My player ratings are up on the Gooner Fanzine website. I'll probably need to lie in a dark room for a bit to calm down. What a stunning comeback for Arsenal, who pulled it out of the bag in injury time. It'll take some processing, but the three points are all that matter in the end. See you next weekend for Bristol City.

Alessia Russo speaking to BBC One: "Absolutely buzzing! First goal but also the win here in front of our fans I think we really needed them today. "They came out, they come out in full force every time. This league is tough you've got to dig deep to get results and we definitely did that today. "We were resilient, I think we had to be. We all knew as a team moments and chances would come and we had to take them. We dug deep and got there in the end."

Arsenal's McCabe spoke to BBC Sport about Beth Mead's return: "Beth Mead, what a player. To see her come on in front of a home crowd, the fans gave her the cheer, it was unbelievable. She's worked so hard for the last 10 months and we're all just so proud of her. She's an unbelievable person and I'm delighted to have her back in the squad today."

An emotional Beth Mead is embraced by Leah Williamson. What a return to action for Mead after a painful 11 month absence, coming off the bench to set up Alessia Russo's winner.

Cannot believe what I have just seen. It could have been four or five for Arsenal by the end too as Blackstenius hit the post in added time and came close again. Goodness me, what a result for the Gunners.

FULL TIME: Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa! Injury time goals from Katie McCabe and Alessia Russo give Arsenal their first win in the WSL with a stunning late comeback!

103' Fantastic late challenge from Wubben-Moy as Salmon was in on goal there! Huge celebrations from Wubben-Moy too. 2-1

102' Blackstenius should have sealed it there! Lucy Parker was back to make a crucial block to deny the striker, and it nearly dropped to Mead for the rebound. 2-1

101' Arsenal can counter through Blackstenius, who switches the ball to Lacasse. Lehmann wins a cheap foul off of the Canadian winger. 2-1

98' Alisha Lehmann and Adriana Leon, both forwards, are introduced from the bench for Villa. 2-1

97' Staniforth's free kick from a long way out is just wide of the far post- Zinsberger would have saved it. 2-1

96' Still seven minutes left of added time amongst the carnage! Incredible scenes at the Emirates, with McCabe and Russo scoring to turn the game completely on its head. 2-1

GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa! Mead lays it off to Alessia Russo and she finds the bottom corner underneath the sprawling van Domselaar, and Russo might just have won it!

93' Blackstenius hits the post now! So, so close to a winner. 0-1

It's a rocket into the top corner from a narrow angle after Pelova laid the ball off to McCabe! She only scores bangers

92' GOAL! KATIE MCABE! Arsenal equalise! 1-1

90+1' Caitlin Foord's overhead kick doesn't quite generate the power it required and is saved. 0-1

90' Corner for Arsenal with Aston Villa continuing to hold firm at the back by hook or by crook. TWELVE minutes of added time! 0-1

89' Russo sees her shot blocked by Turner after the ball almost dropped for Mead in the box. 0-1

88' Ebony Salmon is on for Aston Villa. 0-1

*Noelle Maritz is the player withdrawn, apologies.

87' Here comes Beth Mead! The Arsenal and England star is introduced from the bench, returning to action for the first time after rupturing her ACL in November 2022. She comes on for Caitlin Foord. 0-1

86' Yellow card for Lucy Parker after fouling Foord. 0-1

85' Maritz sends in a looping cross that Blackstenius cannot connect with- easy save for van Domselaar. 0-1

83' "Meadooooo, Meadooooo" sing the Arsenal fans. You can guess who is about to come on! 0-1

83' Daly is in pain after Wubben-Moy landed on her awkwardly. van Domselaar was also down so there is a bit of a stoppage here. 0-1

79' Steph Catley heads wide- it was a good run into the box from the Aussie but she had a lot to do. 0-1

78' Jonas Eidevall is encouraging the Arsenal crowd now! McCabe's cross is headed away by Patten up against Blackstenius. The resulting corner is cleared by the first defender. 0-1

76' Stina Blackstenius replaces Lia Walti as Arsenal up the ante. 0-1

73' A very vocal warm reception for Arsenal legend Jordan Nobbs, who is introduced from the bench for Aston Villa, repacing Simone Magill. 0-1

72' Wubben-Moy blocks Magill's effort. 0-1

70' Lacasse's deep cross is claimed before she plays through Russo, who is clearly offside and the assistant referee agrees. 0-1

69' 35,829 in attendance at Emirates Stadium, as Arsenal continue to set the standard off the pitch. 0-1

66' Off the post from Caitlin Foord and somehow Russo can't turn in the rebound! Lovely turn from Foord who is so unlucky not to score, and then van Domselaar claims from Russo who was a yard out from goal. 0-1

65' Lacasse will occupy the right wing as McCabe drops into the left wing-back position. Pelova is a straight swap for Maanum. 0-1

63' Substitutions for Arsenal as Pelova and Lacasse replace Maanum and Ilestedt. 0-1

