Good afternoon! We have a treat for you today as the Premier League's greatest rivalry sees another chapter written with Arsenal hosting Manchester United at the Emirates. This is perhaps the first time these two clubs have met with neither primarily involved in a title race, which should add a new element of intrigue into the storied fixture. Both sides will be desperate for a win in order to keep the pressure on the top four, so we should have an entertaining game on our hands. We have a bumper 90-minute build-up for you today, and we'll start with a look at the hosts...

The international break may well have come at the perfect time for Arsenal, who suffered a couple of hugely disappointing results immediately before it. After a decent spell of victories, the Gunners looked to be cruising to another three Champions League points when they led Anderlecht 3-0 at the Emirates, only to let that commanding advantage slip and end up drawing the game against a much weaker side.

That result led many to raise renewed questions over the management of Wenger, but the muted calls for the Frenchman to be sacked grew in volume after their latest Premier League match, which again saw them take the lead but ultimately fail to win. This time it was against Swansea, as the Welsh side netted twice in quick succession in the second half to overturn a one-goal deficit and claim all three points, leaving the Gunners pondering what might have been once again.

Indeed, had they held out for the win in that match they would have gone into this weekend inside the top four, and things would look a lot more rosy for the club than they do now. However, as it is they sit in sixth place and, despite being just one point off the Champions League places, they are now 12 off Chelsea at the top of the table. That gap looks like to grow to 15 before the Gunners kick off tonight, so defeat would surely see them fall out of the title race once and for all.

It could be argued that even a 12-point gap is unassailable for the Gunners given the form Chelsea are in this season, and Wenger is among those to have acknowledged that the title is Chelsea's to lose now. Arsenal may well have switched their attention to gaining a place in the top four once again, and matches like this one today will be vital in their hopes of doing that. They did not fare well against the big teams last season, so they need to prove that they can compete with their rivals this time around.

One of the major problems for Arsenal this season has been failing to see out matches. Only Sunderland have drawn more games in the Premier League so far, while their eight victories from 19 matches in all competitions this season is simply not consistent enough for them to be challenging for honours. Injuries have certainly played apart in that, but Wenger also needs to look at the character and mental strength of his side when it comes to such issues.

The capitulation against Anderlecht may have been something of an anomaly, but there is perhaps an underlying issue for Arsenal to address there. They have dropped nine points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, which is more than any other side and as many as they dropped all of last season. Whether they get complacent when leading, only Wenger will know, but it is a problem that needs to be sorted if they are to gain a top-four place.

This is a huge week for Arsenal in there season, with Borussia Dortmund next up in the Champions League on Wednesday. While they are already all but sealed their progress in Europe, they need to beat Dortmund if they are to stand any chance of winning the group and gain an easier draw in the next round. Should they manage to win today and then again on Wednesday, that would give the Gunners a huge boost and could kick-start their season.

The season certainly needs kick-starting too. Arsenal have been slow starters in a few recent seasons, but only once under Arsene Wenger have they amassed fewer points after 11 games than they have this season. They have just 17 to their name so far, with four wins, five draws and two defeats, which is just one more than the lowest total, which came two seasons ago.

I mentioned earlier that Arsenal struggled against the big teams last season, but so far this campaign they have only really shown what they can do against the smaller teams in the league. They have not yet beaten a single side outside the current bottom seven of the Premier League, with their victories coming against Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Sunderland and Burnley. United may be a shadow of the team they were a few seasons ago, but they should still provide a stiffer test than those teams.

Just three of those victories have come in their last 10 matches, which is simply not good enough for a team who spent so much in the summer and were expected to mount a title challenge this season. However, the fact remains that they are still very much within striking distance of the top four, and with the likes of Southampton and West Ham emerging as surprise early contenders for a Champions League place, getting a top-four spot this season may well be tougher than in any previous campaign, despite a number of candidates dropping regular points.

Arsenal will also be very glad to be back at the Emirates Stadium, despite their latest match here seeing them blow that three-goal lead against Anderlecht. They have lost just one of their last 16 home games in all competitions, with that defeat coming at the hands of in-form Southampton in the League Cup earlier this season. Before that, the last team to beat them in their own back yard was the mighty Bayern Munich.

