Arsenal were far from their best, but two Alexis Sanchez goals gave them a much-needed victory over fast-improving Hull.
2.45pm GMT
Related: Alexis Sánchez hands Arsenal and Arsène Wenger relief against Hull
2.24pm GMT
Welbeck tries to put a sick twist on the scoreline from 12 yards, but screws his shot wide right. And that’s that! Arsenal make off with the three points, but they made hard work of that. Fortune smiled on them, too: Sanchez’s opener went in accidentally off his own hand, Gibbs could easily have seen red, and the Clucas incident wasn’t the most egregious of handballs. But you have to take your chances when they come, and Arsenal and Sanchez did exactly that. They go third, with a result that should change the mood music around the club ahead of some big games. Hull meanwhile stay in the relegation zone, but if they keep playing like this, they’ll stay up. That was a very entertaining match, from which both teams can take succour.
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And in it goes, slapped into the bottom left!
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Clucas hangs out an arm, stopping the ball on the line. He’s sent off, though given how Arsenal scored their goal, that will hurt because he didn’t make a huge movement towards the ball. Anyway, off he goes. Sanchez will take the spot kick.
2.19pm GMT
90 min: Robertson turns on the jets down the left, and earns a corner. Clucas takes. There’s a stramash in the Arsenal box. The ball’s raked clear. Sanchez is sent clear into acres down the left. Jakupovic races out of his area. Sanchez rounds him on the left, then sends a deep cross into the centre for Lucas, who heads goalwards from six yards. And then...
2.16pm GMT
88 min: Arsenal make a rare excursion into the Hull final third. Lucas throws a cross-cum-shot in from the right. Jakupovic punches clear with great uncertainty. But there are no red-and-white shirts on hand to take advantage. Hull clear.
2.15pm GMT
87 min: On the touchline, Marco Silva is doing quite a lot of loud shouting. Some semaphore shapes, too. He’ll be of the opinion that his team deserve to be level, I’ll be bound. He’s probably got a case. But his lads are running out of time.
2.13pm GMT
86 min: Markovic earns a corner off Welbeck, near the right-hand corner flag. Evandro hits it deep. Diomande rises miles above Bellerin on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. He should at least plant a header on target; he probably should score. But he sends the ball sailing miles over the bar. Arsenal with a serious let-off there.
2.11pm GMT
84 min: Markovic, making a nuisance of himself on the left, bustles hither and yon but can’t quite break through. Hull win a free kick out on the other flank. Ranocchia meets it with a header from the edge of the area, but can’t generate any power.
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82 min: Arsenal make a double swap. Iwobi and Oxlade-Chamberlain make way for Welbeck and Lucas Perez.
2.08pm GMT
81 min: Hull have enjoyed 77% of possession during the last five minutes. Arsene Wenger, up in the stands, is fidgeting quite a lot in his seat.
2.07pm GMT
79 min: Markovic slips a ball down the right for the overlapping Elmohamady, who earns a corner off Iwobi. The set piece is whipped hard and fast to Niasse at the near post. Niasse flashes a header into the side netting, with some power. Out-of-form Arsenal are beginning to retreat into their shell. The last ten minutes are suddenly a fingernail-bothering prospect for the Emirates faithful.
2.05pm GMT
78 min: Diomande comes on for Huddlestone.
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77 min: Hull come back at Arsenal after a quiet few minutes. Arsenal half-clear an Elmohamady cross from the right. Maguire swings it into the mixer again from the other flank. Markovic, ten yards out, tries to steer a header into the top left, but doesn’t generate much power and Cech gathers. But the crowd are getting nervous again.
2.04pm GMT
76 min: Sanchez, looking to beat Ranocchia on the right, dives over the defender’s hanging leg and is booked for simulation. He can have no complaints. But he makes one anyway.
2.02pm GMT
75 min: N’Diaye drops a shoulder and powers down the inside-right channel, winning a free kick off Koscielny. It’s a chance for Hull to load the box. Evandro takes the set piece, and finds Maguire at the far post. But the big defender has mistimed his jump, and lets the ball skim off the top of his noggin and harmlessly out for a goal kick.
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72 min: Arsenal have shifted up a gear here, and are pinging the ball around in a very determined style. Hull are on the back foot.
1.59pm GMT
71 min: Ozil sends Sanchez scampering down the left with the most delicate of passes. Sanchez earns a corner, from which Mustafi clumps a header harmlessly wide of the target.
1.57pm GMT
70 min: Ranocchia is rightly booked for standing clumsily on Sanchez’s foot.
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69 min: Theo ‘Just Let Me At ‘Im’ Walcott is replaced by Elneny.
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67 min: Elmohamady comes on for Elabdellaoui.
