Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's late Premier League kickoff, and what a game it promises to be as Arsenal host top-four rivals Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium!

It is arguably the defining rivalry of the Premier League era and, while some of the allure has been lost by neither side competing for the title in recent seasons, this fixture still remains a special occasion every year.

We will take a closer look at both clubs in a short while, but first let's check out the team news...

ARSENAL STARTING XI: Cech; Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal; Bellerin, Ramsey, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Ozil, Lacazette, Sanchez

ARSENAL SUBS: Ospina, Mertesacker, Coquelin, Wilshere, Iwobi, Welbeck, Giroud

MAN UTD STARTING XI: De Gea; Lindelof, Smalling, Rojo; Valencia, Matic, Pogba, Young; Lingard, Lukaku, Martial

MAN UTD SUBS: Romero, Darmian, Blind, McTominay, Herrera, Mata, Rashford

Oh Arsene Wenger, you cheeky swine! Having ruled Alexandre Lacazette out of this weekend's match with a groin injury, Wenger surprises us all by including the striker in his starting XI for the match - some mind games on Mourinho, perhaps?

Lacazette was forced off at half time of the 5-0 win over Huddersfield at the weekend, with Olivier Giroud going on to score twice in the second half, and all the suggestions were that Lacazette would not recover in time for this one. Wenger has deceived us all, though, and leads the line from the off today.

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Alexis Sanchez was also considered a doubt for this match having been forced off during the midweek victory with a hamstring problem, although Wenger said that the Chilean was a lot more likely to recover than Lacazette.

Sure enough, Sanchez starts in the front three for Arsenal this evening having netted in his last three Premier League games to finally begin to show his best form following a disrupted start to the campaign.

Plenty of focus will be on Mesut Ozil today too, with the German having been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United either in January or on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Ozil showed his very best during the win over Huddersfield with two assists and a goal in the space of five minutes to help take the game beyond the Terriers, and he has a good record against United too with two goals and two assists in his last four Premier League outings against the Red Devils.

It is an unchanged side from that win over Huddersfield this evening, with Koscielny, Mustafi and Monreal continuing as the back three having impressed in recent weeks.

The in-form Aaron Ramsey starts in midfield alongside Xhaka once again, while Bellerin and Kolasinac will provide the width as wing-backs, which could be a crucial area of the field in this match against their counterparts from United.

One of those United wing-backs - Ashley Young - scored an unlikely brace against Watford in midweek so should be coming into this match full of confidence having provided an answer to the club's problems at left-back this season.

On the opposite flank Antonio Valencia will, as ever, be looking to get forward whenever possible, while Mourinho keeps faith with the back three which almost let Watford back into the game in midweek, with Lindelof, Smalling and Rojo starting.

Mourinho has also sprung a bit of a surprise with his selection as Nemanja Matic starts in midfield despite limping off with a muscular injury during that victory over Watford.

The summer arrival from Chelsea once again joins Paul Pogba in the middle of the park, with the dynamic French midfielder having courted plenty of controversy recent by wishing injuries upon the best players of title rivals Manchester City.

Indeed, just like Arsenal, Manchester United have named an unchanged side for this match as Jones and Bailly once again miss out through injury.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is another missing from the squad entirely, meaning that Romelu Lukaku leads the line once more having scored just once in his last 11 games for the club - a far cry from his start of 11 goals in his opening 10 United games. The Belgian has also only scored once in five Premier League appearances at the Emirates, with that coming from the penalty spot in a 3-1 defeat last season.

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With Lukaku out of the goals, Anthony Martial has stepped up to the plate and his form has earned him a starting role once again today, keeping Marcus Rashford on the bench.

Martial's strike against Watford was his eighth of the season in 20 appearances across all competitions, which is already more than his managed in 42 games last season. Lingard was also on the scoresheet with a fine solo effort to kill off the fightback, so Lukaku isn't shouldering the goalscoring burden on his own.

