84 min: Alexandre Lacazette forces a good save out of Mendy, who palms his curled effort wide after gifting the Arsenal man a shot on goal with a wayward pass from the back.
81 min: Into the final 10 minutes we go, with Chelsea looking a completely beaten docket.
Chelsea’s Reece James and Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney Pool go up for a header. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Pool/Reuters
79 min: There’s a break in play as Pablo Mari limps off after receiving treatment. Tammy Abraham heads over, leaning backwards as he tries to convert a Callum Hudson-Odoi cross from the right touchline.
76 min: Arsenal are looking hugely impressive here, it must be said. Did we ever think we’d see the day?
And Chelsea looking very poor. Joe Willock is penalised for a narrow offside that may well have seen the visitors concede another goal if he’d timed his run with just a little more precisison.
75 min:Chelsea sub: Kai Havertz on, N’Golo Kante off.
70 min: Arsenal substitution: Martinelli off, Nicolas Pepe on. Arsenal substitution I didn’t notice earlier: Smith-Rowe off, Joe Willock on.
69 min: Ben Chilwell’s far post downward header from a cross from the right is a little too downward, pinging back up into his own face. A half-decent chance for Chelsea goes to waste.
67 min: A worrrying development on Sky Sports: Gary Neviulle is positively gushing about Arsenal. “They’re making Chelsea’s players look like old men,” he says. Careful now, Gary. Down with this sort of thing.
66 min: Granit Xhaka chests the ball into the hands of Bernd Leno under pressure from Kante. Cool.
62 min: Arsenal almost get their fourth. Martinelli gets on the end of a low cross from the left from Tierney. He whacks it first time, but Mendy saves well after it takes a deflection off Kurt Zouma.
58 min: Well that’s some goal from Saka. I think it was a cross but if he has an ounce of wit or gumption he’ll claim it was a shot. He’s floated one in from distance, from the right side of the penalty area with Edouard Mendy caught off his line. He was in the goalkeeper’s corridor of uncertainty.
Wow! It seems rumours of Arsenal’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Bukayo Saka floats a cross-come-shot from distance into the top corner.
Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy watches as a cross from Bukayo Saka of Arsenal bounces off the crossbar and goes in. Photograph: Mark Leech/Offside/Getty Images
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is a happy chappy. Photograph: Kevin Quigley/NMC Pool
55 min: Pulisic and Mount link up neatly again, on the left edge of the Arsenal penalty area. Nothing comes of it.
54 min: There’s a break in play as Pablo Mari gets treated for an injury. He’ll live.
50 min: Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic dink the ball hither and yon between each other in the Arsenal penalty area to no great effect. It’s purdy football, but Arsenal’s defence is stout.
48 min: Sporting his grey woollen Christmas jumper under a padded managerial jacket with his arms tightly folded, Frank Lampard is on the t0uchline looking very displeased indeed. It’s not a huge surprise - Chelsea have been fairly dire in a match one suspects many of his players thought they might win very easily.
46 min: We’re up and running in the second half, with Jorginho and Callum Hudson-Odoi on for Timo Werner and Mateo Kovacic.
It’s half-time, with Arsenal going in two goals to the good thanks to an Alexandre Lacazette spot-kick followed by a Granit xhakla free-kick that veered over the wall and goalwards after Bukayao Saka had been fouled by N’Golo Kante just outside the Chelsea penalty area.
The Swiss international bangs in a free-kick to double his side’s lead. Tremendous.
Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy is beaten by Granit Xhaka’s free-kick. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Pool/Getty Images
Granit Xhaka is congratulated by fellow goalscorer Alexandre Lacazette. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/NMC Pool/The Guardian
Then is mobbed by his teammates. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/NMC Pool/The Guardian
Gary Neville on Sky Sports co-comms: “If you’re an Arsenal fan watching at home you’ll want to be seeing this.” He adds the caveat - and I’m paraphrasing here - that the bar is low.
41 min: Move along. Not much to see here. Middle third of the pitch nothingness.
Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic wins a header. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/Pool/Reuters
38 min: So, Arsenal in front then and while the penalty they got was a bit iffy, you’d have to say they deserve it. Kieran Tierney has been a thorn in the side of Reece James, whose leg he just fell over.
Alexandre Lacazette slots the ball into the bottom right-hand corner. That was a soft penalty bought by Tierney from Reece James, but Arsenal are ahead.
Alexandre Lacazette opens the scoring from the penalty spot. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Lacazette (left) is congratulated by Mohamed Elneny. Photograph: Julian Finney/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
“It wasn’t rescinded.”
Reece James brings down Kieran Tierney and Michael Oliver points to the spot. I think this will be rescinded.
Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney goes down under the challenge of Chelsea’s Reece James. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/Pool/PA Images
31 min: Mason Mount tries to curl the ball inside the far upright from the left. Wide as a ditch. It’s snowing at the Emirates - we’re three wise men, a couple of donkeys and a Mesut Ozil winner away from a Christmas miracle.
Mason Mount doesn’t go close. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/NMC Pool/The Guardian
30 min:Chelsea corner. The ball’s sent into the penalty area, cleared, returned and cleared again.