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66 min: Robertson cuts in from the left before sliding the ball inside for N’Diaye. He’s got Markovic in space on the right, but goes for the big blooter towards the top right instead. From the best part of 30 yards, that’s ambitious. And way off target.
1.51pm GMT
63 min: Markovic opens his legs and zips down the right. His low cross, aimed for Niasse in the middle, is intercepted by a sliding Koscielny. A goal-saving tackle. It leads to a corner, from which nothing comes. It’s not easy to predict who’ll be scoring next. But it’ll be a surprise if this game ends 1-0.
1.50pm GMT
62 min: It’s end-to-end fun. Sanchez has the chance to send Gibbs clear down the right but misplaces his crossfield pass; Robertson overhits a through ball that would have seen Evandro free in the Arsenal box down the right.
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61 min: Evandro comes on for Grosicki, who started brilliantly before fading.
1.48pm GMT
60 min: Iwobi attempts to recreate Demarai Gray’s solo effort for Leicester against Derby in the week. He gives up on the dribble down the inside-left channel, one-twos with Ozil, and overcoooks a curler towards the top right. Neat play, mind.
1.46pm GMT
59 min: Markovic has looked good this afternoon. Aren’t Liverpool looking for a winger?
1.45pm GMT
57 min: There’s a pleasing febrile atmosphere at the Emirates now. Hull fans will feel hard done by; Arsenal’s know this game isn’t over yet, and are urging their team forward for what would surely be a decisive second. It’s an entertaining match.
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55 min: The resulting free kick comes to nothing.
1.43pm GMT
54 min: Kieran Gibbs is very fortunate not to see red here. A long hoick down the middle is met by Markovic, who would be clear with one touch. But he’s barged off the ball illegally by Gibbs. The referee only shows yellow, which is questionable to say the least. Anyway, that’s a big decision by Mark Clattenburg, and for the second time today Arsenal benefit from the rub of the green.
1.41pm GMT
52 min: Theo Walcott loses the place completely. He’s ushered out of play down the right, Maguire shepherding the ball away for a goal kick. Walcott wants a corner, and throws the ball away with theatrical annoyance. He’s going to get booked for that, for sure, but beforehand he faces up to Maguire in the physical style. It’s a mismatch, really, and Maguire seems highly amused. It’s reminiscent of Lallana v Toure at last year’s League Cup final. Some light relief.
1.39pm GMT
51 min: Markovic turns on the jets and sprints past Koscielny down the right. His cross finds Niasse on the penalty spot. The striker swivels and batters a shot towards the right-hand side of the goal. Cech parries around the post brilliantly. Hull so close to the equaliser. The resulting corner comes to nought.
1.37pm GMT
50 min: Otherwise, a subdued start to the second 45. Huddlestone has a chance to send Grosicki into acres down the left, but his crossfield rake doesn’t have enough on it.
1.36pm GMT
48 min: Ah, that might just have been a dead leg. It looked quite serious for a minute, and Elneny was warming up vigorously, but he’s going to try to run it off. Elneny stands down.
1.34pm GMT
46 min: Within 18 seconds of the restart, Oxlade-Chamberlain strides forward with extreme prejudice and slaps a shot wide left from 25 yards. Jakupovic ushers it wide. But at the start of the move, Coquelin stretched out a leg to challenge N’Diaye, and took a whack on the knee. He’s also holding his thigh. He looks in some discomfort.
1.32pm GMT
So we’re off again! Arsenal get the ball rolling for the second half. No changes. “The problem with Arsenal is they always try to palm it in,” quips Henry Stennett.
1.27pm GMT
Curtis Davies of Hull City is in the Sky studio, and here’s his admirably mature take on the Sanchez goal: “We’re disappointed obviously. If it goes in against you, you’re devastated. But if it happens down the other end, and it happens to Niasse, and comes off his hand and goes in, I’m celebrating like no-one else.”
1.19pm GMT
Half-time reading: It’s fair to say Sanchez’s goal won’t go down in Arsenal history. Here’s one that did, though.
Related: Golden Goal: Alan Smith for Arsenal v Liverpool (1989) | Nick Miller
1.18pm GMT
Hull earn a free kick out on the right. A chance to load the box. Bellerin clears the up-and-under easily enough. Sanchez goes up the other end and earns a free kick of his own, but there’s barely time to take it before the whistle blows. The teams traipse off to the changing rooms, Arsenal deservedly leading albeit in a slightly strange and fortunate manner, Sanchez’s close-range shot innocently ricocheting in off his own arm.
1.15pm GMT
44 min: Markovic, out on the right, hits a deep, deep, deep cross. It looks like it’s going out of play, but it’s trapped brilliantly on the line by the impressive Grosicki. He earns a corner off Bellerin. Arsenal are then fortunate that Hull balls up their quick set piece, because they were sleeping as a defensive unit.