There is plenty of attacking threat on both sides, then, and it will be interesting to see how both teams approach this game. Arsenal have often been criticised for not being defensive enough against big teams, while Mourinho is usually too defensive away to direct opposition, so this one is set up to be a really intriguing battle.

Victory would do a lot for both teams, with Arsenal having now dropped out of the top four as a result of Liverpool's 5-1 win over Brighton and United needing to close the gap on Manchester City.

Victory for the Gunners this afternoon would take them back up to fourth and within one point of United, but for them City are probably too far out of reach to worry about right now, with a 12-point gap separating them from the leaders.

Arsenal are in good form coming into this match, though, having won their last three Premier League outings without conceding a single goal, scoring eight goals without reply in victories over North London rivals Tottenham, high-flying Burnley and Huddersfield Town.

That goalscoring is nothing new for a team who, before today's matches, trailed only the Manchester clubs when it came to goals for in the Premier League this season, but the defensive improvement is something of particular note.

Only Liverpool have conceded more goals than Arsenal in the top seven so far this season, but three clean sheets on the bounce - and four clean sheets in their last six games across all competitions - suggests that Wenger has found a solution to that problem.

Victory for Arsenal today would see them string together a run of four Premier League wins in a row for the first time this season, and their home record means that many will make them favourites heading into this match.

The Gunners have a 100% record in front of their own fans so far this season, winning all seven of their matches and scoring 20 goals in the process. Incidentally, only Manchester United can match that faultless home record so far, while only Man City have scored more goals in front of their own fans.

Should Arsenal maintain that perfect record here then they would establish a club-record run of eight consecutive top-flight home wins from the start of a season, but their winning streak at the Emirates stretches back further than simpy the beginning of the current campaign.

Indeed, Arsenal have now won their last 12 Premier League home games on the bounce, scoring two or more goals in all but one of those. Victory today would mark a run of 13 home league wins in a row for the first time since November 2005.

The last visiting team to avoid defeat here was a Manchester outfit, though, with Manchester City picking up a 2-2 draw in April. You have to go back to January for their last Premier League defeat on home soil, though, when Watford ran out 2-1 winners 11 months ago.

Even in all competitions Arsenal are unbeaten in 18 matches at the Emirates Stadium, stretching all the way back to their 5-1 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich in March.

Even when you dig a little deeper, Arsenal's home form in scenarios just like this one is good. The Gunners have won each of their last four home games when playing on Saturday evening, although the last team to beat them on such an occasion was Manchester United when they ran out 2-1 winners in November 2014.

United would relish the chance to spoil the only other unblemished home record in the league, but it is hard to argue with Arsenal's form here.

United's chances look even more bleak when you consider their away form which, as you may have deduced from their home form being so impressive, is what has let them down so far this season.

The Red Devils have picked up 10 points fewer away from home than they have at Old Trafford so far this term, while they have also scored significantly fewer and conceded significantly more goals on the road. If only away form counted, United would currently sit sixth in the table.

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United's away problems have not only started this season, though, with Mourinho's side having won just three of their last 11 Premier League outings on the road stretching back to the previous campaign - including four draws and four defeats in that time.

Tuesday's thrilling victory over Watford did improve matters, but United have still lost three of their last five away games across all competitions.

Should United upset that formbook this afternoon then they could record back-to-back Premier League away wins for the first time since April, but even aside from the team's less-than-inspiring record on the road, Mourinho's own performance away to direct rivals has been poor in recent years.

The Portuguese boss has failed to win any of his last 11 away league games against his fellow top-six opposition, drawing five and losing six during a run which stretches back to a 2-1 win at Liverpool in November 2014.

Just as worryingly for United fans will be the fact that Mourinho's side have scored only one goal in their last 10 away games against big-six opposition too, although goalscoring has not been too much of an issue for United in the overall scheme of things so far this season.

