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ARSENAL will be looking to reclaim the Premier League top spot with a win over Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa.Mikel Arteta’s side have picked up 31 points from a possible 33 and several stars are beginning to hit superb form – Leandro Trossard in particular.However it was Villa who came out on top in their previous meeting this season with John McGinn scoring the only goal of the game just seven minutes in.
Kick-off time: 4:30pm BST
Live stream: NOW TV
TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event/Premier League
Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Rice, Odegaard, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Trossard
Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Konsa, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, Digne; McGinn, Tielemans, Zaniolo; Diaby, Rogers, Watkins
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERArsenal 0-0 Aston Villa
37′ After being tended to by medical staff Zaniolo is back on his feet and walks off the pitch.
The Gunners faithful aren’t too pleased with him however, with boos and chants of “cheat” serenading him on the sideline.
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36′ Play is stopped with Zaniolo down injured.
Coote then issues a yellow card to White after he scraped his studs down a Villa players knee.
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34′ The Emirates is in full voice as they try to lift the home team.
The away end respond in kind. And it seems to work as they get down the other end before seeing a shot attempt from Diaby blocked.
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32′ Another penalty shout is brushed off by Coote.
This time it’s Trossard who goes down in the area under pressure, but the contact is deemed legal and no foul is given.
Trossard is instantly back on his feet as well.
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29′ That Havertz run AGAIN.
This time it is Carlos who deals with the danger and stumbles over in the process.
He concedes a corner, but Arsenal can’t find a way past Villa’s set piece defending at the moment.
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29′ Villa work the ball down their left flank but are unable to work anything from it as the ball goes behind from a misplaced cross at the byline.
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26′ Penalty claims from fans are waved away as the ball hits Torres’ arm following a close range attempt at a cross.
Coote awards a corner but Villa are able to clear their lines as the ball goes into the front post.
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24′ Some lovely Arsenal link up on the right side sees Jesus slipped in by White.
Jesus then cuts back and has the chance to shoot but his shot at goal is blocked by a swarm of Villa defenders.
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23′ That Havertz run is proving to be a nuisance for Villa.
He almost gets in once again but Martinez is able to sweep up behind his defence.
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20′ Villa go down the other end and are bearing down on goal with Watkins.
But just as he is about to pull the trigger, Trossard of all people pokes the ball away from him.
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19′ Odegaard wins the ball back as Arsenal zip a couple of passes together.
Rice then plays it back to Odegaard who finds Saka after a curved run from the wing.
But Saka’s attempt to get it into the middle is once again snuffed out.
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18′ Closest yet.
Arsenal work the ball down the right before Saka whips a cross to the back post where both Havertz and Jesus are waiting.
The ball falls to the Brazilian and he directs a header down towards goal.
However, his effort hits the side netting. Though it looked like it was in to a couple of fans.
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16′ Havertz goes through on goal again after a lovely pass over the top.
But once again Martinez is able to shot his shot.
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15′ Villa finally have the ball in settled possession.
The ball is worked down the left but Saka is there to clear away the danger.
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13′ Saka is down around the halfway line and being smashed into.
He’s back on his feet after an Arsenal attack broke down with another overhit cross.
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11′ A brilliant pass from Trossard after cutting in from the left wing sees Havertz go through on goal.
His shot then forces a smart save from Martinez before Villa clear their lines.
It’s one way traffic at the moment.
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8′ Dangerous play again down the Arsenal right.
Odegaard picks up the ball in midfield and surges forward before playing a pass into the channel for Saka.
But the pass goes slightly wide and allows Torres to cover the winger.
However, on the one-on-one Saka is able to dig out a cross but overhits it beyond the far post.
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6′ Saka gets in behind the defence after a incisive pass but his effort to cut the ball back is cut out by the body of Torres.
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5′ Saka is fouled by Digne on the halfway line.
That battle will be key to the outcome of the game.
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3′ Arsenal win a throw from Digne as he’s out under pressure form Saka.
The winger then gets the ball in the area and tries to cut it back but the ball is cutout.
The boo boys are also out for Emi Martinez. “You left cause you’re s***.” So a warm enough welcome.
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1′ Villa get us underway and immediately launch the ball forward.
It goes out for a Villa throw on the left by Arteta’s technical area, where we imagine he will be prowling all game.
