is able to leap and head the ball clear.

18 min: We’re treated to a save for the cameras from Martinez, who dives theatrically to his left to keep out a Trossard shot from distance that took a little deflection off Matty Cash. That nick might have wrong-footed the Argentinian goalkeeper.

17 min: Onana spins Odegaard on the edge of the Villa penalty area and drives forward, playing the ball wide to Maatsen. Villa win a throw-in deep in Arsenal territory but nothing comes of it.

15 min: Trossard takes on and beats Cash down the right but his cross into the Villa box is headed away by Ezri Konsa.

14 min: Having been completely under the cosh for the opening 10 minutes, Villa have survived the early Arsenal onslaught unscathed and got themselves a foothold in the game.

13 min: Maatsen advances on the Arsenal penalty area and tries to play the ball inside. His pass is blocked, the ball breaks back into his path and he brings a smart save out of David Raya with a powerful shot.

12 min: Villa finally get the ball out of their own half and take a long throw-in. Tyrone Mings can only head the ball up in the air and Arsenal tidy up at the back.

9 min: Rice takes this corner and his delivery to the far post is sublime. The ball is headed across the face of goal by Gabriel and drops for Thomas Partey. A pile of bodies on the ground in front of him, the result of some penalty area pulling and dragging by players from both teams as the ball came in, prevent him from scoring from six or seven yards out.

8 min: Odegaard takes the corner, looking a bit groggy after after a collision with Amadou Onana. Ezri Konsa heads his latest dead ball delivery into the box out for yet another corner.

8 min: Martinelli does well to keep a pass from Jurrien Timber in play down by the byline. He wins another corner, putting the ball out of play off Ian Maatsen.

6 min: Odegaard and Rice combine down the right and the England international sends in a cross that is headed out for another Arsenal corner. Odegaard’s delivery is cleared at the near post.

5 min: Thomas Partey tries to play Martinelli in behind with a ball over the top, but Martinez is quick off his line to gather the slightly overhit pass. Was Martinelli offside? Possibly but the flag stays down.

4 min: Rice picks out Martinelli with a cross to the far post from the left but the winger is unable to get much power behind his volley on the stretch from a tight angle. Martinez saves fairly comfortably. It’s been a good start for Arsenal.

3 min: Rice’s inswinger is met by Martinelli at the far post but Villa clear his header across the face of goal.

2 min: Leandro Trossard, Gabriel and Mikel Merino combine down the left and win Arsenal’s first corner of the game off Matty Cash.

Arsenal v Aston Villa is go …

Not long now: Referee Chris Kavanagh and his team of match officials lead out both sets of players, with Martin Odegaard and Emi Martinez captaining the sides. Kick-off in the fifth and final Premier League match of the day is just a few minutes away.

Today’s Premier League results

We’ve had four away wins in the four top flight games played so far today. Can Villa make it five out of five to leave Liverpool seven points clear of Arsenal at the top of the league with a game in hand?Emery’s side dealt Arsenal’s title hopes a hammerblow at the Emirates in April last season and will be hopefull of doing exactly the same today.

Brentford 0-2 Liverpool: Nunez scores his second, cutting inside and roofing the ball past Mark Flekken after running on to a pass from Harvey Elliott. Liverpool left it late but look to have got the job done.

Brentford 0-1 Liverpool: On a day of profligacy and poor finishing from assorted Liverpool players, an uncharacteristically composed strike from Darwin Nunez looks to have won all three points for his side in added time at the Gtech Stadium.

Brentford v Liverpool: With five minutes to go, Thomas Frank’s side are currently holding Liverpool at the Gtech Community Stadium, so as things stand Arsenal could move within two points of the League leaders (having played one game more) with a win over Villa.

Today’s match officials

• Referee: Chris Kavanagh.

• Assistants: Lee Betts and Neil Davies.

• Fourth official: John Busby.

• VAR: John Brooks.

• Assistant VAR:Darren Cann

Mikel Arteta: Speaking ahead of this game yesterday, Arsenal’s manager reflected on his side’s win over Spurs on Tuesday night before turning his thoughts to tonight’s task.

“I loved the attitude that the team played with, a great occasion in front of our people, the atmosphere was brilliant but we move on to the next one, that’s a big game,” he said. “We will try as hard as possible to prepare in the best way to win. We know the difficulty of the team that they are, that’s why they are performing so well. Great players, and a great coach.”

On Arsenal’s title credentials: “If we refer to the stats, the stats said that we were the best team in the league but the reality is that we didn’t win the league so we still need to improve and be better,” he said. “We are playing to win and that’s exactly where we want to be. The pressure comes from within. You have to thrive to be the best that you possibly can be.”

Those teams: William Saliba is a conspicuous absentee for Arsenal, having pulled up lame with a hamstring strain towards the end of his side’s win over Spurs in midweek.

We can probably expect to see Jurrien Timber fill in at centre-back alongside Gabriel, with Thomas Partey lining up at right-back. This game has also come too soon for Riccardo Calafiori, who is not in the matchday squad. Myles Lewis-Skelly keep his place at left-back, where he impressed his nan with his tough tackling against Tottenham.

Unai Emery brings in Ian Maatsen at left-back for Villa, with Lucas Digne missing out. New signing Donyell Malen is on a strong substitutes’ bench, where he’ll be able to make smalltalk with Jhon Duran and Leon Bailey, among other new teammates.

Arsenal v Aston Villa line-ups

Early team news

Gabriel Jesus, Ethan Nwaneri, Bukayo Saka, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all sidelined with injury, but Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori could return from injury after a three-game absence. Whether or not he will start ahead of Myles Lewis-Skelly, who played so well against Tottenham, remains to be seen.

Unai Emery is without Pau Torres, John McGinnn and Ross Barkley, who are all injured. Diego Carlos is also expected to be unavailable because of a minor niggle. The defender was linked with a move to Fenerbahce by his manager yesterday and is expected to leave Villa before the end of the transfer window.

In better news for Emery, the Spaniard can call on Donyell Malen, the 25-year-old Dutch winger who signed for Villa from Borussia Dortmund yesterday and could make his Premier League debut at the home of the club where he spent two years as a youth team player.

“He’s used to playing as a seven, sometimes an 11 on the left, but also as a number 10,” said Unai Emery of Malen. “He’s always close to the opponent’s box and scores and assists goals – we will need a player like him to be a threat to the opponent in behind.”

Premier League: Arsenal v Aston Villa