Only Man City have scored more than the Red Devils so far this term, and Tuesday's 4-2 triumph over Watford means that United have now scored four goals in a game on eight separate occasions already this season - including six times in the Premier League.

Couple that with a league-high number of clean sheets and a league-low number of just eight goals conceded, and United currently boast their best goal difference at this stage of the season since the 2000-01 campaign.

It is hard to argue with their improvement since last year either, with the Red Devils 11 points better off than at the same stage of last season - a huge swing in the space of just a year but one that is proving inadequate simply because of Man City's relentless form.

City's late, late winner against Southampton in midweek would have come as a major blow to United, but they are once again in action before their local rivals this weekend and so can close the gap to five points temporarily with another win here.

Defeat, however, could see them end the weekend 11 points adrift, which would surely make next weekend's huge Manchester derby a must-win game if Mourinho's side are to stay in the title race.

This fixture used to be famous for battles between the likes of Vieira and Keane, but perhaps the biggest grudge involved nowadays is on the touchline between Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho.

The two old rivals have had a long-running feud, with Mourinho at one stage referring to the Frenchman as a "specialist in failure", and it is the Portuguese who has got the better of their previous duels. These two have met 17 times before in the managerial careers, with Mourinho winning eight and losing just twice. However, both of those defeats have come in the last four meetings.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Emirates, which means that it is time for a prediction!

This is a difficult one to call as it could depend on how United approach the game. Should they adopt a classic Mourinho cautious approach then it is likely to be a low-scoring and tight game, but if they go for the win that they really need, it could all be different. I suspect it will be closer to the former, so I'm going for a score draw.

SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Arsenal 1-1 Manchester United

No team has won more Premier League away games at Arsenal than Manchester United's seven, while only Chelsea have won more times at the Emirates than today's visitors, but their fortunes have been a little worse in recent years.

Indeed, Arsenal have only lost one of their last five Premier League home games against United, winning the past two without conceding a goal.

The most recent of those came in May when Granit Xhaka and Danny Welbeck scored in quick succession to give Arsenal a 2-0 win in what had turned at that point into a battle to establish themselves as the main challengers to Liverpool for fourth place.

Should Arsenal win again this evening then it would be the first time they have won three successive home league games against United since May 1991.

United's last win at the Emirates came under Louis van Gaal in November 2014, and they were forced to settle for a draw at Old Trafford last season too.

Juan Mata had given United the lead with a goal 22 minutes from time, but Giroud provided a late equaliser for the Gunners to rescue a point.

The players are on their way out for this blockbuster showdown at the Emirates, so let's have a quick reminder of the team news...

ARSENAL STARTING XI: Cech; Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal; Bellerin, Ramsey, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Ozil, Lacazette, Sanchez

MAN UTD STARTING XI: De Gea; Lindelof, Smalling, Rojo; Valencia, Matic, Pogba, Young; Lingard, Lukaku, Martial

KICKOFF: Here we go, then! After a false start, Arsenal get us underway at the Emirates!

United win an early corner after they get forward well down the left flank, but Young's delivery comes to nothing. The visitors have settled into this quickly.

What a start for Manchester United! They break the deadlock inside four minutes as Antonio Valencia scores his second Premier League goal of the season!

It is a dreadful pass square across defence from Koscielny and Valencia quickly pounces on it, beating Kolasinac to the ball. The wing-back then exchanges passes with Pogba on the edge of the box before collecting the return and drilling it through the legs of Cech!

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United could not have wished for a better start to this match. I questioned whether they would be cautious tonight or go for the win - well now they can afford to sit back and look to frustrate Arsenal. That is a big, big goal to get so early.

Arsenal will have the chance to test De Gea for the first time here as Sanchez wins a free kick from Smalling in a very good shooting position...

Sanchez goes for goal himself, but he fires the free kick straight into the solid Manchester United wall.

More cause for the United fans to be optimistic following that early goal...

