Aston Villa v Arsenal: Premier League – live!

LIVE – Updated at 13:21

Minute-by-minute report: Join Simon Burnton for updates as Arsenal look to bolster their top-four chances against Steven Gerrard’s side.

32 mins: Handbags! Mings brings Saka down with the follow-through from a sliding challenge and most of the Arsenal team react angrily, most of the Villa team come over to stand up for their man, and it all gets a little pushy-shovey. The referee waits for VAR to have a good look and then shows Mings a yellow - it was a pretty good tackle until he took Saka out, certainly not two-footed or out of control.

45+4 mins: The visitors deservedly lead at the break, but the game has taken a bit of a bad-spirited turn since the goal and unless there’s significant cooling-off done at the break the second half could get spicy.

45+2 mins: There will be three minutes of stoppage time, or somesuch.

45 mins: Xhaka gets the booking that has been coming for a while, for a gentle push on Buendia. Taking that incident in isolation that’s an absurdly harsh booking, but then I’m sure Andy Madley isn’t.

43 mins: Arsenal send a set piece into the Villa area. Martinez claims it, and Xhaka sprints 15 yards to get in his way and stop him releasing the ball quickly. Every bit as cynical as the tactical fouls that are now normally rewarded with a booking, and with similar intentions.

Arsenal, and Saka’s low shot, find a way through! Cedric’s long cross is headed down, bobbles off a few players to Saka, whose first-time half-volley isn’t cleanly hit but finds a way through a posse of players, surprises a clearly unsighted Martinez, and hits the net!

42 mins: Replays show Partey’s “marking” of Mings at a corner a couple of minutes ago, very much the kind of shenanigans that a VAR might have