Premier League match updates (7.45pm BST kick-off)
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And feel free to email jacob.steinberg@theguardian.com
7.25pm BST
*A Joy of Six on cringeworthy celebrations would see this from Dean Sturridge feature prominently. *Look at my muscles! Look at them ripple! Look at me flex! Hark at my magnificence! Look at my ... WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S OFFSIDE?
7.19pm BST
*There's not a lot of pace in that Arsenal side.* Which is strange, given that coruscating speed was one of the hallmarks of Wenger's greatest sides.
7.14pm BST
*Arsenal make changes to the side that beat Wigan.* Wojchiech Szczesny, Laurent Koscielny, Kim Kallstrom, Tomas Rosicki and Olivier Giroud all come in. Kim Kallstrom! But with both Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs injured, Thomas Vermaelen moves to left-back, something West Ham will hope to exploit. They are without their hamstrung captain, Kevin Nolan, who is replaced by Antonio Nocerino, while Matt Jarvis plays instead of Matt Taylor.
*Arsenal:* Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen; Arteta, Kallstrom; Rosicky, Cazorla, Podolski; Giroud. *Subs:* Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey, Fabianski, Sanogo, Jenkinson, Akpom, Bellerin.
6.30pm BST
*Evening. *Seven years have passed since West Ham escaped north London with the spawniest victory ever recorded in footballing history. It was Arsenal's first season in their shiny new Emirates Stadium, the move a few miles down from Highbury intended to give them the funds to match the spending of their rivals it says here, and Alan Curbishley's struggling West Ham were not given much hope of becoming the first away team to win there. Indeed on the balance of play and after careful reflection, it is not an exaggeration to say that Arsenal should have recorded a victory to the tune of 473-0. They battered West Ham but found Robert Green in stretchy-armed form and then fell behind in the 45th minute to some quick thinking from an opportunistic Bobby Zamora and when the final whistle went, West Ham's fans were singing "we've only had one shot", to which Arsenal's fans might have replied that they'd had one million. It was hard to know which was the grander achievement West Ham winning or Arsenal contriving to lose. Probably the latter. It really was a remarkable feat of attacking ineptitude.
Whichever conclusion you reach, one thing that is beyond debate is that Arsenal cannot allow something similar to happen tonight. Nothing but victory against Sam Allardyce's Great Entertainers, who will probably be treating us to some 19th century football, will do if Arsenal are to breathe life back into their faltering league campaign and put the frighteners on Everton in the race for the top four. Arsenal are fifth, two points behind Everton, who crushed them 3-0 at Goodison Park last Sunday. The heat is on and that has too often been the cue for Arsenal to melt faster than a witch confronted with a splash of water, although ecent history in this fixture favours Arsenal, though. Since West Ham's promotion in 2011, Arsenal have won all three of their meetings, scoring 11 goals and conceding three. West Ham have taken the lead in all three of those matches but that has only served to anger Arsenal, who beat the Hammers 5-1 at the Emirates last season, scoring four goals in a blistering 10-minute spell in the second half.
Continue reading... Reported by guardian.co.uk 13 hours ago.
Live scoreboard: follow all the latest goals and games
And feel free to email jacob.steinberg@theguardian.com
7.25pm BST
*A Joy of Six on cringeworthy celebrations would see this from Dean Sturridge feature prominently. *Look at my muscles! Look at them ripple! Look at me flex! Hark at my magnificence! Look at my ... WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S OFFSIDE?
7.19pm BST
*There's not a lot of pace in that Arsenal side.* Which is strange, given that coruscating speed was one of the hallmarks of Wenger's greatest sides.
7.14pm BST
*Arsenal make changes to the side that beat Wigan.* Wojchiech Szczesny, Laurent Koscielny, Kim Kallstrom, Tomas Rosicki and Olivier Giroud all come in. Kim Kallstrom! But with both Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs injured, Thomas Vermaelen moves to left-back, something West Ham will hope to exploit. They are without their hamstrung captain, Kevin Nolan, who is replaced by Antonio Nocerino, while Matt Jarvis plays instead of Matt Taylor.
*Arsenal:* Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen; Arteta, Kallstrom; Rosicky, Cazorla, Podolski; Giroud. *Subs:* Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey, Fabianski, Sanogo, Jenkinson, Akpom, Bellerin.
6.30pm BST
*Evening. *Seven years have passed since West Ham escaped north London with the spawniest victory ever recorded in footballing history. It was Arsenal's first season in their shiny new Emirates Stadium, the move a few miles down from Highbury intended to give them the funds to match the spending of their rivals it says here, and Alan Curbishley's struggling West Ham were not given much hope of becoming the first away team to win there. Indeed on the balance of play and after careful reflection, it is not an exaggeration to say that Arsenal should have recorded a victory to the tune of 473-0. They battered West Ham but found Robert Green in stretchy-armed form and then fell behind in the 45th minute to some quick thinking from an opportunistic Bobby Zamora and when the final whistle went, West Ham's fans were singing "we've only had one shot", to which Arsenal's fans might have replied that they'd had one million. It was hard to know which was the grander achievement West Ham winning or Arsenal contriving to lose. Probably the latter. It really was a remarkable feat of attacking ineptitude.
Whichever conclusion you reach, one thing that is beyond debate is that Arsenal cannot allow something similar to happen tonight. Nothing but victory against Sam Allardyce's Great Entertainers, who will probably be treating us to some 19th century football, will do if Arsenal are to breathe life back into their faltering league campaign and put the frighteners on Everton in the race for the top four. Arsenal are fifth, two points behind Everton, who crushed them 3-0 at Goodison Park last Sunday. The heat is on and that has too often been the cue for Arsenal to melt faster than a witch confronted with a splash of water, although ecent history in this fixture favours Arsenal, though. Since West Ham's promotion in 2011, Arsenal have won all three of their meetings, scoring 11 goals and conceding three. West Ham have taken the lead in all three of those matches but that has only served to anger Arsenal, who beat the Hammers 5-1 at the Emirates last season, scoring four goals in a blistering 10-minute spell in the second half.
Continue reading... Reported by guardian.co.uk 13 hours ago.