ARSENAL welcome London rivals Brentford to the Emirates looking to build on their sensational midweek Real Madrid win – and the action is unfolding RIGHT NOW!
Declan Rice arguably had the best game of his career by dispatching two incredible free-kicks in a 3-0 win against the Galacticos.
But the Gunners will quickly need to readjust their focus on the Bees who recently held Chelsea to a 0-0 draw.
- Start time: 5:30pm BST
- Live stream: NOW TV
- TV channel: Sky Sports Premier League/ Sky Sports Main Event
- Arsenal starting XI: Raya; Partey, Saliba, Kiwior, Tierney; Jorginho, Zinchenko, Rice; Nwaneri, Martinelli, Trossard
- Brentford starting XI: Flekken; Ajer, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Schade, Wissa, Mbeumo
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Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
18. Bryan Mbeumo has been in sparkling goalscoring form this season, but his defensive work tonight has not gone unnoticed.
In fact, he has only made more tackles than he has today (3) in one Premier League match this season (4 vs Everton) despite this match being only 18 minutes in.
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Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
16. Kai Havertz is at the Emirates.
The talk around here is that he may be back in action before the end of the season.
You would never have imagined that Arsenal would be desperate for him to return, but here we are.
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Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
13. William Saliba is an absolute Rolls Royce of a player.
He makes defending look effortless, even whether covering on the left flank as he has just had to do.
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Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
10. There may be no Gabriel, but Set Piece FC still fancy their chances from corner kicks.
This first one almost comes off too with an unmarked Partey heading back across goal from the far post, only for Norgaard to mop up in a somewhat unorthodox fashion.
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Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
9. The first sight of Arsenal as an attacking force.
Nwaneri has a low curler blocked at close quarters, and then Rice finds Martinelli near by the byline.
The Brazilian goes for goal rather than looking for other options with his effort from a tight angle blocked behind by Flekken.
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Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
6. It’s been a confident start from Brentford, who are giving this makeshift Arsenal defence plenty to think about.
Wissa is putting himself about, and the late runs of Schade are catching Tierney and Kiwior out.
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Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
3. David Raya finds himself pressurised by his former teammate Yoane Wissa, and subsequently panics his clearance straight to Mikkel Damsgaard.
Before the Dane can pounce, however, a sea of red shirts come to the rescue.
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Kick-off – Arsenal v Brentford
1. North London Forever gets the full treatment ahead of kick-off, and these home fans are still on a high after the midweek heroics.
And after the final notes ring out, the players take the knee, and then get up so that Brentford can get this contest underway.
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From Jordan Davies at the Emirates
The noise is not as great, the stands are not as full, but the memories of that stunning win over Real Madrid are still in the minds of these Arsenal fans today.
With Nottingham Forest losing earlier today, this one is even more dead-rubbery, with a chance to give some fringe players some much-needed air in the lungs, like Oleksandr Zinchenko, Kieran Tierney and Jorginho.
And yet, Raheem Sterling STILL cannot get a start… why?
Mikel Arteta probably feels it is better to give Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri more minutes today given they will likely be used off the bench at the Bernabeu next week.
But if you’re Sterling, those frustrations will be bubbling away…
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Over to the Emirates
Where Arsenal are hosting Brentford in the Saturday teatime game.
It’s the weekend after the Tuesday before, and you get the sense everyone here is still talking about the thumping of Real Madrid and those Declan Rice free-kicks.
But sandwiched in between those two ties with the La Liga giants is this London derby, and Mikel Arteta has taken the opportunity to make changes.
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From Graeme Bryce at the City Ground
Super-Sub Dwight McNeil came off the bench after 90 minutes.
Yet he still found time to conjure up a dramatic stoppage time winner for Abdoulaye Doucoure to puncture Forest’s Champions League hopes.
McNeil’s late arrival turned a truly dreadful affair on its head just as we all assumed it was going to peter out into a soulless, goalless draw.
He pounced on a hesitant Murillo to rob the Brazilian deep in Forest’s half before setting up Doucoure to fire past Matz Sels to snatch three hard-earned points.
It was a dramatic smash and grab job but Forest couldn’t complain after they produced one of their worst home performances of a stellar season.
They had kept a clean sheet in their last four outings at the City Ground but seemed content to settle for a fifth when disaster struck.