21 - Antonio Valencia has never lost in any of the 21 previous Premier League games in which he has scored. Omen? — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 2, 2017

Incredible! Manchester United are two goals to the good inside the opening 11 minutes, and it is another poor piece of defending from Arsenal which gifts them it!

Koscielny gives the ball across to Mustafi, who has time despite Lingard chasing him down. The defender takes too long over it, though, and Lingard nips in to steal possession. From there is is clinical from United as Lukaku finds Martial, who brilliantly flicks the ball around the corner for Lingard to finish when one on one with the keeper.

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Things go from bad to worse for Arsenal - Mustafi appears to have picked up an injury during that incident and may not be able to continue. Alex Iwobi is the man warming up, interestingly.

ARSENAL SUB: Here is the change as Alex Iwobi replaces the injured Mustafi.

Arsenal have responded quite well to that second goal and have been on the front foot since, but it is a long way back for them now. The Gunners need the next goal without a doubt.

United have a good chance to break from an Arsenal corner as Pogba feeds a pass through to Lukaku, who all too easily is in acres of space on the right. The striker powers past Ramsey before putting his cross into the box, but he picks out an Arsenal defender rather than Lingard.

Mayhem inside the Manchester United box as two defenders, De Gea and two Arsenal players are all chasing a bouncing ball which eventually goes behind for a corner. This time it was the hosts who hit United on the break.

CHANCE! Golden chance for Arsenal to halve the deficit! Koscielny loops a header into the box from a corner and Lacazette gets the wrong side of Rojo, stretching out and getting a toe to the ball from point-blank range. De Gea blocks it with his legs and the ball trickles agonisingly past the post, but he didn't know anything about it.

SAVE! Ramsey tries his luck from outside the area, but his strike is tame and easy for the keeper to collect.

Lacazette gets a touch to a Ramsey strike and loops the ball towards goal only to see it land on the roof of the net, although the linesman's flag was raised.

Mourinho has been unhappy with how this match has developed since that second goal, and he takes an injury break while Jesse Lingard receives treatment to have a long talk with Pogba about it.

We so often see Mourinho try to shut up shop away to big teams, but this game has been really open and entertaining so far. I'm sure Mourinho would want his side to be a little less open now they are two goals ahead, but from a neutral point of view it has been a great game so far.

Arsenal do need to be wary about committing too many men forward, even if they are two goals down. Every time United break they seem to have so much space, and it is easy to see them putting Arsenal to the sword if that continues.

Another chance for Arsenal to test De Gea from a free kick as Rojo brings Sanchez to ground just outside the area. This one is perhaps a little too close if anything, though...

OFF THE LINE! Ozil floats his free kick over the wall, but Young reads it, darts back and clears it just in front of his line. De Gea looked like he might have been struggling to reach that one.

CHANCES! How have Arsenal not scored here?! It is a proper goalmouth scramble which United somehow survive without getting a goal back!

Sanchez's ball into the box deflects to Lacazette, who misses his initial kick but then gets the ball back, reaches the byline and dribbles back into the middle. De Gea is diving all over the place but Lacazette bides his time before eventually seeing his shot deflect up onto the crossbar. It then falls to Iwobi, whose blocked shot falls to Xhaka, but his low effort clips the outside of the post!

CHANCE! There is no time to stop for breath here! United launch yet another break and have the numerical advantage this time, with Pogba leading the charge down the right flank. His cross into the box is looking for an unmarked Lukaku, but Kolasinac gets the ball first and Cech needs to fall on it to deny an own goal.

CHANCE! Arsenal threaten a goal back as Lacazette pulls the ball back for Ozil, who meets it with a crisp half-volley which De Gea does well to hold on to.

SHOT! Pogba gives the ball away in a dangerous position and Ozil gives the ball to Iwobi, but the winger blasts a poor effort well off target.

We have just six minutes until half time now - this opening 45 has flown by so far! Arsenal are still in this one and look capable of scoring, but they also look capable of conceding too. This one is so finely poised.