62' The coorner from Maanum is punched away by the goalkeeper as Pelova and Lacasse get ready. 0-1

59' Little's knee is receiving some attention from the Arsenal physio but she can continue. 0-1

57' The onslaught of Arsenal crosses continue, although the latest one falls to Russo on the turn, and her shot is blocked superbly by Magill. 0-1

56' Mead, Lacasse and Pelova are amongst the Arsenal substitutes warming up. 0-1

53' Magill's cross is headed onto the onrushing Daly by Wubben-Moy and can be claimed by Zinsberger. 0-1

49' Russo's powerful volley is blocked by the head of Rachel Corsie, a very brave bit of defending that leaves her needing treatment. 0-1

46' Arsenal's Alessia Russo kicks the second half off. 0-1

No changes for either team as we approach the start of the second half.

Leah Williamson has been speaking live to Alex Scott on the BBC about her recovery: “I’m running, I’m kicking a football like I used to, I don’t feel any different, so that’s good.”

A lot of parallels with the defeat to Liverpool so far- Arsenal have struggled to attack centrally with the likes of Maanum and Russo forced wide, and are again resorting to some hopeful crosses to try and create chances.

Maz Pacheco netted a free header from Lucy Staniforth's corner in the 25th minute to give Aston Villa the lead, and Carla Ward's side have defended resolutely in that first half. Jonas Eidevall is once again a man under pressure as he delivers a crucial half time teamtalk.

Half time: Arsenal 0-1 Aston Villa.

45+3' Frida Maanum picks up possession from Foord and is forced wide on the edge of the box. Her shot is a long way wide. 0-1

45+2' Rachel Daly spotted Zinsberger on the edge of the Arsenal box and took aim from range, but her very speculative effort was blocked. Ilestedt had given the ball away there and the counter attack was wasted. 0-1

45+1' 4 minutes added on at the end of the first half. Rachel Corsie is down receiving treatment. 0-1

44' Off the line from Aston Villa! The free kick was floated in and found Russo at the back post- her header was diverted away by Daly. 0-1

43' Daly fouls McCabe and Arsenal are not allowed to take their free kick quickly, because Daly is going to be booked. A strange decision all round as McCabe was barely touched there. 0-1

42' Russo now sees her cross taken well by van Domselaar. The England forward burst past Pacheco but it wasn't a great delivery. 0-1

40' Catley keeps the ball in play after slipping other by the byline. She lays it off to Maanum and her cross is claimed by van Domselaar. 0-1

38' England manager Sarina Wiegman is watching on at the Emirates. 0-1

37' A fair bit of blood is being mopped up on Maanum's face and tissues are stuffed up her nose. Not sure we'll see these pictures on her Instagram after this game! 0-1

34' The physios race onto the pitch after a clash of heads between Frida Maanum and Lucy Staniforth. A drinks break for both teams. 0-1

32' Russo drives into the box and wins a corner. Maanum's delivery is very deep and headed just wide by Walti. 0-1

30' Little's over-hit pass forces Foord wide. She finds Walti, and her cross is a good one, just evading McCabe at the back post. 0-1

28' Pacheco's second WSL goal, her last coming seven years ago, Robyn Cowen informs viewers. 0-1

27' Zinsberger saves from Daly's header. 0-1

Dreadful defending there from Arsenal. Ilestedt missed her header and Pacheco was completely unmarked.

24' Kim Little takes no chances and clears for a corner after Magill flicked on Daly's cross. And it's headed in my Maz Pacheco! Aston Villa lead 1-0!

23' Maanum is told off for a foul on Parker, which Catley also played a part in. 0-0

22' Staniforth with a clever pass into Parker, who finds Mayling on the right. Her pass back into the middle of the box can only find a red shirt. 0-0

20' Inverted wingers on both sides with Foord on the left and McCabe on the right. Both will swap over at times too. 0-0

19' Strong tackle on McCabe from Magill in the box, with the latter getting enough of the ball. 0-0

16' Walti threads through a brilliant pass to Maritz, who cuts the ball back and Villa clear. McCabe has two efforts on goal from the edge of the box but can't challenge the goalkeeper. 0-0

15' Corner for Arsenal as Maanum tries to spin away from Mayling, who prods the ball behind. Walti ends up on the deck along with Mayling, and Wubben-Moy was being held back by Corsie. Nothing doing for the referee. 0-0

13' Huge cheers for Beth Mead as she warms up in front of the home fans. 0-0

12' Very nearly the opener for Arsenal! Foord's low cross from the left deflects off a defender and van Domselaar does enough to push the ball away. 0-0

11' Neither side has stamped their authority on the game so far. Arsenal enjoying the possession but Aston Villa are pressing well. 0-0

7' Fantastic work by Russo who drops deep and wins the ball back when Villa were attacking with a crunching challenge. 0-0

5' Foord with a glorious nutmeg on Mayling but she then brings down the Aston Villa defender. Maanum's cross towards Russo is headed away. 0-0

3' A speculative effort on the turn from McCabe drifts into the hands of van Domselaar. 0-0

2' Maanum's low cross is cleared. 0-0

1' UNDERWAY at Emirates Stadium! 0-0

Arsenal are lining up in a back four- Catley, Wubben-Moy, Ilestedt, Maritz.

