FULL-TIME! Arsenal 3-1 Bournemouth
Arsenal win, extending their unbeaten run to 19 and ensuring they end the month with a mark in the W column. They are further, three points off the top. Bournemouth sit 11th but overall they did well here and will be fine come the end of the campaign. I’m off to St Mary’s now …
90min +3: Mike Jones dishes out his eighth yellow of the afternoon. This one is for Gabriel, who slides in late on Adam Smith.
90 min +1: Despite the defeat, Bournemouth have done more right than wrong here. The first goal was a shocker but since then they have looked good. Arsenal, meanwhile, can certainly do a lot better than this. Sanchez has been excellent but there have been a few anonymous performers too.
GOAL! Arsenal 3-1 Bournemouth (Sanchez)
90 min: That will do it. Arsenal have won a league game in November. They break three-on-two. Ozil feeds Giroud, who then plays the ball across goal after getting in front of Francis. It’s easy for Sanchez. He taps in from about four yards. There will be five minutes added on.
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90 min: A half chance for the visitors. Adam Smith cuts in from the left and crosses with his right boot towards Mousset. The sub cannot make Cech work with his header, though.
88 min: Another minute passes by with Arsenal defending resolutely and making it difficult for Bournemouth to fashion that chance. Xhaka was very quiet in the opening half but he has been very good in this second period.
87 min: Ozil skies a shot after being teed up by Ramsey and a few seconds later the Wales midfielder, fed by Giroud, has a shot deflected out for a corner.
84 min: Bournemouth have had 56% of the ball in this second half but they are just not doing enough to threaten Cech here.
82 min: Sanchez (again!) produces a great cross, this time for Giroud, who is unable to find the target under pressure from Ake.
82 min: Walcott has got a big ice pack strapped to his left shin on the Arsenal bench.
80 min: Sanchez finds Ozil with another long range pass and Brad Smith takes the Germany international down. He is booked and then immediately hooked for Mousset.
77 min: Cech has kept Arsenal in front! Afobe connects with a Francis knock on and it’s going in only for the keeper to react sublimely and save.
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75 min: A double change for Arsenal: Giroud and Ramsey have been sent on, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott have trotted off.
74 min: Jones has gotten every big decision wrong. He is having a nightmare. Back to the action, Sanchez finds Ozil with a glorious through ball but he is crowded out by blue shirts.
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73 min: Mike Jones’s afternoon is getting worse. Bournemouth should have a second penalty – this one is stonewall! – after Monreal deliberately handles the ball. Instead a corner is given and Arter is booked for dissent.
70 min: Stanislas is replaced by Ibe. Can he produce some magic to drag Bournemouth back into this?
68 min: Stanislas is down getting attention to a calf injury. He is set to depart. Meanwhile, there is a 50% reduced service on the Piccadilly line.
65 min: Arsenal are passing it coolly across the back before Cech hoofs the ball out for a throw in. Wenger is off his seat, furious. He looks more anxious than usual this afternoon.
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63 min: Bournemouth’s first change: Afobe comes on for Wilson.
62 min: Sanchez is booked for a grim tackle from behind on Arter near halfway, raking down on the Bournemouth midfielder’s left achilles. He appears to be in quite a lot of pain but should be ok to continue and Sanchez is apologetic – it was more poor timing than malice.
61 min: Arsenal break brilliantly through Sanchez. The Chilean finds Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose shot is goalbound but blocked by Cook.
60 min: Bournemouth are playing the ball about nicely once again but are not really finding a way to penetrate Arsenal.
57 min: Arsenal have become casual since retaking the lead and it would not surprise if Bournemouth found a way to level again.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Bournemouth (Walcott)
53 min: The cradle celebration is out in a nod to Walcott’s new baby! It’s a very clever goal. Ozil was instrumental in the buildup, dancing with the ball at his feet on the right before it was worked to Monreal at the backpost, he then sends a lovely cross towards Walcott, who heads home from about five yards.