Arsenal break into the box again as Lacazette and Sanchez exchange passes really well, but United just about hang on once again.

CHANCE! Big chance for Arsenal, but Matic produces a stunning block to deny Ramsey. The ball breaks to the midfielder inside the box and he looks destined to nestle it home, but Matic reads it and throws himself in the way of the ball.

Yet another break from United almost catches Arsenal out as Pogba gives the ball to Martial, who beats Xhaka far too easily before putting a ball into the box which Monreal does well to clear.

SAVES! De Gea is called into two flying saves in quick succession from both Arsenal full-back. Bellerin's is the better effort, striking a fine long-range effort towards the far corner which De Gea is at full stretch to save. Seconds later Kolasinac fires a dipping effort on goal which De Gea again parries away.

There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this thrilling first half.

SAVE! This is bonkers. Absolutely bonkers. Arsenal cannot believe they haven't scored here, and it would have been a Lukaku own goal. The striker is falling backwards and inadvertently turns the ball towards his own goal, and it takes a sensational reflex save from De Gea to claw the ball away. Yet another scramble ensues, but once again United survive.

Phew! That is one of the best first halves you will see for a long, long time - and certainly not what I expected from this contest!

Manchester United go into the break with a 2-0 lead, but quite how is anyone's guess. Arsenal have created a plethora of chances, with United's goal leaving a very charmed life so far. It has been end-to-end so far in a frantic and thrilling opening 45 minutes.

The opening goal arrived after only four minutes courtesy of a defensive error from Arsenal, with Koscielny's pass across his own defence being picked off by Valencia.

The wing-back beat Kolasinac to the ball before exchanges passes with Pogba and drilling his low strike between the legs of Petr Cech.

One quickly became two for United as they once again clinically punished Arsenal for a defensive lapse, with Mustafi the guilty party on this occasion.

Mustafi was caught in possession by Lingard inside his own half, and that allowed Lukaku to feed the ball into the feet of Martial. Martial did brilliantly to spin and lay the ball into the path of Lingard, who made no mistake with his finish.

It was an incredible start to the match, but things only got even more berserk as the half wore on, with Arsenal hitting the crossbar, post and seeing a few frantic goalmouth scrambles come to nothing.

Lacazette, Ramsey, Bellerin and Kolasinac have all come close for the Gunners - who created 15 chances in that first half - while there were almost own goals from Kolasinac and Lukaku at either end too.

KICKOFF: Manchester United get us back underway for this second half. More of the same please!

I highly doubt whether we will see a similarly entertaining half, simply because it may not be possible. Arsenal need to push for goals still, though.

Now then! Manchester United opened the scoring within four minutes of the first half, and Arsenal have done the same at the start of the second!

It is a strange goal in many ways as United's defence all go to sleep thinking that Ramsey is offside. The midfielder has timed his run to perfection, though, and has the wherewithal to knock the ball back to Lacazette when inside the box too. Lacazette has all the time in the world to lash it home with the United defence still statues, and suddenly Arsenal are back in it!

OFF THE POST! This is incredible! United break up at the other end and Lingard finds himself clean through on goal, but Cech makes a brilliant stop to send the ball looping up and against the post. The ball then drops to Martial, but Monreal makes the block from point-blank range!

SAVE! At the other end Arsenal test De Gea again with Iwobi's powerful strike from the edge of the box which draws another good save from the keeper!

Thankfully, I look like being proved wrong about the second half not being able to live up to the first. Even with more than half an hour remaining I can say with confidence that this will go down as one of the best games of the season.

SAVE! This is a more routine stop for De Gea as he collects Iwobi's tame header.

DOUBLE SAVE! Unbelievable! This game continues to get better and better, and we have just seen one of the best double-saves you will ever see too! De Gea, take a bow, because this is magnificent.

