Norwich vs Arsenal LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction today

1 min: It’s a foul day in Norwich as the hosts get us underway - and play in straight into touch from kick off. Martinelli looks confident on his first touch of the ball.

Boxing Day football is underway!

The players are in the tunnel as we approach kick-off at Carrow Road. Arsenal are looking for their fourth win in a row in the Premier League as they look to maintain their top-four push. For Norwich, any win would do.

One year ago today, Arteta made a statement team selection by going with youth in the Premier League meeting with Chelsea on Boxing Day, handing starts to Saka, Smith Rowe and Martinelli in the 3-1 win.

Arsenal went into that match 15th in the Premier League table after a horrendous run of form, but it heralded a turn of fortune for Arteta.

A year on, and Arteta’s faith in youth has been rewarded - and has given the club a sense of direction again. Arsenal could cement their fourth-place position with three points at Carrow Road today.

Norwich manager Dean Smith has seen his side go five Premier League matches without a win as they look to climb off the bottom of the table this afternoon.

A gap is starting to open up with the sides ahead of Norwich and Smith said the 2-0 defeat to his former team Aston Villa was the poorest his side have been since he took charge in November.

Norwich host fourth-placed Arsenal today and Smith said that his side will be confident at Carrow Road, as they view everyone apart from the top three of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea as “beatable” in their survival fight.

“The games that we have played before that (Villa defeat) have been really good,” Smith said. “Our performance levels have been up there. If we can reach those levels, then we will win football games.

“You have got three outstanding teams at the top at the moment, who seem to be the ones who are not getting beat at all. The others at the bottom, and certainly ourselves, can look above and see that there are beatable teams. Our performance against Manchester United proved to us that we could be a match against anyone.”

Charlie Patino made a dream start to his Arsenal career as he came off the bench to score in the 5-1 win over Sunderland on Tuesday.

The 18-year-old was making his Arsenal debut and has been named on the bench again today for the trip to Carrow Road.

With Arsenal facing Wolves in a little more than 48 hours, the youngster could find himself making his Premier League debut at some point this week.

“Charlie is with us more and more in training sessions, [Tuesday] was his first competitive match which was a beautiful day for him and everybody involved in the club and we’ll go slowly from there,” Arteta said in his pre-match press conference.

“If we need him, we’ll use him if the numbers are quiet and we have to throw him in there when we believe he’s ready and he’s making the right steps and we’re really happy with where we are.”

Today marks two years since Mikel Arteta first took charge of Arsenal, which was a 1-1 draw to Bournemouth. There have been plenty of highs and lows in the Spaniard’s tenure so far, and questions remain over how far the club have progressed during that time.

One thing that is for sure, though, is that there has been an overhaul of Arsenal’s squad, led by the emerging talents of youngsters such as Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli - which Arteta says points to a brighter future.

“I’m most proud of the atmosphere, the environment and the culture we have around the club and the sense of unity that we have from everybody who works at the club,” he said this week.

“The sense of unity that we have with our supporters I think has come a long, long way. I think I have made a lot of mistakes for sure in this period, I would need to have time to reflect on that, but I don’t know, I wish I had six trophies here next to me because that’s what this club deserves!”

Arsenal have confirmed that Takehiro Tomiyasu, Cedric Soares and Ainsley Maitland-Niles have all tested positive for Covid-19.

Arsenal make just the one change from last weekend’s 4-1 win over Leeds in the Premier League, with Rob Holding coming in for Takehiro Tomiyasu, in a move that will see Ben White shift over to right back. Emile Smith Rowe is joined on the bench by Charlie Patino and the returning Albert Sambi Lokonga.

It’s almost been two weeks since Norwich’s last game. Goalkeeper Angus Gunn makes his first Premier League start in place of Tim Krul, while Josh Sargent and Kieran Dowell come in for Jacob Sorensen and Todd Cantwell, who is on their bench.

Norwich: Gunn; Aarons, Kabak, Gibson, Williams; Gilmour, McLean; Sargent, Dowell, Placheta; Pukki

Arsenal: Ramsdale; White, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Lacazette