Good afternoon and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of Arsenal's trip to London rivals West Ham United.
The hosting Hammers actually head into this encounter ahead of Arsenal in the Premier League table and should they avoid defeat against the Gunners, it will remain that way at the conclusion of the weekend.
However, the travelling Gunners are unbeaten from their last eight visits to Upton Park, winning six.
Can Sam Allardyce's men bring an end to that record today? Stay tuned to find out.
7.29pmThanks for joining us this evening and be sure to take a look at our analysis of the match which will be coming your way shortly.
7.27pmTo round off the action, here is our full time report of the events at Upton Park.
7.25pmWest Ham supporters may disagree but Arsenal deserved that. They created the better chances and were more clinical in front of goal. The introduction of Walcott changed the match in Arsenal's favour. He caused West Ham problems that they hadn't faced all game.
7.23pmFULL TIME: West Ham 1-3 Arsenal
90+3 minArsenal are currently in possession and appear comfortable. Looking like game over.
90 minWest Ham have five minutes of stoppage time to find two goals. Three if they're being greedy and want to win it!
89 minSAVE! Taylor has a dig from 20 or so yards out but Mannone gets strong hands behind the ball and palms clear.
86 minBOOKING! Taylor has his name taken for a sliding challenge on both Santos and Arteta. In a way, it was impressive! Still, he deserved the yellow card.
85 minSUBSTITUTION: Arsene Wenger is now looking to defend what he has got. Laurent Koscielny comes on for Podolski. Hardly like for like.
84 minWhat a goal from the pint-sized Spaniard. He tries his luck 25 yards from goal with a dipping effort that flies into the back of the net. It looked for a moment that the ball was going to go over but a last minute drop saw it nestle in the net. Stunning.
82 minGOAL! West Ham 1-3 Arsenal (Cazorla)
81 minSUBSTITUTION: Goalscorer Diame takes his leave and is replaced by Carlton Cole. Final change for West Ham.
79 minCHANCE! Oh no Nolan. Diame flicks the ball on and finds Nolan inside the area. The West Ham skipper hits the ball instantly, but he sends his effort over the bar. His sisters won't be impressed with that one, that's for sure.
77 minBOOKING! Like Diame earlier, Walcott goes into the book for over celebrating.
77 minHe's said that he wants to be considered as a striker and after that finish, it's hard to argue with Walcott. Giroud slips him in down the right and the England international sends the ball beyond Jaaskelainen. Fantastic finish from the substitute.
76 minGOAL! West Ham 1-2 Arsenal (Walcott)
74 minSUBSTITUTION: Demel limps off for West Ham and James Tomkins comes on to fill the void at right-back.
72 minPENALTY APPEAL! Big shout from Arsenal players as Ramsey tumbles under a challenge from Taylor. Phil Dowd says no. Replays show it was a foul, but it was committed just outside the area. In Arsenal's very next attack, Podolski drives straight at Jaaskelainen. Arsenal are now dominating.
71 minOUCH! An update on Vaz Te and it's not a nice one. The West Ham medical staff believe that the attacker has suffered a dislocated right shoulder.
69 minCHANCE! Now Arsenal begin to move through the gears. Podolski and Cazorla exchange passes and the latter shoots towards goal. Collins stands firm though and chests the ball away from danger.
66 minCHANCE! Carroll and Mannone contest for the ball in the air. The West Ham striker beats the Arsenal goalkeeper, but his header just brushes past the post. A real let off for the Gunners.
65 minArsenal have been very disappointing so far this half. There's been none of the swagger you normally see from them when they've been in possession.
63 minSUBSTITUTION: It's West Ham's turn to call for reinforcements. Vaz Te comes off when a shoulder/arm injury and is replaced by Matt Taylor.
59 minCHANCE! Carroll again causes problems in the Arsenal box and the ball eventually finds Jarvis. The winger swivels and shoots all in one movement but lifts his effort over the bar.
57 minHearing that Gibbs is suffering from a thigh a problem. If that's serious the full-back will probably be forced to pull out of the England squad for next week's World Cup qualifiers.