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51 min: There’s some pulling and dragging in the penalty area from Cook but Mike Jones waves play on. If it was his namesake Dean, Arsenal may have had a penalty there.
49 min: Arsenal look more interested since the restart. It’s a good time to remind ourselves that they failed to win a league game last November. Could the same happen this year?
47 min: Ake commits a foul to the left about 30 yards from Bournemouth’s goal but Ozil’s inswinger goes harmlessly wide.
Restarted!
46 min: Bournemouth get us going again.
Half-time! Arsenal 1-1 Bournemouth
45 min +3: Sanchez, Arsenal’s only decent performer so far today, rattles the bar with a whipped right-footed effort. Federici was nowhere near it. But that’s the break and we are level. Back in a mo …
Fair point, here. Although I’m not sure the Premier League could handle my talent.
@alansmith90 You could almost play in the game! Brad Smith, Adam Smith...it's not like you'd be incongruous...
— Stevie Samuels (@samstev44748854) November 27, 2016
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45 min +2: King blocks a powerful long range drive from Oxlade-Chamberlain.
45 min: Arter is given a talking to by the referee for a late tackle on Monreal wide on Arsenal’s left. The Ireland midfielder is lucky not to have been shown a yellow card for that. There will be three minutes added on.
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44 min: Arsenal are given another corner – but it should be a goal-kick. In any case Gabriel gives away possession after it is taken short and Bournemouth clear.
42 min: Sanchez drops deep and feeds Gabriel in an advanced position on the right. The sub squares to Walcott, whose effort is blocked by Cook. The resulting corner comes to nothing.
39 min: The Emirates is silent and Bournemouth continue to enjoy themselves, even if the past few minutes have passed by without any notable action.
37 min: Elneny has a long range pot shot. The former Basel midfielder’s strike is well over.
34 min: What is it about Arsenal? They have the superior players but they are disjointed as a team and Bournemouth are toying with them. The away fans are chanting “olé” as they string together a succession of passes.
30 min: Bournemouth are undoubtedly playing the better stuff at the moment. They are popping the ball about nicely and Arsenal look stodgy. Howe’s team have had four attempts to Arsenal’s three so far!
28 min: This is building into an excellent game. Brad Smith runs on to a neat flick from Stanislas and shoots at Cech from a tight angle. The keeper turns it around his right post for a corner. By the way, Mustafi was booked rather than Monreal after the penalty – for dissent.
27 min: At the opposite end Sanchez is taken down by Ake slightly to the right of the area but Cook heads the delivery away.
25 min: What a chance for Adam Smith. The free is headed across goal by Ake, finding Smith. But his header floats just over the bar.
24 min: That is also the first goal Bournemouth have ever scored against Arsenal. Soon after the restart Arter is fouled by Koscielny about 35 yards from Cech’s goal.
Goal! Arsenal 1-1 Bournemouth (Wilson, pen)
23 min: … but the penalty is good! Wilson tucks the ball low, sending Cech the wrong way. Monreal was also booked and is absolutely furious.
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22 min: Mike Jones gives Bournemouth a penalty! Wilson and Monreal come together in the area and the striker goes down. It’s a 50-50 and seems really harsh …
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22 min: This is a good spell from Bournemouth. They have won a fourth corner. Can they make Cech work this time? No, it’s too deep and Gabriel clears.
19 min: Xhaka commits a foul a few yards inside Arsenal’s half. Stanislas finds Wilson free in the area, catching Gabriel asleep, though the defender recovers to concede a corner. From it, Brad Smith’s effort is deflected out for another.
15 min: Debuchy has gone off injured 15 minutes after his first Arsenal appearance since last November! Gabriel Paulista has come on in his place at right-back. That seems an obvious area for Bournemouth to target if they are to get back in to this game.