Nuno Esperito Santo’s men have now lost their last two games and are suffering a dose of the jitters at the wrong time of the season.Meanwhile Everton continue to improve under David Moyes’ shrewd management.
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From Ian Winrow at the Amex
A poor result for Brighton who started the day hoping to close the gap in the European places and ended it grateful not to have suffered defeat.
Leicester deserve the point after twice equalising and it might have been three had Bilal El Khannouss had not hit the post late on.
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Full time – Brighton 2-2 Leicester
The home team are greeted with boos at the final whistle after gifting shot shy Leicester two goals and an unexpected point.
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Full time – Southampton 0-3 Aston Villa
What’s worse? Southampton in the Premier League or Marco Asensio at taking penalties?
The relegated Saints remain on 10 points while Villa’s on-loan star twice faltered from 12 yards.
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Full time – Nott’m Forest 0-1 Everton
Late, late drama at the City Ground, and Forest have fallen to a second successive defeat. A big win for the Toffees.
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GOAL! Southampton 0-3 Aston Villa
90+4. Marco Asensio has a second penalty saved by Aaron Ramsdale – but John McGinn converts the rebound for 3-0!
The Spanish forward turns away in disgust before his captain even follows up for the third, and looks absolutely furious with himself.
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GOAL! Nott’m Forest 0-1 Everton
90+4. Abdoulaye Doucoure has won it!!
A tired Murillo gets caught in possession just inside his own half, presenting Dwight McNeil with space to bomb forward.
The winger looks up and plays in Doucoure on the left, who takes a fine first touch and then sweeps past Matz Sels and int the roof of the net.
It’s a hammer blow for Nottingham Forest and their Champions League aspirations!
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Brighton 2-2 Leicester
87. Leicester go so close to a winner!
The Foxes have their tails up and come flying forward with Bilal El Khannouss.
The Moroccan comes inside on to his right foot and curls a shot on to the base of the far post.
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Nott’m Forest 0-0 Everton
87. There’s a VAR check ongoing for a possible Everton penalty, but don’t get too excited – I can see from here that the challenge on Beto doesn’t meet the threshold for overturning the on field decision.
Oh, and it was probably outside the box too.
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Nott’m Forest 0-0 Everton
83. Inside the final ten minutes at the City Ground, and is it a grandstand finish?
Well, in a word, no.
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From Rob Maul at St Mary’s
Hundreds of Southampton fans are now leaving St Mary’s. They have seen enough.
There is not a lot of anger. Just resignation that this season has been a right-off. It is 2-0 to Aston Villa – the away fans are in great voice now – but if you support the Saints, then it is likely you are probably marching out.
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GOAL! Southampton 0-2 Aston Villa
79. Another substitute, another goal! What a squad Unai Emery is building at Aston Villa!
A clever through ball from Morgan Rogers dissects the Southampton defence, allowing Donyell Malen to race through and rocket a shot past Aaron Ramsdale.
It’s three in three Premier League games for the former Dortmund ace!
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GOAL! Brighton 2-2 Leicester
74. Leicester have done it again!
Admittedly, they’ve been helped here by some slack defending from Brighton, who completely switch off when Bilal El Khannoussi swings over a free-kick from the right.
It gives Memeh Okoli a free run into the six-yard box and, having timed his run to beat the offside trap, heads powerfully past Bart Verbruggen.
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From Graeme Bryce at the City Ground
There are some promising signs that a match might just be about to break out here at the City Ground.
Callum Hudson-Odoi cut inside Jake O’Brien and drilled in a low shot which Pickford did well to smother.
Then James Tarkowski sent Ndiaye clear but Matz Sels sprinted off his line to brilliantly block.
Both managers have turned to their bench and made changes.
Anthony Elanga has replaced Jota Silva for Forest, while Ryan Yates has come on for Nicolas Dominguez.
Beto and Carlos Alcaraz are on for Broja and Ndiaye for the Toffees.
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GOAL! Southampton 0-1 Aston Villa
73. Aston Villa are in front now!
And it’s that man, Ollie Watkins, off the bench to break the deadlock.
The pass over the top from Youri Tielemans is glorious, and the substitute timed his run perfectly to poke a volley past Aaron Ramsdale and in off the underside of the crossbar.