1.13pm GMT
42 min: This half is petering out a little. Both teams sharing possession in the middle third. Arsenal seem happy enough to take what they have to the break. Hull probably aren’t too upset either; they’ve shown some promise up front and aren’t out of this by any means.
1.11pm GMT
39 min: No doubt there will be some confected controversy surrounding Sanchez’s goal. People gettin’ angry. But aren’t you so tired of it all? It’s old hat.
1.08pm GMT
37 min: That’s settled the home crowd a bit; they’ve found their voice. Whether it’s settled Arsenal or not is a moot point: they allow Grosicki, from the left, then Markovic, from the right, to hoick crosses into their area. Niasse’s nowhere to be seen, and Cech eventually steps in to gather.
1.06pm GMT
This had been coming. Though what a scrappy affair this is. Gibbs, to the left of goal, takes a shot in a crowded area. It’s blocked by Robertson on the line. The ball breaks to Sanchez, who bundles it over from a couple of yards. On second viewing, his shot rears up off Jakupovic, hits his arm accidentally, and goes into the net. Shades of Arsenal’s winner at Burnley, and a huge stroke of luck for the home side. But on balance they deserve their lead.
1.04pm GMT
33 min: A good old-fashioned stramash in the Hull area finishes as a Walcott snap-shot from 12 yards is blocked by Clucas. That hit Clucas’s hand, but it wasn’t deliberate - close range, back turned, all that - and Arsenal aren’t getting the decision. Then Arsenal come again, through Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scoops into the box. Maguire sends a bullet header towards his own goal, and he breathes again as Jakupovic claims!
1.02pm GMT
31 min: Gibbs tears into acres of space down the left. But with team-mates in the Hull box, he allows himself to be stripped of possession by the backtracking Markovic. The home side are beginning to seriously dominate now.
1.00pm GMT
29 min: Jakupovic miscontrols a simple backpass, and the ball very nearly squirts into the empty net. He tracks back and hacks clear. Arsenal, one way or another, should be ahead on the balance of play.
12.58pm GMT
27 min: Arsenal force a corner down the left. From the set piece, Oxlade-Chamberlain, on the edge of the D, wedges a pass down the inside-right channel for Sanchez, who tries to steer the ball into the top left. Jakupovic parries clear, and the offside flag goes up anyway.
12.57pm GMT
25 min: After a period of the old sterile possession, Arsenal work a bit of space down the left, Sanchez scooping a ball into the box, Ozil contorting on the penalty spot to volley high and wide left. That wasn’t too far away, though, and would have been picture-book had it wheeched into the net. Arsenal might not be playing with supreme confidence, but they’re still not far away from serving up some aesthetic delights.
12.54pm GMT
22 min: The first lull of the match. The crowd respond in kind. It’s very flat. And quite a few of those seats remain empty. Meanwhile here’s the very reverend Mike Gibbons: “The managers here have copped the full range of diabolical football opinion lately. Silva was on the end of that ill-informed, hot-faced bluster of Paul Merson and Phil Thompson, while the canteen food throwing of Arsenal fan TV sparked that tedious cyber spat between Gary Neville and Henry Winter this week. Long may they both run, thumbing their nose at their detractors and dismissing the above for the white noise it is.” Keep on preachin’, brother.
12.50pm GMT
20 min: Hull push Arsenal back a bit, with Grosicki showing a lot on the left. The home fans aren’t particularly pleased with what they’re seeing.
12.49pm GMT
18 min: Both teams are looking to ping the ball around at speed, and to feet. This has been a very entertaining match so far. All it needs is a goal.
12.48pm GMT
16 min: Even closer! The busy Oxlade-Chamberlain bustles into the Hull box from the right. He loses control but the ball breaks to Sanchez, level with the right-hand post, 12 yards out. Sanchez takes a touch to the left, and he’s clear on the penalty spot! But as he continues to move left, his attempt to reverse a low shot into the bottom right flies inches wide! He really should have scored then, though it’d have been a lovely goal had he done so.
12.46pm GMT
15 min: This is much better from Arsenal! A crisp one-two between Oxlade-Chamberlain and Bellerin sets the latter free into the area down the right. His fierce shot only just misses the right-hand post. Close!
12.44pm GMT
14 min: Grosicki is found in acres of space on the left. With the outside of his boot, he curls a gorgeous cross to the far post for Niasse, who rises and sends a fine header towards the top right. It’s flying in, but Cech claws it away for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece, but Hull are playing with confidence here. Arsenal, not so much. “In the way that eskimos are reputed to have 20 words for snow, does Arsene have 20 words for Top Four?” wonders Gary Naylor. Variations on Round of 16 are also available.