Their home form is even more impressive when looking solely at the Premier League. Arsenal have not lost a top flight game in front of their own fans since the opening day of last season, when Aston Villa came to town and emerged with a shock 3-1 victory. That run now stretches back 23 games, although they have won just two of their league home games this season, with three draws.

As I mentioned earlier, injuries have certainly played their part in Arsenal relatively poor start to the season, and their defence has been the hardest hit area of all. Monreal has been forced to fill in at centre-back recently due to the injury of Koscielny, and that has given the opposition a very clear weakness to exploit. His height is a problem against big strikers, but all over the pitch Arsenal don't seem to be coping well with aerial battles. Indeed, only Burnley have conceded more headed goals than the six Arsenal have let in this season.

This match could well have a telling say on the fans' rollercoaster opinion of Wenger, with many calling for his head following the results against Anderlecht and Swansea. Victory today, however, would give the season a very different outlook suddenly, particularly if they were able to climb back into the top four with a win. There won't be many teams Wenger prefers beating than United either, so there is double motivation for the Frenchman today.

TEAM NEWS: Right, the teams are in for both sides, and I can tell you that Danny Welbeck does start against his former club having overcomer a slight knock picked up on international duty. Wilshere and Arteta also come into midfield, while Monreal continues to fill in at centre-back. United, meanwhile, start De Gea and Di Maria despite concerns over their fitness, while Van Persie and Rooney are also involved. Full teams for both sides coming right up...

ARSENAL STARTING XI: Szczesny; Chambers, Mertesacker, Monreal, Gibbs; Arteta, Wilshere, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey, Alexis; Welbeck

ARSENAL SUBS: Martinez, Bellerin, Flamini, Rosicky, Cazorla, Podolski, Giroud

MAN UTD STARTING XI: De Gea; Smalling, McNair, Blackett, Valencia; Carrick, Fellaini, Shaw, Di Maria; Rooney, Van Persie

MAN UTD SUBS: Lindegaard, Fletcher, Herrera, Young, Mata, Januzaj, Wilson

So, what can we make of those two teams? Well, we'll start with the inclusion of Welbeck, who was a slight doubt for this match having picked up a knock while playing for England against Scotland on Tuesday. However, he has been passed fit to face his former club having switched Old Trafford for the Emirates on deadline day for £16m. He will have a point to prove to Van Gaal having been deemed surplus to requirements and, after a couple of goals for England during the break, he will be full of confidence.

The goalscoring mantle has not been falling on the shoulders of Welbeck recently, though. Instead it is fellow summer signing Alexis Sanchez who has stolen the headlines with a string of sensational performances. He has been the only player really doing the business for Arsenal in recent weeks and he has now scored eight goals in his last six games for club and country. He got two more for Chile during the international break, so has kept his momentum flowing nicely.

It is now 12 goals in 14 games for Sanchez since his move to North London. The winger suffered a hit and miss start to life in England, but since he has found his feet he has become one of the best players in the country. Without his goals, the situation would be looking a lot more grim for Arsenal than it does, but he does need support from those around him. Sanchez can't keep doing it all himself.

Such support could come from the likes of Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield, both of whom are likely to get forward in support of Welbeck and Alexis. Oxlade-Chamberlain also scored during the international break, nodding in the opener for England against Scotland, and he gets the bod ahead of Cazorla this afternoon to add further pace to the Arsenal attack. Ramsey, meanwhile, has been struggling to find full fitness this season but can be one of his side's most important players when on song.

It will be interesting to see whether Ramsey or Wilshere adopt the holding role in midfield alongside the returning Arteta today. Both have done it for the Gunners this season, but Wilshere also now plays that role for England, sitting at the base of the diamond and dictating the play from that position. Despite his tendencies to break forward with the ball, he has flourished in that position for his country, which could tempt Wenger into using him there more regularly.

It is in defence where Arsenal's biggest problems lie right now. Wenger's decision not to further strengthen his back line has come back to bite him due to injuries to the likes of Debuchy and Koscielny. As a result, Calum Chambers has played more in his debut season at the club than he may have been expecting, while Monreal has had to fill in in the middle. I mentioned the drawbacks of that earlier, and the sooner Wenger can get his French defensive duo back to fitness the better.