The silence is impeccably observed, and Rachel Daly will kick things off!

Both sides and the spectators will observe a moment's silence for the victims of the conflict in Palestine and Israel.

The teams are out and kick-off is a few minutes away!

Jonas Eidevall speaking to the BBC about Beth Mead before kickoff: "A lot of hard work behind the scenes has led her now to this moment. We'll see if she can also make an impact from the bench today."

Anita Asante is part of the BBC coverage and believes that Jonas Eidevall has turned to his experienced players this afternoon as Arsenal look for their maiden win this season.

4-0 now to Man City with former Arsenal midfielder Jill Roord netting in a third consecutive game since joining from Wolfsburg this summer.

Around 35,000 tickets have been sold for this afternoon's game at Emirates Stadium. 54,000 watched Arsenal lose to Liverpool at the start of the season, a new record crowd for a WSL match.

Villa also tasted defeat to Liverpool, losing 2-0 at Prenton Park last Sunday. Carla Ward's side were also beaten by Manchester United on the opening day, so are aiming to pick up their first points of 2023/24.

Arsenal come into this game after an opening day defeat against Liverpool, and a dramatic draw away to Manchester United. The Gunners sit 9th in the WSL after their first two games.

United have an equaliser though, it's Maya Le Tissier with the goal.

Leicester City lead against Manchester United at Leigh Sports Village thanks to Aileen Whelan's goal on the hour mark! It's also Manchester City 2-0 Bristol City.

Northern Ireland international Simone Magill makes her first start for Aston Villa. Magill joined from Everton last year but ruptured her ACL during Euro 2022.

There is no Lina Hurtig in the Arsenal squad.

It's an Arsenal lineup that could easily take shape in a back three or back four, depending on where Katie McCabe is utilised. McCabe could play at left wing-back with Catley on the left of a back three, or she could play on the left wing with Catley at left-back in a back four.

Manu Zinsberger replaces Sabrina D'Angelo in goal for Arsenal. Eidevall was keen to reiterate that he does not have a 'number one' goalkeeper, but both have been under scrutiny at the start of this season. D'Angelo gifted Manchester United an equaliser last Friday and failed to enhance her case to become a regular starter.

Jonas Eidevall told Friday's press conference that Beth Mead had to progress through one final training session to make today's squad. Mead is named on the bench for Arsenal and could play her first competitive football since rupturing her ACL in November 2022.

Jordan Nobbs is on the substitutes bench for Villa against her former side.

Aston Villa: van Domselaar, Mayling, Patten, Staniforth, Corsie, Daly, Turner, Parker, Blinkilde, Magill, Pacheco.

Arsenal: Zinsberger, Wubben-Moy, Catley, Little, Maanum, Walti, McCabe, Maritz, Foord, Russo, Ilestedt. Beth Mead makes the bench.

Aston Villa beat Arsenal 2-0 on the final day of last season at Meadow Park, with Golden Boot winner Rachel Daly on the scoresheet as well as Alisha Lehmann. Villa finished fifth last season, their best ever WSL campaign.

Ward discussed Arsenal in her pre-match press conference: “They were excellent against Manchester United. I said it in pre-season and I’ll say it again… they’ve got a world class squad. They’ve got a top manager. They can rotate and put a world class XI on the pitch with whoever they select. And they’re a team who I really enjoy watching play. We’re under no illusions… we’re going to have to be at our best.”

Aston Villa will be without Kenza Dali and Kirsty Hanson. Carla Ward also revealed that some of her players had been suffering with illness.

Eidevall confirmed that "one or two minor injuries" were sustained vs Manchester United, but there are no injury doubts for today's game.

Jonas Eidevall provided updates on Beth Mead, Leah Williamson and Vivianne Miedema in Friday's conference, with the three players at different stages of their recoveries from ACL injuries. Find out what the Head Coach had to say on the Gooner Fanzine website.

Team news is not far away. One player who enhanced her case to start at the Emirates is Cloe Lacasse, after her injury time screamer sealed a 2-2 draw at Leigh Sports Village. Lacasse revealed some insight in her programme notes: "Just before I ran on, I remember being told “4-3-3”, which threw me because I was originally coming on as a wing-back! So we changed the formation at the last minute and I was like, “Okay, 4-3-3 - let’s go. We need a goal.” As an attacker, you have tunnel vision in those moments and all you see is that net. I spotted a little window of opportunity, struck the ball and it felt good coming off my foot, for sure."

Good afternoon and a warm welcome to our Gooner Fanzine live blog. It's WSL game number three for Arsenal Women and Aston Villa, with both sides winless in their opening two. Emirates Stadium hosts once again!