14 min: Arsenal are going for the jugular and Sanchez is disgusted not to have won a penalty after a coming together with Ake. It’s hard to tell on first view but the referee is adamant there was no foul. The replay actually shows it was a certain foul but just on the edge of the area … which means everybody was in the wrong!
Goal! Arsenal 1-0 Bournemouth (Sanchez)
12 min: Oh this is awful from Bournemouth. Federici rolls the ball out to Cook and the defender attempts to pass the ball back to his keeper. He’s only tapped the ball though, allowing Sanchez to immediately run on to it and finish calmly past the away keeper. So, so sloppy.
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11 min: Ake has been busy. He does well to hold off Walcott, allowing Federici to claim a loose ball forward.
9 min: A replay of that Ake block shows the ball striking his hands, but they were up against his chest.
7 min: Another Bournemouth booking! Francis is shown a yellow card for hacking down Oxlade-Chamberlain on the left after the attacker burst ferociously forward. This free-kick is also clever but it works out well, with Elneny shooting from the edge of the area. Ake blocks again.
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5 min: And then Bournemouth win a corner seconds later. Stanislas’s delivery is headed away by Monreal.
4 min: Steve Cook is given a very early yellow card for taking down Sanchez on Arsenal’s left. It’s clumsy and the centre-half, you sense, is going to have a tough afternoon. The free-kick is too clever for its own good as Ozil and Oxlade-Chamberlain mess things up. Bournemouth goal-kick.
2 min: A neat attack opens up for Özil, who scored in both games against Bournemouth last season, but his side-footed attempt is blocked by Ake. Bournemouth immediately break and Adam Smith shoots wide.
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Kick-off!
There it is – just before kick-off, as predicted. Jack Wilshere is wearing a baseball cap in the crowd, folks! OK, the game is on. Arsenal play from left to right as we watch.
Here come the teams. It’s a beautifully crisp afternoon in north London. Arsenal are in their usual home gear, Bournemouth are decked out in a two-tone blue top. We did not get a shot of Wilshere in the stands.
19 - Eddie Howe was just 19 when Arsene Wenger took charge of Arsenal in Oct 1996, and had played just five league games. Whippersnapper. pic.twitter.com/r04Lg9rkUA
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 27, 2016
… yet Howe’s the second longest-serving manager in the top flight.
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So the big team news is a recall for Arsenal’s Mathieu Debuchy, who starts at right back for the first time in more than a year. Alexis Sánchez will lead the line instead of Olivier Giroud, and there are no real surprises in Bournemouth’s team.
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The teams
Arsenal: Cech; Debuchy, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Elneny, Xhaka; Walcott, Özil, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Sanchez. Subs: Gibbs, Gabriel, Ramsey, Giroud, Ospina, Iwobi, Coquelin.
Bournemouth: Federici; A Smith, Francis, S Cook, B Smith; Gosling, Ake, Arter; King, C Wilson, Stanislas. Subs: Pugh, Afobe, Allsop, Fraser, Mings, Mousset, Ibe.
Referee: Mike Jones (Cheshire)
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Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Wilshere Clásico. Last season Arsenal won both meetings 2-0 and for all of Bournemouth’s talent it is hard to envisage anything but a similar outcome here. The draw with Paris Saint-Germain in midweek highlighted several shortcomings in Arsenal’s team – and it was fascinating to see how candid Arsène Wenger was in the immediate aftermath – but they are still operating at a different level to Bournemouth.
That’s not to play down Eddie Howe’s team, who continue to improve, and if they were to win in north London this afternoon, the Cherries would be sitting pretty in the top half of the table.
How long will it be before we are shown a shot of Jack Wilshere sat in the stands pondering the meaning of life as his parent club take on the loan team he has been reinvigorated by? That question and more will be answered over the next couple of hours (although my guess is during the lull between the players emerging from the tunnel and the game kicking off).
Team news is to follow imminently. Kick-off is 2.15pm GMT. And here is some pre-match reading.