Copy linkCopiedKick off
We’re underway at the Emirates.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for both teams.
Copy linkCopiedPlayers are out
The players are out on the pitch and met with a huge roar from the crowd.
Copy linkCopiedFive to go
The Emirates is buzzing ahead of the game.
The players should emerge any moment now.
A quick start feels imperative today.
Copy linkCopiedCountdown
Less than 15 minutes to go until kick off now.
Club legends have been seen with the fans.
Credit: Reuters
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WEST HAM’S European hopes are going up in smoke on all fronts.The Hammers had the chance to grab sixth place in the Premier League but Andreas Pereira piled on more misery following Thursday’s 2-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League.Andreas Pereira hails his match-winning doubleCredit: PAPereira fired an early opener at London StadiumCredit: AlamyThe Cottagers’ midfielder completed his double on 72 minutesCredit: AlamyWith their hopes of progressing to the last four all but over, the Premier League’s European race has taken huge significance once more.The players knew it, but with legs sapped from midweek could not rise to the task.Instead of taking the initiative, David Moyes’ men fluffed a huge early chance, struggled to string more than two passes together all afternoon and quickly ran out of ideas when it came to testing Fulham.With Jarrod Bowen still missing Moyes needed his big players to step up, but star man Lucas Paqueta spent the afternoon gifting the ball to the Cottagers.Had Fulham taken all the chances West Ham had offered up this could have been a repeat of the 5-0 hammering by the Thames in December.Looking to lift the spirits from Thursday in quick fashion, Moyes threw caution to the wind somewhat.The Scot went against his usual plan and started two up top as Danny Ings joined Antonio to lead the line – and they went in search of a quick start.Paqueta was flicking the ball over Alex Iwobi’s seconds after the start, while Antonio should have fired the hosts ahead after just four minutes.Hammers’ sub George Earthy suffered a serious injury on his debutCredit: RexAfter Vladimir Coufal had forced Bernd Leno to parry the ball straight to Antonio’s feet just seven yards out, he somehow blasted high over the bar.Mohammed Kudus and Paqueta went close in the minutes after – but soon the flicks and tricks, as well as a huge cock-up from Mavropanos, undid West Ham’s bright start.West Ham boss David Moyes slams Bayer Leverkusen’s bench as ‘a disgrace’ for what they did during fiery clashPaqueta tried another flick in midfield, though this one was intercepted by Iwobi.The ex-Arsenal man clipped a cross straight to Mavropanos in the box, but instead of simply clearing it the Greek defender attempted to bring it down – teeing up Pereira to round Lukasz Fabianski and undo West Ham’s promising start.Moyes will take more heat for a job not done from frustrated fans, but when those out on the pitch are struggling to even clear or control balls there is little that anyone on the sideline can do.Pereira could have had his second far earlier too when Fulham broke down the left but he could only send Willian’s cross wide on the stretch.For a team which is so often criticised for being too defensive, West Ham have even struggled to get that side of their game right this season.This was a 13th straight Premier League game without a clean sheet, with Lukasz Fabianski just as busy here as he was in Leverkusen on Thursday.The Pole, who turns 39 on Thursday, had to stop efforts from Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Muniz, before pulling off a superb diving save to tip Iwobi’s effort around the post after more appalling defending from Mavropanos.West Ham were only managing half chances when they managed to get forward.James Ward-Prowse sent a hopeful low shot at Leno before heading a cross from Paqueta high and wide, while Coufal did the same with an effort at the far post.Moyes sent on Tomas Soucek to try add some life to his flat side, but just as soon as the Czech got going Paqueta gave the ball away again.With no one showing to pass too, the Brazilian tried to do too much on the ball and was dispossessed by Palhinha.Fulham’s midfield maestro played in Pereira, sparking the sort of flowing move West Ham could only have dreamed of all afternoon.Pereira found Muniz, who slipped the ball wide to Iwobi. In space he drove forwards and crossed back to Pereira, who tucked home his brace.West Ham’s afternoon got even worse when, in the final minutes of normal time, teenager George Earthy – making his Premier League debut – suffered a sickening head injury and had to be carried off on a stretcher off and taken to hospital after being down on the ground for eight minutes.Players and staff were visibly shaken, with Marco Silva even darting onto the pitch as soon as the youngster went down.The 11 minutes added on played out like a training session, the already flat atmosphere completely sapped by Earthy’s injury. More

LIVERPOOL return to Premier League action hoping to pick up three big points against London outfit Crystal Palace.The Reds were recently humiliated 3-0 in the Europa League by Italian side Atalanta.But they’ll be expected to get back to winning ways against a Palace side who recently suffered a 4-2 home defeat at the hands of Manchester City.