If there is one team that could give Arsenal a run for their money when it comes to injury woes, it is United. Arsenal defence may be flimsy, but in comparison to the United back four it looks as settled as the Dixon, Adams, Keown, Winterburn line of old. Smalling returns from suspension to join Valencia and youngsters McNair and Blackett in one of the most makeshift defences you will see. Van Gaal can also be criticised for failing to adequately recruit in that area during the summer, and like Wenger he is now paying the price.

David de Gea has been the one constant in an otherwise ever-changing defence, and he once again start between the sticks today despite missing Spain's last match with a finger injury. It will be interesting to see if that hinders him at all today, but the fact that he is included gives some idea of his importance to the team. No disrespect to Lindegaard, but had De Gea missed this match as well then the likes of Sanchez and Welbeck would have been licking their lips.

Like De Gea, Di Maria was also a doubt for this match due to an injury picked up on international duty. However, the Argentine has recovered in time to start in an interesting midfield that sees Shaw more forward from defence. Fellaini and Carrick are also included, which means that there is no place for last game's match-winner Juan Mata or Januzaj.

Further forward, Rooney and Van Persie once again start up top in the absence of Falcao. Van Gaal may opt to push Rooney back into midfield should Arsenal begin to dominate that area of the field but, having scored three times for England in the international break, he will want to continue his good goalscoring streak today. No player has scored more Premier League goals against Arsenal, with Rooney level with Robbie Fowler on 10. The last of those came when he scored a hat-trick in 2011, though.

Van Persie will also return to the Emirates having left in fairly acrimonious circumstances to join United a few seasons ago. He will not be expecting a warm reception today, but he does have a decent record in this fixture, regardless who he is playing for. He has scored in five of the last six meetings, with two of those coming as an Arsenal player and three as a United man.

United certainly do boast a formidable attacking lineup, then, but it hasn't quite begun firing on all cylinders yet this season. The Red Devils come into this match sitting in seventh place having won just four of their opening 11 fixtures. They are now three points off the top four after results in today's 3pm kickoffs, while the gap between them and champions Chelsea stands at 16 points.

Van Gaal will stress that it is a rebuilding job he is doing but, considering how much money he spent in the summer, a 16-point gap between themselves and the top at this stage of the season is still not good enough. They have a chance to cut that back to 13 this afternoon, but defeat would leave them well and truly out of the title race and four points off the Champions League places.

Despite boasting the likes of Rooney, Van Persie, Falcao and Di Maria, United have not exactly been scoring freely this season. They have only managed 17 goals in their 11 outings so far which, while not being terrible, is still the second lowest total in the top half of the table. Again, they can point to injuries, but their star-studded frontline has not lived up to expectations so far.

At the other end, their problems are a little more predictable. Much was made of Van Gaal's decision to sign forward players rather than defensive ones when he arrived at the club, and it is one that has backfired so far this season. No-one could have accounted for the injury crisis that United find themselves in, but to have splashed so much cash and not improved the depth of his defence, while also letting the likes of Vidic, Evra and Ferdinand leave, was poor. No side had conceded more goals in the top half of the table after 11 games, and things don't look like improving any time soon as injuries continue to take their toll.

Unlike Arsenal, however, they do come into today's match on the back of a victory having edged past Crystal Palace before the international break. That was an important win for the Red Devils, as it saw them bounce back from a disappointing defeat in the Manchester derby at the first time of asking.

They actually came very close to getting something out of that match against local rivals City, putting late pressure on the champions despite having to play more than half of the match with 10 men after Smalling's red card. Indeed, while many have pointed out that United have had a relatively kind start to the season in terms of fixtures, Van Gaal's side have generally performed better in these big games, drawing against leaders Chelsea and pushing City all the way.

Ultimately, though, the results have been disappointing for Van Gaal so far this season. The Dutchman has not shown a marked improvement from the same stage of the David Moyes era despite spending almost £150m more than the Scot during the summer transfer window. Van Gaal has won just four of his 12 matches in charge in all competitions, and that record simply needs to improve sooner rather than later.

Perhaps his biggest concern right now will be United's woeful away form so far this season. Under Moyes, the Red Devils were impressive on their travels, faring better on the road than they did at Old Trafford. This time around, though, they are yet to pick up an away victory this season, drawing three and losing three, while that winless streak stretches to nine games including last season.

Indeed, following Burnley's victory over Stoke this afternoon, only rock-bottom QPR have picked up fewer points on the road than United's three in the Premier League this season. Their run of seven away games with a win in the league is their worst record in the Premier League era and the longest they have gone without a win on their travels since 1989.

While Arsenal have made one of the poorest starts to a season in their history, United's return of 16 points from 11 games is their worst start to a season since the 1989-90 campaign, when they had just 14 at the same stage. It must be stressed again that injuries have made the job a lot harder for Van Gaal, but that is still a poor record for a club of United's stature whichever way you look at it.

The battles between Wenger and Ferguson, Keane and Vieira and Keown and Van Nistelrooy have gone down in history, while incidents such as 'Pizzagate' and United ending Arsenal's invincible run have contributed to this being the best rivalry of the Premier League era.

PREDICTION: We're just 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Emirates, which means that it is time for a prediction! Both sides look weak at the back and strong coming forward at the moment, so this game could be decided by who defends the better. Both have weaknesses to exploit and the players capable of doing so, which makes it such an intriguing contest. However, Arsenal have been good at home in the league for a while now, while United can;t buy a win on their travels, so I'm going to go for a 2-1 Arsenal victory.

It is United who have had the better of these tussles in the Premier League era. They have beaten Arsenal 20 times during that period, which is more than any other club have managed. The Gunners, meanwhile, have won just one of their last 14 matches against United, losing 10 and drawing just three. Their last victory came here at the Emirates in May 2011 courtesy of an Aaron Ramsey strike.

The most recent meeting was a rare goalless affair between the two sides in February of this year, but with the likes of Sanchez and Rooney in form and coming up against some suspect defences, it would be a major shock if we were to see a repeat of that here today.

The Sports Mole Sofa panel certainly thinks that there will be goals in this one. Have a look to see what we had to say in our video preview of this match below:

We're almost ready to go at the Emirates as the two teams emerge onto the field. This is the 220th meeting between the two clubs, with United leading the head-to-head record with 92 wins to 79.

KICKOFF: United get us underway in North London, and the first thing to note is that they are lining up with three at the back once more, as they did when Van Gaal first arrived at the club. Shaw and Valencia have been deployed as wing-backs.

Sanchez's position is also interesting as the in-form Chilean has started in a central role, with Welbeck taking up a wider role.

Those two switch places now and it almost pays immediate dividends as Sanchez almost catches Valencia in possession right on the edge of the United box, but the makeshift defender just about does enough.

CHANCE! An early chance for the hosts as they drive forward through Chambers down the right. He gives it out to Oxlade-Chamberlain, who bursts inside before slipping a clever pass through to Welbeck. The striker is in space inside the box, but just allows McNair to get back and make the block.

Arsenal have started this match really brightly, playing at a quick tempo and putting United under pressure both on and off the ball. A very encouraging opening seven minutes for the hosts.

Yet another injury worry for United as Shaw goes down having turned his ankle after a challenge from Oxlade-Chamberlain. That looks like a painful one, and the England international may not be able to continue here. He is limping up the touchline at the moment.

CHANCE! Another good sight of goal for Arsenal as Oxlade-Chamberlain makes the most of Shaw's temporary absence to get another cross in from down the right. He picks out Welbeck in space, but the striker gets too much on his header and puts it over the top.

Shaw is going to carry on here as he trots back onto the field. Those types of injuries can always be dangerous to the ligaments, but it looks as though Shaw's was merely a rolled ankle. Good news for United, as they really could do without yet another injury.

United are struggling to get anything going in an attacking sense at the moment. Arsenal have dominated possession and are keeping the visitors firmly on the back foot right now.

SAVES! De Gea is forced into two saves in quick succession, but both are fairly comfortable for the Spaniard. The first sees Wilshere travel a long way with the ball without being closed down, but his low effort from the edge of the box was straight at De Gea. Welbeck then had a shot of his own from range moments later, but again De Gea was there.

CHANCE! Oh my word this is a huge chance for Arsenal to take the lead! De Gea makes a mess of his clearance and gifts the ball to the Gunners inside the United half. They work it quickly to slide the ball in for Wilshere, but the England international sees his shot from close range saved by De Gea. It is a great stop from the keeper, but Wilshere really should have scored.

MANCHESTER UNITED SUB: Shaw is still feeling the effects of that earlier injury and will not be able to continue here. He makes way to be replaced by Ashley Young.

Arsenal have got so much joy down their right flank already, and with Young now patrolling that area they will fancy their chances of maintaining that avenue of success. The hosts have been dominant in these opening 20 minutes or so, but still have nothing to show for it.

Di Maria goes down under the challenge of Ramsey and wins a free kick for his side in a decent position. This is United's first chance to test Szczesny here...

It is Rooney who goes for goal, but it is a disappointing effort from the skipper as he curls it high over the crossbar, much to the delight of the majority inside the Emirates.

CHANCE! Arsenal again get behind the United defence, with Oxlade-Chamberlain the man to threaten this time. He only has De Gea to beat and tries to take it round the keeper, who stands up well and makes a vital block. Very good goalkeeping once again from the Spaniard.

United really do have De Gea to thank for still being level in this match. He was slightly fortunate to guess the right way with the Wilshere effort earlier, but that was fine goalkeeping to deny Welbeck. He has been the difference so far.

United's defence really does look shaky here. They need a few bites at the cherry to get rid of a corner into the box before finally hacking it away, with Arsenal again unable to take advantage.

Chambers hasn't had much to do defensively so far this afternoon, enjoying a much quieter game than he did against Swansea last time out. Here he is coming forward again against Fellaini:

A flash point here as Wilshere and Fellaini clash. The Belgian reacted angrily to a challenge from the England international, which drew a series of pushing and shoving from both players.

Mike Dean opts not to book either of them, and Wilshere can consider himself lucky. He looked to have thrust his head into the chin of Fellaini, which is about as high as he could reach on the Belgian! Even so, it was a needless reaction from the Arsenal man.

United have a rare chance to test Arsenal with a set piece, and Fellaini is clearly the biggest danger inside the box. However, for once Di Maria's delivery is poor and soars straight into the arms of the keeper.

SAVE! Sanchez bursts into life here as he lines up Valencia before dropping a shoulder and making a yard of space to shoot. He drills his low effort towards goal from 25 yards, but De Gea is once again down to make the save.

CLOSE! United threaten for the first time today, and it is Di Maria who almost comes up with a moment of magic to give his side an undeserved lead. He picks the ball up on the right before cutting inside and curling an effort narrowly past the post. That was not far away at all.

At the other end Ramsey has a chance to go for goal having been found by Sanchez, but his curling effort from 20 yards is poor. He puts it well off target, much to the dismay of a wide-open Gibbs on the left flank.

Superb defending from Chambers to thwart Rooney! It is superb work from Di Maria as he skips away from two players on the touchline before racing into the Arsenal box and squeezing his pass to Rooney. The skipper manages to get a shot away, but Chambers flies in with a fine block.

CHANCE! United finally get a period of sustained pressure, winning a series of corners in a row. The fourth of those falls to Smalling inside the box, but he snatches at his volley and slices it wide.

Arsenal break forward again through Oxlade-Chamberlain, who pops up on the left side and races down the wing. He slides a pass to Sanchez, who in turn looks to play a low cross in to Welbeck, but it is behind the striker and Carrick is able to mop up.

CHANCE! Half a chance for the hosts as De Gea can only tip an inswinging corner further towards the back post. Ramsey turns it back in to Welbeck who, with his back to goal, tries to back-heel it in. It would have looked great if it had come off, but it went a yard or so past the post.

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

Mike Dean brings an end to the first half at the Emirates and it is still goalless between Arsenal and Manchester United here, despite the hosts having plenty of chances to break the deadlock. United have De Gea to thank for the scores still being level, while at the other end they have not threatened anywhere near enough. Even so, they are still very much in this one and it is set up nicely for the second half.

The best chance of the match fell to Jack Wilshere after just 14 minutes when he was played through on goal following a poor David de Gea clearance. The England international burst into the box and tried to slide his shot into the bottom corner from close range, but De Gea made up for his error by pulling off a magnificent stop. Even so, Wilshere really should have scored.