Lacazette breaks into the box and drills a low strike towards goal which De Gea does incredibly to get down to, and he then reacts to make a huge follow-up save with his feet to deny Sanchez! Ridiculous.

YELLOW CARD! All of this action, and this is the first card of the game as Rojo goes into the book.

The only stoppages in the action we are getting here are through injuries, and Matic needs treatment after taking a heavy blow to his head in the area.

United are trying to slow the tempo down here, and you can understand why. Arsenal are swarming all over them and, while it is a thriller for the neutrals, Mourinho won't be happy with what he is seeing right now.

Mourinho will be a lot happier now! United restore their two-goal advantage, and once again it is really poor defending from Arsenal.

It comes from another United counter as Pogba drives forward down the right flank, shrugging off a challenge from Koscielny far too easily and dancing around him on the byline. There is poor marking in the middle too as Lingard escapes his marker, and Pogba plays the ball across goal to leave Lingard with the simplest of finishes.

SAVE! De Gea makes yet another save, this time from Sanchez's drilled effort from range. Arsenal have their 10th corner of the match.

MAN UTD SUB: Mourinho wants to see this game out now - on comes Ander Herrera in place of Martial.

Arsenal have just over 20 minutes remaining to salvage something from this match, but in all honesty they should be at least level already. They have had so many chances today.

ARSENAL SUB: Arsene Wenger is going for this one - on comes Danny Welbeck for Xhaka.

YELLOW CARD! No complaints from Bellerin here as he goes into the book for a crunching challenge on Young.

I think this match has now had a bit of everything! Paul Pogba sees a straight red card for United with a little over 15 minutes remaining, ruling him out of the Manchester derby amongst other games.

It is the right decision too as he goes into a studs-up challenge on Bellerin, catching the wing-back right on the knee joint. That was a nasty one.

MAN UTD SUB: Mourinho responds with a change as Matteo Darmian replaces Lingard.

ARSENAL SUB: Wenger is looking to take full advantage of that red card as Olivier Giroud replaces Kolasinac.

Just over 10 minutes remaining for Arsenal to get themselves back into this match! They do deserve something from this game, but time is beginning to run out now.

The chances have dried up a little over the past 10 minutes of this match, but the action continues to arrive and no-one can accuse these two sides of failing to entertain them this evening.

SAVE! De Gea is needed again here as Iwobi's strike deflects up and threatens to dip in, but De Gea just helps it over the crossbar.

We're seeing replays of that De Gea double-save, and it really is world-class from the keeper. It is a huge moment in the game too as that would have made it 2-2, when just seven minutes later Lingard made it 3-1.

YELLOW CARD! Mourinho wants a red card for Koscielny here as he trips Lukaku when the Belgian was threatening to race through on goal, but the referee only gives yellow.

SAVE! Monreal forces a save from De Gea with a looping header, but the real talking point came seconds earlier when Arsenal were denied a clear penalty after Darmian had brought Welbeck to ground inside the area.

YELLOW CARDS! Herrera and Sanchez both go into the book for an altercation in the aftermath of that Monreal header.

There will be FIVE minutes of added time at the end of this one! We want more!

MAN UTD SUB: A third and final change for the visitors sees Marcus Rashford replace Young.

An incredible match comes to an end at the Emirates Stadium as Manchester United hold on for a crucial 3-1 victory over Arsenal, who missed a plethora of chances to get something out of the game.

United were two up inside 11 minutes after a couple of defensive errors from Arsenal, setting the tone for a breathless and frantic contest. Arsenal found David de Gea in inspired form but finally pulled a goal back through Alexandre Lacazette early in the second half, only for Jesse Lingard to restore the two-goal cushion shortly after the hour mark.

Arsenal's hope was renewed when Paul Pogba was shown a straight red card, but there was no way back for the hosts.

That is all we have time for on this incredible evening of Premier League action!

Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for this classic Premier League encounter as Manchester United come out on top at the Emirates. I will leave you with a packed match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!