Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's massive London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium. We have a mouth-watering clash ahead of us, so let's get straight down to business!

We'll start by looking at our hosts this evening, who have limped through a tricky December after racing to the top of the Premier League table before that. Arsene Wenger's men have faltered in recent weeks for the first time since the start of the season and have not won any of their last three matches in all competitions.

A draw against high-flying Everton, who outplayed the Gunners for large periods of the match, has been followed up by a defeat to Napoli in the Champions League that consigned them to second place in the group and then a 6-3 hammering at the hands of free-scoring Manchester City in their last league outing. Arsenal need to get back to winning ways if they are to prove themselves to be genuine title contenders, and tonight would be the perfect time to do it.

That run has left Arsenal third in the Premier League table when a couple of weeks ago they had the chance to more seven points clear at the top. A win this evening will put them back on top of the tree at Christmas, while a draw would see them move level on points with Liverpool and up to second. Defeat, meanwhile, would see them drop down to fourth.

The season, on the whole, has turned out a lot better than many Arsenal fans feared when they were beaten here by Aston Villa on the opening day. The Gunners have scored 33 goals already this season, which is a tally only bettered by the top two in the league, Liverpool and Manchester City. They will have a tough task breaking down a Chelsea side that is expected to be quite defensive this evening, so their strikers and creative midfielders will need to be firing on all cylinders.

At the other end of the pitch, Arsenal's figures are even more impressive. Even accounting for the six goals they shipped in their last outing, the Gunners have the second best defensive record in the league, having only conceded 17 goals in their 16 games. Their recent defensive record is cause for a little concern, however, as they have conceded as many goals in their last two Premier League games as they did in the previous 13.

The Gunners have lost two games in a row for the first time this season, and they haven't been beaten three times on the bounce since 2010, when Barcelona, Tottenham and Wigan all emerged victorious against Arsene Wenger's side. The last time they went three Premier League games without a win was almost a year ago, in January 2013, when their third match of that run came against - you guessed it - Chelsea.

Their home form this season has been very impressive, with that opening day defeat to Aston Villa being their only loss in the league here. Stretching back to last season, they have only lost once in their last 17 home matches and are unbeaten in their last five in all competitions.

The Gunners generally manage to score first in these games, having done so in their last 10 matches at the Emirates. However, they have struggled to prove themselves against the big sides so far this season, losing to both Manchester clubs, drawing to Everton and losing in the Carling Cup to Chelsea. The only side who they have beaten in the current top five is league leaders Liverpool.

That Chelsea win over Arsenal here in October continued a remarkable record for Jose Mourinho against Arsenal. The Portuguese manager has never been beaten by Arsene Wenger in either of his guises as 'The Special One' or 'The Happy One'. The two managers - who haven't always had the best relationship on the sidelines - have met nine times, with Mourinho winning five and drawing four.

It also kept up a very good record for Chelsea at the Emirates. No away side has picked up more Premier League points here than Chelsea's 11 since Arsenal switched from Highbury. Another three points tonight would see the Blues leapfrog their London rivals in the table and move into second, level on points with Liverpool.

Their stats are very similar to those of Arsenal this season, which suggests that this will be an even game tonight. Chelsea have scored just one goal less than the Gunners this season, netting 32 times to Arsenal's 33, while they have also only conceded one goal more, with 18.

Mourinho has been critical of his side's attacking prowess so far this season, with the likes of Torres, Ba and Eto'o struggling for goals. However, the midfield has certainly played their part and the Blues have actually scored at least twice in each of their last six Premier League games, which is not a bad record by any stretch of the imagination. However, none of the Chelsea strikers have scored an away goal in 2013, with Torres the last to net on their travels way back on December 8, 2012.

At the other end, Chelsea's defence has been uncharacteristically leaking goals recently. They have conceded three to Stoke and five in two meetings against Sunderland - including an extra-time defeat to see them knocked out of the League Cup in midweek - already this month and have only kept one clean sheet in their last 11 Premier League matches.

Their away form is also increasingly worrying for Mourinho, who has watched his side lose four of their last six matches on their travels in all competitions. Their last Premier League away day resulted in that dramatic defeat to Stoke, and they will certainly need to improve on that performance if they are to come away with anything from the Emirates tonight.

TEAM NEWS: The team news is in for both sides, and it is a very attacking lineup named by Arsene Wenger. He has not included Mathieu Flamini or Santi Cazorla, instead opting for Ramsey, Rosicky, Ozil, Arteta and Walcott in midfield. Chelsea, on the other hand, have left the likes of Mata, David Luiz, Ashley Cole and Oscar on the bench. Full team news for both sides on the way...

ARSENAL STARTING XI: Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs; Arteta, Rosicky, Ramsey, Ozil, Walcott; Giroud

ARSENAL SUBS: Fabianski, Monreal, Jenkinson, Flamini, Cazorla, Bendtner, Podolski

CHELSEA STARTING XI: Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Mikel, Lampard; Ramires, Willian, Hazard; Torres

CHELSEA SUBS: Schwarzer, David Luiz, Cole, Oscar, Mata, Schurrle, Eto'o

So, what can we make of those two sides? Well, there are plenty of surprises on either team sheet but let's start with Arsenal. I must say I was expecting to see Flamini start this evening, particularly with Chelsea talent in attacking midfield. Flamini has been an underrated signing from Arsenal's summer dealings and the Gunners look a lot less solid without him in midfield.

However, while they may lack an out-and-out defensive midfielder now, they certainly don't lack any quality in that area of the park. The likes of Ramsey and Ozil have proven themselves to be match-winners already this season, while Walcott has enough pace to cause any side serious problems on his day. Ramsey may play in a more withdrawn role with the absence of Flamini, but don't be surprised to see him making regular runs forward to join any attacks.

Up front they have Giroud, who has gone off the boil a little since his superb start to the season. However, he showed enough in the first few weeks of the campaign to suggest that he is more than capable of scoring whenever he gets a sniff of goal, so he will fancy his chances against a Chelsea defence that has struggled to keep clean sheets recently.

The Arsenal defence will be looking for a particularly strong showing this evening after shipping six goals in their last outing. They are without Koscielny, however, after he suffered a gash on his leg during that defeat to Man City, so club captain Thomas Vermaelen returns to the starting lineup. Elsewhere, Lukas Podolski makes his return to the squad following a three-month injury lay-off.

As for Chelsea, I am somewhat surprised to see Juan Mata and Oscar on the bench. Mata has been in and out of the team this season, but his record against Arsenal - four goals in four starts - is very good and he clearly likes playing against the Gunners. Oscar, meanwhile, seemed to be Mourinho's golden boy in the first few weeks of the season but he has struggled to maintain that form throughout the campaign.

Mourinho has something of a reputation for boring tactics in these sorts of matches, however, so perhaps it isn't much of a surprise to see him go for solid midfielders rather than flair players. He knows exactly what he will get with the likes of Lampard, Mikel and Ramires, while he will be hoping that Willian and Hazard can provide enough spark to make them dangerous on the attack.

Torres earns a recall up front, and when you look at the alternatives you can see why. Eto'o hasn't lived up to his big reputation since joining the Blues in the summer, while Ba has also struggled since becoming a Chelsea player. Torres hasn't exactly been a shining beacon of consistency either, but the Spaniard is steadily improving and has even shown signs of his old self at times this season. Arsenal would write off his threat at their own peril, but Chelsea main attacking threat will probably come from midfield today.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes from kickoff at the Emirates, which means that it is time for my match prediction! This is a very intriguing match this evening and, while on first view it may promise goals with the recent results of both sides, in reality I think it could be a cagey affair. Wenger has never beaten Mourinho and I don't see that changing this evening, but I also don't see Chelsea coming away from the Emirates with all three points. I'll go for a share of the spoils courtesy of a 1-1 draw.

Arsenal's recent record against Chelsea leaves a lot to be desired for the Gunners. Having won nine and drawn four of their first 13 meetings at home in the Premier League era, they have since won just two and lost four of the last eight.

In addition to going top of the league with a win tonight, three points - or indeed just the one - would see the Gunners pass another landmark for the club. They have amassed a staggering 1,299 Premier League points under Arsene Wenger, so one more would take them over the 1,300 mark.

Arsenal's Mesut Ozil could well be a key player today as he leads the Premier League in assists this season with seven. However, on the other side is Eden Hazard, who has set up a league-high 15 goals since the start of last season - a tally only Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard can match.

We're very close to kickoff now at the Emirates - what a huge London derby we have in store!

Can Arsene Wenger end his winless streak against Jose Mourinho? It's #afc v #cfc LIVE: http://t.co/IB7LCcGs6c #ARSCHE pic.twitter.com/0NuFF45HLb — Sports Mole (@SportsMole) December 23, 2013

KICKOFF: Chelsea get us underway in this massive derby match as both sides look to reach the top of the table at Christmas. Who will come out on top?

A shaky moment from Gibbs early on as a poor backpass gifts Chelsea a corner, but the Gunners defend it well to clear the danger.

Both sides have had time on the ball in the opening exchanges, which has allowed them to ease themselves into the game. The atmosphere in the stands is rocking at the moment, but the action on the field is yet to really get going.

Torres makes a burst right through the middle but pokes the ball just too far ahead of himself before tumbling over the leg of Mertesacker. That would have been a free kick in a very good position for the visitors had Torres had that ball under better control.

Arsenal get their first corner of the match and Walcott's delivery looks destined for the head of Giroud. However, the ball got caught in the wind and flew over the head of the French striker and out for a goal kick.

It has been an absolutely horrible day in terms of weather in North London, but there was never any question of this match being called off. It is still very windy inside the Emirates, however, while the slippy conditions could make things tougher for both keepers.

Azpilicueta goes in late on Ramsey from behind, and that is a really pointless foul. He is now a marked man for Mike Dean, and you can be sure that his next offence will result in a yellow card.

Lampard then comes flying in with a tackle on Sagna, but this time he is deemed to get the ball and Dean only awards Arsenal a throw. Mourinho does his own piece of refereeing on the sidelines, but neither set of players are holding back in these opening exchanges.

Chelsea have made the better start to this match without fashioning any decent sights of goal. Arsenal have been slow to get going and look like they may struggle to break the visitors down if things carry on like this.

A long ball upfield almost falls for Walcott inside the Chelsea area, but the winger just can't get it under control as the visiting defence hack it away from danger.

Rosicky and Giroud link up on the edge of the box but Terry stands in the way to hammer the ball clear. The Gunners are starting to see more of the ball in dangerous areas now, but still the Chelsea defence is holding firm.

The home fans are incensed as an Azpilicueta tackle goes unpunished. The ball breaks to Ramires in a good attacking position, but his ball over the top for Torres was cut out by an acrobatic interception from Vermaelen.

Ramires and Willian link up on the right wing with the latter putting a low ball into the box. Lampard is lurking dangerously on the edge of the area, but Ramsey comes diving in with an important interception at the expense of a corner.

That tackle from Lampard showcases Chelsea's tactics for Ozil tonight. The England international was very quickly out to meet the German and put him under heavy pressure before tripping him. Mourinho will know exactly how to deal with Ozil following their time together at Real Madrid.

Superb defending from Cahill as he slides in to make a crucial interception from Sagna's cross. It was a fine delivery from the right-back, who bent it around the back of the defence towards Giroud at the near post, only for Cahill to make the block.

SHOT! Chelsea have a rare effort on Arsenal's goal as Willian swings a cross into the box for Ramires to attack. The midfielder gets in front of Mertesacker and rises well, but he can't keep his header down, planting the effort over the bar.

It has been a cautious opening 30 minutes or so, which was to be expected given Mourinho's usual tactics in such games. With both sides having shipped so many goals recently it was also probably top of both managers' priority lists to keep things tight at the back too.

Neither keeper has been tested so far this afternoon, which is surprising considering the conditions. I wouldn't be surprised to see an increased amount of long shots if things continue like this as they will be very hard to deal with in this rain.

OFF THE BAR! The best moment of the half by some distance falls the way of Chelsea and Frank Lampard. The England international got on the end of Hazard's lofted through ball before controlling a fine volley off the underside of the crossbar. That was a superb piece of play from the visitors, and they are unlucky not to be 1-0 up.

SAVE! This is a really good spell for Chelsea as Torres turns on the edge of the area before forcing a comfortable save from Szczesny.

PENALTY CLAIM! Arsenal want a penalty for a foul on Walcott by Willian. Mike Dean waves it away, but I have certainly seen them given! The Chelsea man caught Walcott on his way back after Ozil had broken into the box and fed Walcott, but the Arsenal winger went down quite easily. It could have gone either way.

This game has livened up in the last few minutes, which has done wonders for it as a spectacle. Both sides are now looking to attack and suddenly the game is very open.

Rosicky slides in on Azpilicueta, who screams as he goes down. I'm sure it didn't hurt him that much! There is certainly no love lost between these two sides, though.

Szczesny almost misjudges a high ball into the box thanks to the swirling wind, but he just manages to hold on before puffing his cheeks out in relief.

Arsenal are starting to turn the screw at the end of this half now and they have won a couple of corners in quick succession to keep Chelsea under pressure.

CHANCE! Ramsey gives the ball away from the corner and Chelsea immediately break, with Hazard leading the charge. He has a four-on-three situation and lays it off the Willian on his right, but the Brazilian's effort is tame and easy for Szczesny to save. He should have done better there.

There will be just one minute of added time at the end of this half.

Ozil let's fly with a very well-controlled volley from range, but Cahill makes an important block. The hosts want a penalty for a handball against the England centre-back but Mike Dean is right to wave it away.

Mike Dean brings an end to the first half and it remains goalless between these two London giants. It has been a largely cagey affair momentarily lit up by a fine Frank Lampard volley that cannoned off the underside of the crossbar, which is the closest we have come to a goal by some distance.

It is Chelsea who have had the best chances in the match so far. In addition to Lampard's volley, which came at the end of a lovely little ball from Hazard, the Blues have tested Wojciech Szczesny through Fernando Torres and Willian, the latter of whom really should have made more of a good chance late in the half following a quick break from a corner.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have had a couple of penalty claims that they will be aggrieved about. The second of which Mike Dean got spot on when he waved away claims against Gary Cahill for a handball right at the end of the half. Earlier in the half, however, Walcott was unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty when he was clipped by Willian. The Arsenal man did go to ground quite easily, but it was a foul and outside the box it would have certainly been given.

There was also a controversial tackle from Mikel on Arteta just moments after that Walcott penalty shout, and the replays show it was a nasty one from the Chelsea man. However, while he was late and quite high, it was a 50-50 challenge and so the red card that Arsene Wenger and some of the Arsenal players wanted would have been harsh.

We're all set for a very intriguing second half. For 30 minutes it was a rather dull and dreary affair between two sides playing cautious football. However, the last 15 minutes really livened up and I expect that to continue in the second half as time wears on. There is a lot to gain for both sides with a win this evening, so surely they will start to take more risks in the second half?

What will be especially interesting is whether or not either manager changes their tactics as time goes on. Both Wenger and Mourinho have some dangerous attacking players on their respective benches, so they certainly have the tools required to push for all three points tonight.

KICKOFF: Arsenal get us back underway at the Emirates ahead of a mouth-watering second half. Can either side find a breakthrough in the next 45 minutes?

Arsene Wenger has only just appeared out of the tunnel for the start of this second half, and he still hasn't figured out how to do up that jacket of his! He needs it tonight, the conditions are awful here.

Arsenal have settle quite quickly into this second half, but they are yet to really test Cech tonight. They need to find more of a cutting edge if they are to come away with anything from this match.

That's more like it from the hosts as they play some intricate passing on the edge of the box before Rosicky was stopped in his tracks by Cahill. Not for the first time tonight, Chelsea launch a quick counter and almost catch Arsenal cold, but Willian can't make the most of his space.

Chelsea have been slow to get going in this second half, and their most promising moments seem to be coming on the counter attack. Mourinho is challenging Arsenal to break his side down here and looking to hurt them on the break if they commit too many men forward in trying to do so.

Chelsea break again on the counter and once again outnumber the Arsenal defence but can't make the most of it. This time the final ball was behind Ramires and Hazard, with the latter taking a poor first touch before an even worse second one that took it behind for a goal kick.

BREAKING NEWS: Some big news is coming through elsewhere on North London, where Tottenham have reportedly offered Tim Sherwood the manager's job until at least the end of the season. We'll have more details for you up on the site shortly.

Vermaelen gives a little kick to Torres after the Chelsea striker had come in late on the Arsenal skipper while trying to block a clearance. It was the smallest of contacts and Torres didn't make much of it, but had the ref seen it he may have taken action.

Both sides have enjoyed exactly 50% of possession in this second half, and that is a pretty fair representation of how it has gone so far. Neither side have dominated and it has been a very even affair throughout really.

YELLOW CARD! Ramires goes absolutely flying into a tackle on Arteta. He was very high there and the Spaniard went down in pain, but his reaction was a little delayed. Had Ramires made more contact there it would have been a definite red, but as it happens he gets a yellow for intent, which is probably just about right.

Wenger could rightly feel like the referee's decisions haven't gone his way this evening. He has seen two potential red cards and a potential penalty all go Chelsea's way. I think the ref has got two of them right, but on another day Chelsea could be down to nine.

SAVE! Lampard unleashes a trademark long-range strike that skids along the floor and draws a solid save from Szczesny. That was a decent strike from Lampard, but the Arsenal keeper would have been upset to let it in.

Things are starting to boil over now as Ozil and Ivanovic square up to each other, resulting in a number of players from both sides getting involved. Ordinarily, that would be a yellow for Ozil and Ivanovic, but Dean in his lenient mood gives them both just a warning. Walcott, meanwhile, was booked moments before.

YELLOW CARD! Rosicky becomes the third man in the book for a foul on Ivanovic. This one does draw a card, but that is because of a totting up offence rather than that particular foul.

The Arsenal fans are chanting that Dean 'doesn't know what he's doing'. A string of decision have gone against the hosts, but Mike Dean has had a decent game on the whole. The only one he has got wrong so far is Walcott's penalty shout.

CHELSEA SUB: The first change of the day comes from the visitors as Andre Schurrle replaces Hazard. That is an interesting change from Mourinho, who leaves Mata and Oscar on the bench for now.

The Arsenal fans are going livid right now as Ramsey kicks the ball out so that Ramires can receive treatment. Giroud sprints over to him and lambasts his decision, while a couple of Chelsea men walk over to shake his hand.

CHELSEA SUB: Oscar does finally come on to replace Willian for the final 13 minutes of normal time. Can he help Chelsea find a winner here?

CHANCE! Huge chance for Arsenal as they flood forward from midfield. Rosicky gives it to Ramsey, who dinks a lovely ball over the top for Giroud to run on it. The striker only has Cech to beat but slices his effort past the near post when he should have done much better. That is the Gunners' best moment of the match by some distance.

Arsenal are yet to test Cech in this match which, rumour has it, would be the first time they have gone 90 minutes at home in the Premier League without a shot on target. Now that would be some achievement for Chelsea if they can hold on to that.

Still no changes for Arsenal, and I just wonder whether Wenger is thinking of making one soon - surely he is? They have lacked creativity in this match and the likes of Cazorla or Podolski could solve that problem against a tiring defence.

CHANCE! Another big chance for Chelsea as Gibbs slides the ball into the middle for Giroud to attack. The Arsenal man gets there before Terry, but a combination of the Chelsea skipper and Cech do just enough to squeeze the ball over the bar and out for a corner. I was expecting the net to bulge there!

Lampard swings a corner into the box and Szczesny comes to claim it but gets nowhere near the ball. He flaps at it but is fortunate to see it fall to a red shirt and not someone in the blue of Chelsea.

CHELSEA SUB: Well, if this doesn't speak volumes about Mourinho's ambition - or lack thereof - in this match then I don't know what will. Instead of bringing on Mata for the closing stages, on comes David Luiz in place of Torres.

There will be three additional minutes at the end of this match.

OFF THE LINE! For once, Chelsea's marking from a corner is lazy and Sagna finds himself unmarked in the area. He plants a tame header towards the bottom corner and it manages to get all the way through until Azpilicueta hacks it off the line. So close for Arsenal!

David Luiz lines up a free kick from a long way out, but the hush of anticipation (or is it fear?) around the stadium lifts when he hammers his shot into the wall.

Well, that was certainly not a classic but both sides pick up a valuable point. You feel that both Wenger and Mourinho went into tonight's match trying not to lose the game rather than trying to win it, and that resulted in a rather dull encounter between two of English football's top sides. It didn't really live up to the pre-match billing, but we had a couple of highlights from either side and there are plenty of talking points to discuss.

Frank Lampard came closest for Chelsea when he rattled the underside of the bar in the first half, while it took Arsenal 85 minutes to have a shot on target. Giroud squandered two really good chances for the hosts in the final 10 minutes or so, while Sagna also had one cleared off the line by Azpilicueta in stoppage time of the second half.

Right, that's all we have time for this evening! Thanks very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea. I'm afraid we couldn't bring you any goals but the match is still a significant moment in the title race as Arsenal move back level with Liverpool at the top of the table. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction and analysis, which should be on site shortly. From me, though, it is goodbye!