Kick-off time: 2pm BST
Live stream: NOW TV
TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event / Premier League
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IN the end it was ruthless.Luton’s brave rearguard action that had lasted for over an hour to keep the scoreline at 1-0 was eventually dismantled.Man City thumped Luton at the EtihadCredit: GettyErling Haaland’s deflected strike got Man City off to the perfect startCredit: EPAThen the floodgates opened.It is okay Rodri, you have your rest, we can take it from here.Rodri was allowed to put his feet up after complaining following the 3-3 draw in the Bernabeu that he was tired and needed a rest.The man who replaced him provided the moment that eased any nerves their might have been in The Etihad.Mateo Kovacic blasted the ball home on 64 minutes for Manchester City’s second.A penalty from Alfie Haaland on 76 minutes started to give the scoreline a more just reflection of the domination Pep Guardiola’s side enjoyed.A brief response from Ross Barkley on 81 minutes prompted Jeremy Doku and Josko Gvardiol to go back up the end to grab another two.Pep Guardiola had understandably made changes for this game.BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERStill,you can change the names on the Manchester City start sheet but the football and the results stay the same.They are unbeaten now in their last 27.Avoid defeat to Madrid on Wednesday and it will be 42 straight unbeaten at home, a record that has stood since set in 1919 and equalled in 1921.This victory put them back on top for the first time since November with Liverpool and Arsenal both playing on Sunday (tomorrow).It also helped greatly with the goal difference that could yet decide this great title race.It was something of a victory for Luton that they actually managed to get to half-time just one-nil down.The half-time stats were remarkable given that City only had one goal to their name.City had 78 per cent possession, hit 18 shots to Luton’s non and had 10 corners to the Hatters one.Still it was only Haaland’s wickedly deflected effort after just 66 seconds of play that separated the team.Kevin  De Bruyne, missing from the game in Madrid due to sickness, supplied one of those sublime through balls that have graced this turf for so long.Threading the needle, he sent Haaland through one-on-one but Kaminski did brilliant to block his effort.The ball was still alive with Doku’s own deflected shot that found Haaland again and his miscued volley hit Daiki Hashiok on the head and went past his own goalkeeper.The same Luton player had also helped Arsenal out with an ‘og’ less than a fortnight ago, the second in a 2-0 win for the Gunners.Floodgate creaking you would have thought as City immediately piled forward for more.Gvardiol has clearly got a taste for goal after his spectacular effort in the Bernanbeu.Receiving the ball about the same distance out as last Tuesday he tried to replicate that goal but this time the goalkeeper was equal to it.Doku was buzzing around the left flank and when he made it to the byline and pulled the ball back Matheus Nunes was there but his effort was weak and straight at the ‘keeper.De Bruyne and Haaland linked up again but this time the Norwegian goal machine eased the ball over the bar on the half volley.On it went. Nunes clipped the far post, De Bruyne had an effort of his own saved at full length and when the half-time whistle went there was a sense of deflation at the scoreline in The Etihad.That would change by the final whistle as Luton finally whilted after Kovacic’s strike.Alvarez and Doku played a shot corner between them and the former delivered a ball to the edge of the area which Kovacic caught absolutely perfectly with a scorching volley that fizzed past Kaminski.A foul by Fred Onyedinma on the lively Doku saw referee John Brookes to the spot and Haaland sent the goalkeeper the wrong way for his 31st goal of the season.Not bad for a league two player.Luton didn’t down tools and a Matheus Nunes mistake even gave their visiting fans something to cheer as Ross Barkley picked a loose ball beat his man and fired across Ederson to score in the 81st minute.It only served to anger City into a further response.Doku got the goal his performance deserved on 87 minutes as he wriggled his way into the box before sliding the ball into the net.Then in injury time up stepped Gvardiol with another stunner.Ruthless. More

NOTTINGHAM FOREST continue their fight for Premier League safety with a tough test against Midlands rivals Wolves.Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were dealt a huge blow to their survival hunt last weekend having lost 3-1 to Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham.But it was also a disappointing time for Wolves last time out as they lost to a late goal by West Ham’s James Ward-Prowse.BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKER More