12.42pm GMT
11 min: Niasse feeds Robertson into space down the left, the full back eating up the turf at speed. His cross isn’t so hot, though, and once again Arsenal escape while light at the back. The home crowd, who started out in good voice, are already a bit nervous and flat.
12.41pm GMT
9 min: OK, well, good luck calling this one. Markovic robs Iwobi in the centre circle, then tears off down the right. He makes it all the way into the Arsenal box, and cuts a ball across the six-yard area. Niasse must score - think Paul Gascoigne in the Euro 96 semis - but he fails to stick a boot out, and Arsenal survive.
12.39pm GMT
8 min: A little period of digging in might be an idea, though. First a loose pass from Huddlestone sets Arsenal on the attack, Ozil’s shot from the inside-left channel blocked at source. Then a loose Clucas header sets Sanchez scampering forward, but the striker’s shot is soft and straight at Jakupovic.
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6 min: Markovic wins a corner down the right for Hull, from which nothing occurs. But it’s proof that the visitors haven’t just turned up with defence in mind.
12.37pm GMT
5 min: It looks as though plenty of those empty seats are filling up. Hard to say for sure from afar, of course, and it’s certainly not a full house. But there we are.
12.34pm GMT
3 min: ... Coquelin swings a peg wildly from the edge of the area. Goal kick, and three of your Six Nations points.
12.33pm GMT
2 min: A nice, lively start. Ozil has a run at Hull’s back line. Then Grosicki has a gander up the Hull left. Finally Ozil makes a royal nuisance of himself, dribbling along the byline to the right of the Hull goal. His scampering, along with the presence of Sanchez, forces a corner. From which...
12.32pm GMT
And we’re off! Hull get the ball rolling, Niasse kicking off. An aimless punt upfield, and the ball’s lost within the first ten seconds. Arsenal take the chance to stroke it around the back awhile, giving their entire back line a feel of the ball. The home fans giving it plenty. The ones who are here, that is: quite a few empty seats in the stands, with some talk of stay-away protest in the air. Let’s see if they fill up.
12.29pm GMT
The teams are out! Arsenal sport their best Herbert Chapman designer duds, while Hull City eschew their usual neat Tiger stripes for an equally tidy all-back affair. There’s an anticipatory crackle down Ashburton Grove way, the home fans having waited a long, long week to see how their team responds to that Watford-Chelsea double whammy. The Hull team, to a man, stride out with purpose. Whatever happens, this is unlikely to be dull. We’ll be off in a minute!
12.21pm GMT
That’s all the team news. Now over to Yoko for the weather.
12.19pm GMT
Arsene Wenger talks! And he does so to
Arsenal Fan
Sky TV. “Gibbs is a tactical switch, to face Grosicki. It should be a good battle. We are positive, but of course we have to respond to our last two results, and there is only one way to do that, and it’s on the pitch. It’s important to have the crowd behind us, but to be honest that has to come from our dynamic, our commitment, our desire; if we show that, the crowd will be behind us. I am upbeat. I love to win, and the next game is always the opportunity to do that.”
12.04pm GMT
Marco Silva speaks! And he does so in a slow, calm, measured, confident manner. “The Liverpool game is the past. Of course it was a fantastic win for us, and the three points were important for our team. But it’s a new week, and a new match, and we need to be ready for the sure tough, tough game for us. The players are ready to do what I want for this match. At the moment we only have two centre backs, but I have clever players, Tom Huddlestone is a clever player, and it is possible to do two systems. Arsenal’s problems are not important for us. We respect them, they are a good team, we have to do our best. It is normal they feel pressure, but we feel pressure, that is football. We will show good organisation and spirit, and enjoy the match.”
11.41am GMT
Arsenal make one change from the starting XI at Stamford Bridge last weekend. Kieran Gibbs comes in for Nacho Monreal.
Hull City meanwhile make two swaps from the team that beat Liverpool last Saturday. Lazar Markovic and Oumar Niasse step up, Abel Hernandez and Evandro Goebel step down.
11.32am GMT
Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Gibbs, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Coquelin, Walcott, Ozil, Iwobi, Sanchez.
Subs: Gabriel, Lucas Perez, Giroud, Ospina, Monreal, Welbeck, Elneny.
Hull City: Jakupovic, Elabdellaoui, Ranocchia, Maguire, Robertson, Huddlestone, N’Diaye, Markovic, Grosicki, Clucas, Niasse.
Subs: Meyler, Maloney, Diomande, Marshall, Elmohamady, Tymon, Evandro.
4.51pm GMT
... and welcome to our coverage of a Premier League match between two clubs currently failing to keep their fanbases completely content. Just look at this ...
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