56 minSUBSTITUTION: Not good news for Arsenal or England. Kieran Gibbs limps off and is replaced by Andre Santos.
53 min...which Carroll meets square on. However, his downward header is cleared by Gibbs and the danger passes.
52 minCorner for the Hammers as Mertesacker heads behind...
48 minIt's been an end-to-end start to this half, although neither goalkeeper has been called into meaningful action as yet.
6.33pmWest Ham get the second half underway...
6.32pmArsenal players are already back on the pitch. You would imagine Arsene Wenger has urged his side to produce more of the same.
6.21pmWhile we wait for the second half, why not give our half-time report from Upton Park a read?
6.18pmHALF-TIME: West Ham 1-1 Arsenal
45+1 minCHANCE! West Ham really should be level. Carroll rises highest to knock down the ball for Nolan, who somehow sends his effort wide of the target from six yards out. Expect plenty more West Ham attacks like that after the break.
45+1 minBOOKING! The first Arsenal player to see yellow is Gervinho for a trip on Mark Noble.
45 minTwo minutes of stoppage time to be played...
44 minIt's amazing what a goal can do. Arsenal now well in the ascendancy as the half draws to a close.
41 minAt last Giroud finds the net in the Premier League. Podolski is the creator, crossing for the Frenchman who gets a really smart touch on the ball to divert into the net. Could turn out to be a big goal for Giroud and Arsenal in terms of the season ahead.
40 minGOAL! West Ham 1-1 Arsenal (Giroud)
37 minBOOKING! Reid has his name taken for an obstruction on Cazorla. I don't like seeing players get sent off, but if that is a booking than there is no way Diame should still be on the pitch.
35 minHow's your luck Giroud? It's just not happening for the Frenchman in the Premier League at the moment. A cross is flicked on by Mertesacker for Giroud but he cannot react quick enough and the chance evaporates.
31 minCHANCE! A deep cross from Jarvis is met by Carroll, who heads powerfully towards goal. Thankfully for Arsenal, Mannone is behind it and holds the ball.
29 minDiame is a lucky, lucky boy! He shouldn't be on the pitch if truth be told. Having been booked for his celebrations after putting West Ham 1-0 up, he then goes in late on Mikel Arteta. That is a booking all day long as far as I'm concerned but referee Phil Dowd has opted against a second caution. Arsene Wenger is not amused, as you can imagine.
26 minThe Gunners looked slightly rocked by that goal. Their passing is nowhere near as fluid at the moment and everything seems a little rushed.
23 minBOOKING! Goalscorer Diame goes into the book for presumably over celebrating. How dare he show his happiness at scoring a goal?
21 minA very, very good goal from the West Ham midfielder. Diame beats Ramsey and moves on into the penalty area. He then proceeds to bend the ball beyond the reach of Mannone from an acute angle. Awful defending from an Arsenal point of view but you cannot take anything away from the finish. It's his first goal for the Hammers.
20 minGOAL! West Ham 1-0 Arsenal (Diame)
19 minWhich is cleared for another corner by Collins. The second corner falls to the feet of Giroud's, whose powerful effort is headed away by Carroll.
17 minSome good defending from Winston Reid turns Jenkinson's cross behind. Corner for Arsenal...
14 minCarroll has just won another battle in the air. As yet, the likes of Nolan and Vaz Te have been unable to get onto his flick ons. They need to start getting a bit closer to the England striker than they currently are.
12 minSome really good work from Aaron Ramsey on the left wing ends with the Welshman floating in a cross. Unfortunately for him none of his Arsenal teammates had made a move into the box.
10 minCarroll is beginning to cause problems for West Ham. He's a three long balls sent his way and won two against the Arsenal defence. Don't be surprised to see this repeated time and again as the match progresses.
6 minHalf a chance for West Ham goes begging. They clear an Arsenal corner and have a two on one situation on the halfway. However, Ricardo Vaz Te overhits a pass to Matt Jarvis and Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson sweeps up the danger. A wasted opportunity for West Ham.