Aro Muric might have thought it was impossible to top his howler at Everton last week – but he did. By a mile.The Burnley keeper was embarrassed at Goodison Park a week ago when his attempted clearance hit Dominic Calvert-Lewin and looped into the net for a winner.Arijanet Muric had a howler for the second week running to damage Burnley’s safety hopesCredit: ReutersMuric saw the ball roll under his foot after a pass backCredit: ReutersBut the equaliser he gifted Brighton was a whole lot worse – so bad, it will haunt him for the rest of his career.There was no danger at all as Sander Berge rolled a pass back to the Kosovan keeper with 11 minutes left.But somehow, Muric allowed the ball to roll under his boot and into the net – as Burnley’s fans howled in anguish.It came just five minutes after substitute Josh Brownhill looked to have given the Clarets a glimmer of hope in their survival bid as he pounced on an error at the other end.The midfielder charged down Bart Verbruggen’s attempted clearance to score after the keeper had been sold short by Carlos Baleba’s underhit back pass.But no-one will remember Verbruggen’s moment of misery, because Muric surpassed it.Vincent Kompany’s side desperately needed a lucky break, with games running out and the drop looming – but this wasn’t their day.Fortune was against them when the lively Wilson Odobert tumbled over Pervis Estupinan inside the area early on, with Simon Hooper turning away the penalty appeals, and a VAR check backing up the referee.BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERBut Burnley had only themselves to blame as they passed up two glorious chances in the first half.Danish winger Jacob Bruun Larsen failed to score in the 17th minute, when he was left unmarked at the far post yet somehow swept Wilson Odobert’s cross wide from three yards out.Then right on half-time, Chelsea loanee David Datro Fofana darted into the centre to meet another superb ball in from French teenager Odobert, only for the ball to whizz past off the top of his boot.But in between, Burnley had to see off plenty of first-half pressure from a Brighton side who had failed to score in five of their previous eight matches.Simon Adingra’s burst down the right took him past Vitinho and within sight of goal, and although Muric blocked his shot, there was then a nervy moment for the keeper, who had to clear quickly in a crowded box as Maxime Esteve fired a back pass at him.The Kosovan keeper was kept busy during the first half – he held another Adingra shot comfortably enough, then spilled a long-range effort from Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, having to scramble to gather the loose ball.Here’s how the game played out on paperBurnley looked more threatening despite having less of the ballMuric could only watch as Joao Pedro stole in behind Vitinho to glance wide from Pascal Gross’ superb angled cross, but was alert later in the half to push away Jakub Moder’s free-kick, and blocked Danny Welbeck at close range as the striker closed in from a tight angle before the break.Esteve had to make a brilliant tackle early in the second half as Adingra raced through on goal, with Brighton starting to pick holes in the Burnley back line.Fofana had one chance to make up for his first-half miss before being hauled off with just over an hour gone, and he flung himself at a right-wing cross from Lorenz Assignon to plant a diving header just wide.But Brighton had a strong spell after that as the hosts got sloppy with the ball, with Gross seeing one shot deflected just wide with Muric stranded, and then having another tipped over by the keeper after Sander Berge had lost possession cheaply.Gross took the resulting corner and caused more Burnley panic, with Joao Pedro glancing a header just wide.Kompany sent on Jay Rodriguez in a desperate bid to find a goal, and was almost rewarded, with the striker steering a low shot, gathered by keeper Bart Verbruggen, after Odobert’s run had teed up the chance.At that point, the game looked to be drifting towards a 0-0 draw, but then came Brownhill’s breakthrough – followed by the mother of all howlers from Muric.BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKER More

BRENTFORD and Sheffield United battle this afternoon for three Premier League points.Oli McBurnie’s stoppage-time strike rescued a point for the Blades against Chelsea.And they will be determined to build on that courageous draw against a Brentford side who recently shared the spoils with Aston Villa.BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKER More