As expected Arsenal fielded an unchanged line-up for the third match of the season. It was also not entirely unexpected, that David O'Leary's side provided considerably more opposition than Everton and Middlesbrough had done previously.

We got off to a promising start. Just inside 5 minutes Sorenson did well to come out and make a block from Henry's run to the 6 yard box after Pires had set him loose. Pires just managed to stop the ball going out for a throw on the left, then brought it infield and hit a curling shot which just missed the far post.

Then a great chip out of defence by Kolo Toure (blossoming into a hell of a centre back, with thus kind of distribution to add to some powerful tackling) found Henry again. He caught it on his chest and clipped it over the keeper, just shaving the outside of that same post.

Then Henry broke down the right for a change and fed Freddie whose lovely first-time lob over Sorensen came back off the crossbar. Sylvain Wiltord did well to stretch and get his head onto the rebound but could do no more than let it bounce off him, high and wide.

Villa came to defend and as the first half went on they got better and better at it. I don't remember the last time a side gave us such little time on the ball in midfield. But they were limited to long shots (the best a dipper from Kinsella) which Lehmann was more than a match for. Angel, together with some determined play from Samuel, created a chance for himself in our box on their left, but his cross-shot flashed wide of the far post with another yellow shirt too slow coming into the space at that post.

We did have a lucky moment too when a free-kick was conceded near the halfway line as Villa broke. They took it quick, catching our defence out, but thankfully the ref decided to call it back to be re-taken.

More of the same in the second half really. Their pressing in midfield not giving Arsenal much time, and our passing being a bit loose as a result. But defensively Arsenal were even better. Lehmann looks the business so far: very solid generally, decent saving, coming for crosses, and the occasional bit of entertainment when he takes it past a striker on the deck and so on.

The breakthrough came 12 minutes into the second half. A ball forward from Ljungberg was intercepted by Ronnie Johnsen, but he got it all wrong and deflected it out, from well outside the box, for our first corner of the match. Pires swung it towards the far post and Villa number 3 Samuel somehow managed to turn it goalwards from 10 yards out. Hendry (whose main contribution was a running battle with Vieira, who managed to rise above it, mostly) did well to block it on the line, but it went up and out off the crossbar, and came to Campbell who powered his header low and in from near the spot.

The game continued in much the same vein. Arsenal 1-0 up and looking better than the visitors, but Villa battling well and defending effectively even after they'd brought Darius Vassell on to provide more threat up front.

Bergkamp came on for Wiltord halfway into the second half, and Parlour for Freddie a bit later. Parlour got involved a lot on the right, and combined with Henry to set up a half chance for Pires. Bob's diagonal run met Thierry's chip into the box, but he got a little too much on his header and put it clear of the near post. Dennis helped us keep the ball a bit better, but didn't threaten the goal himself despite a few half-chances of the sort that a top-form Dennis might have made the keeper work to keep out.

The clincher came deep into injury time. Arsenal were patiently working the ball down the left touchline with a series of throw-ins. One came to Dennis who played it infield to Henry and then carried on down the touchline to chase Henry's pass. He was beaten to it by a defender about halfway into their half, right by the touchline. He tried to lash it off the pitch, but Dennis managed to block it and the ball rebounded goalwards. Henry gave chase and beat Sorensen to it, taking the ball past him and finishing from a very narrow angle. The ref blew for full-time as soon as Villa restarted the game.

As well as the free-kick he made Villa take again, and a couple of times he didn't play advantage, the ref came up with a few bizarre bookings. Vieira's was for what looked like a superb tackle, and while Bergkamp's studs were high for his, he looked to be clearly going for the ball, and on the turn so he didn't know the Villa player was there. To be fair, the ref played advantage to good effect a few times too, and a couple of Villa's bookings were undeserved too (but Hendry was probably lucky not to pick up a second).

By all accounts Wolves put up a good fight at Old Trafford tonight and might have come away with a point if their finishing had been a bit better. Still, a 1-0 loss away to Man Utd is a goo result having conceded 9 in 2 matches to lesser opponents to start their Premiership existence, and it's enough to see Arsenal move back to the top of the table, and not just on alphabetical order this time.