5 minArsenal are much the brighter of the two teams at the moment. They look comfortable in possession and are making West Ham work hard. The Hammers need to get a grip on the game or they'll find themselves behind soon.
2 minCHANCE! Giroud spins on the edge of the box and drills in low towards the near post. However, Jussi Jaaskelainen gets down well to tip wide. Positive start from Arsenal.
5.30pmArsenal, in yellow, get the match underway...
5.29pmBefore this game a minute's applause will take place for former West Ham manager John Bond, who died last week. Nice touch.
5.26pmThe players head on to the pitch with bubbles everywhere! Handshakes about to take place. Almost game time. For what it's worth (which is not a lot), I'm going 2-2.
5.22pmHere's some words from Arsenal boss Wenger, who has been speaking to ESPN pre-match: "We expect a very committed performance from West Ham, they were good against QPR. For us, it's a post-Champions League game and important we have recovered well. We need to be decisive in challenges because up front Carroll comes back and Nolan is very good in the air took. How we deal with balls in the air could have an impact on the result. The way we deal with that will certainly be very important today.
"[Sam Allardyce] is not on easy territory here but slowly convinces people. We'll see how it goes today. We've had some hot games and let's hope there is another one today."
5.21pmScoring goals has not been as big a problem for another of Arsenal's summer signings - Lukas Podolski. The German came to these shores with a big reputation and he has lived up to that billing so far. He'll be someone that the West Ham rearguard will have to keep quiet if they are to get a positive result.
5.14pmOne player in desperate need of goal is Arsenal's Giroud. He's looked quite sharp in around the box since joining from Montpellier but the finishing touch has been lacking.
5.09pmThose who like a flutter may fancy backing a penalty to be awarded in this match. There have been four awarded in the last four encouters between these two teams. With tricky players like Cazorla, Podolski and Jarvis on the pitch, it's a real possibility.
5.00pmLooking ahead, a victory for West Ham United could potentially lift them up into the Champions League places. They've have to win by at least two clear goals to make it happen, but it's possible nonetheless. Three points for Arsenal would elevate them to fifth.
4.54pmThose that fancy the Hammers to emerge victorious will get odds of around 14/5. The draw (my shout) can be had at 12/5.
4.53pmNevertheless, the bookmakers make Arsenal the firm favourites to collect the three points this evening. Most are offering the Gunners at evens.
4.49pmIn nine matches away from home against Sam Allardyce's teams (Bolton and Blackburn), Wenger's Arsenal have won just twice, losing four.
4.47pmHowever, don't fret West Ham fans. Coming up is a stat that may just perk you up...
4.46pmTalking of Arsenal, they have a very good recent record at Upton Park. They have won six of their last eight meetings in East London, losing none.
4.45pmUnsurprisingly Per Mertesacker has been recalled to the Arsenal team. It's likely that the German will be tasked with marking Carroll. Olivier Giroud has also been given a start up front.
4.41pmARSENAL X1: Mannone; Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs; Ramsey, Arteta, Gervinho, Cazorla; Podolski, Giroud
4.41pmARSENAL X1: Mannone; Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs; Ramsey, Arteta, Gervinho, Cazorla; Podolski, Giroud
4.39pmThe big news where West Ham are concerned is the inclusion of Andy Carroll from the start. The on-loan Liverpool frontman looks to have made a full recovery from a hamstring problem. Winger Matt Jarvis also starts.
4.37pmWEST HAM X1: Jaaskelainen; Demel, McCartney, Reid, Collins; Noble, Nolan, Diame, Vaz Te, Jarvis; Carroll
4.37pmEnough I've my waffling for now - let's bring you some team news...
4.36pmAs mentioned above, there is very little to separate these two in the Premier League table at the moment. West Ham sit seventh, while Arsene Wenger's Gunners are a place below in eighth. Who'd have said that would be the case at the start of the season?!
4.34pmAfternoon all. There's nothing like a London derby to conclude Saturday's Premier League fixtures is there?
Written by
Liam Apicella
Liam Apicella