29 min: The cameras cut to Mikel Arteta on the touchline. He is doing a lot of pointing.
Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta makes a point. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/NMC Pool/The Guardian
25 min: Top reffing from Michael Oliver, who plays advantage twice in quick succession to allow an Arsenal attack breathe. Smith-Rowe stretches every sinew but can’t poke a cross from the right home. Whisper it, but Arsenal are playing well.
24 min: Granit Xhaka chances tries his luck from distance, to the left of the Chelsea penalty area. His shot is blocked.
22 min: Chelsea corner. Mount swings it in and Kurt Zouma rises highest. Over the bar.
19 min: Timo Werner finds himself on the left side of the Arsenal penalty area, the ball at his feet with Rob Holding blocking his path to goal. He gets it on to his left foot and shoots, but Holding blocks. Straightforward but excellent defending.
18 min: Having seen a replay, I’m going to say dark yellow, but not quite orange or red.
16 min:Chelsea enjoy a spell of possession that comes to an abrupt end when Pablo Mari takes out Mateo Kovacic. He gets booked for the fairly reckless challenge which I thought, on first view, perhaps deserved a red card.
Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea is fouled by Pablo Mari of Arsenal Photograph: Tom Jenkins/NMC Pool/The Guardian
13 min: Ooof!!!! Mason Mount takes the free-kick, scraping paint off the the outside of the right upright with an effort that goes just wide but had Leno beaten.
12 min: Granit Xhaka concedes a free-kick, lunging in from behind on Christian Pulisic. Chelsea with a dead ball, 30 yards from goal almost dead centre.
10 min: Sloppy from Martinelli, who gives the ball away over by the far touchline. Chelsea take the ball and keep it for a while, passing and probing ... keeping Arsenal on the back foot.
7 min: Bernd Leno booms a goal kick down the pitch, towards the right touchline. Emile Smith-Rowe scrabbles around, digging for the ball.
6 min: Arsenal win a corner, play it short and get the ball in the box. Edouard Mendy collects in goal for Chelsea.
4 min: Nothing much of note to report in these early stages but Arsenal having the better of it.
Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka crosses the ball. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/Pool/Reuters
1 min: Martinelli volleys a cross from the right across the face of goal and wide, following a promising Arsenal attack early doors. Did it take a defelection off Thiago Silva? Your humble reporter thought so but no corner is forthcoming.
1 min: The players take a knee and Michael Oliver huffs, puffs and blows his whistle, prompting Mason Mount to get the ball rolling. Game on.
Not long now: The teams make their way out on to the field, Chelsea first led by Thiago Silva, Arsenal soon after with Hector Bellerin leading from the front. Both sets of players line up either side of Michael Oliver and his fellow match officials for the last of the pre-match formalities. Kick-off is just a couple of minutes away.
On being able to pick Reece James and Ben Chilwell: “It’s good news because they’ve been in great form this season,” he says. “Reece has a knee problem but we’re managing it. Chilly is playing with a bit of pain but we’ve all done that.”
No, we haven’t Frank. Also: Chilly?
On Arsenal’s difficulties: “The Premier League this season, everyone’s having their moments. We don’t want to let a team off the hoook or give them a good feeling.”
OptaJoe(@OptaJoe)
2 - Chelsea have lost just two of their last 17 Premier League meetings with Arsenal (W9 D6), with both of those defeats coming at the Emirates (0-3 in September 2016, 0-2 in January 2019). Guarded.
“David [Luiz] and Willian were feeling unwell, but they both tested negative [for Covid],” he says, when asked about the conspicuous absence of much of his Brazilian contingent. “We’ve kept them away. Gabriel was in touch with somebody who was positive, so we’ve left him out too, according to the rules.”
Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistants: Stuart Burt and Simon Bennett
Fourth official: Stuart Attwell
VAR: Paul Tierney
Michael Oliver is tonight’s referee. Photograph: Getty Images
Gabriel Martinelli is fit to start for Arsenal and along with Alexandre Lacazette, is one of just two players that started for Arsenal in their midweek League Cup defeat at the hands of Manchester City to keep their places. Along with Pablo Mari and Emile Smith Rowe, Martinelli makes his first league start of the season. Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang starts on the bench.
Frank Lampard makes two changes to the side that beat West Ham on Monday night. Reece James is back from injury and replaces Cesar Azpilicueta, while Mateo Kovacic comes into midfield for Jorginho. Ben Chilwell also starts, making a complete mockery of my early team news in the process.
It could be a case of “no Partey no party” for Arsenal, whose midfielder Tommy P is out with a calf injury. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang is also a major doubt for the Gunners, but could feature off the bench. Gabriel Martinelli is also a doubt.
For Chelsea, Hakim Ziyech remains sidelined, while full-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell may miss out. Cesar Azpilicueta and Emerson Palmieri could deputise.
Enduring their worst start to a season since 1975, there’s a touch of make-or-break about this game for Arsenal as they host Chelsea at the Emirates today. Mikel Arteta is a man under pressure and in dire need of a win, but comes up against another novice manager in Frank Lampard, who has having a far better time of it in the Premier League. Kick-off at the Emirates is at 5.30pm (GMT), but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
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