Welbeck has also had a couple of decent sights of goal, but he hasn't made the most of either of them. The first chance saw him found in space inside the box, but McNair recovered well to make the block. Then, not long after, Oxlade-Chamberlain cross picked up an unmarked Welbeck, who couldn't keep his header down this time.

Sanchez, Welbeck and Wilshere have also tested De Gea on separate occasions throughout the match so far, while Oxlade-Chamberlain had a clear chance when he was played through on goal. Again, though, the Spanish keeper came to his side's rescue with some good goalkeeper, standing up to the winger and preventing him from taking the ball past him.

United's best moment didn't come until 10 minutes before the break when Di Maria finally sprung into life and curled an effort narrowly past the post having cut inside from the right flank. Aside from that, United have offered very little going forward, although they did begin to apply a bit of sustained pressure towards the end of the half with a string of corners. Even so, they will know that Arsenal could have this game wrapped up already and Van Gaal will be relieved to have got into the break all square.

There was another talking point to do with Wilshere during the half as he moved his head into the chin of Fellaini when reacting angrily to the referee's decision. Mike Dean had a great view of the incident but opted to take no action against the midfielder, who could have easily been sent off.

KICKOFF: Arsenal get us back underway at the Emirates as they look to turn their dominance into goals. Can they do it, or will United get something out of the game?

Lovely play from Oxlade-Chamberlain as he spins away from a couple of players before cutting the ball back into the box. There is just too much power on it for Ramsey though, who stretches but can't reach the ball.

CHANCE! Decent chance for the hosts as Sanchez plays a low corner into the box, where there is a huge amount of space with no-one in. Mertesacker pulls off Fellaini to get there, but volleys his effort over the top.

CHANCE! Another big chance for Arsenal, but again De Gea is there to thwart them. Welbeck was found in space on the left flank and breezed past McNair to advance into the area. The angle is against him, but De Gea still does well to stand up and make the save with his chest.

A worry for Arsenal here as Wilshere goes down under the challenge of McNair. The England man pounced on a loose pass from Fellaini and drove towards the edge of the box before putting too much on his pass as it went behind for a corner. McNair caught the ankle of Wilshere, though, and the Arsenal man looks in a lot of pain right now.

Well, the good news is that he is up and walking once again. He waves away the stretcher and chooses to limp off the field for further treatment. Perhaps the injury won't be as bad as first feared.

Wilshere is back on the field, but not moving too freely right now. He immediately signalled to the bench when going down, which is a good indication of when an injury really is bad, and Wenger may choose not to risk him here.

ARSENAL SUB: Indeed, Arsenal are forced into their first change of the afternoon as Wilshere is replaced by Santi Cazorla.

Arsenal have had all the chances, but it is United who take the lead! It is a messy goal as Szczesny and Gibbs clatter into each other when going for a cross from the left flank. Gibbs is still getting back up when Valencia drills the ball back towards him, and he can only divert the ball into his own net when trying to clear the danger.

It looks like it could well be a double blow for Arsenal here as Szczesny is still down and receiving treatment after his collision with Gibbs. He may be forced off here and, with Ospina also sidelined, third-choice Martinez may get a chance.

ARSENAL SUB: Indeed, Martinez does come on to replace Szczesny, who seemed to want to continue but was told no by the physio. Two major setbacks for Arsenal is one move there.

Rooney races down the left channel and latches on to a through-ball down the flank, only to be wrongly flagged for offside. That was a really poor decision as the skipper was a good yard on, and United had a two-on-one situation.

Good defending from Young as Arsenal look for a quick response to falling behind. Ramsey managed to squeeze a dangerous cross towards the back post, but Young looked every bit the defender as he won his header and got the ball clear under pressure.

SAVE! Yet another fine stop from De Gea to deny the Gunners. Oxlade-Chamberlain is the creator this time, racing down the right flank and working space to put his cross into a dangerous area. Sanchez is on his toes and gets in front of his man to nod a downward header towards goal, but it is pretty central and De Gea gets down to make the stop.

YELLOW CARD! Cazorla goes into the book, and it is one of the most blatant yellow cards you will see all season. He trips Young as the United man was looking to launch a quick counter.

We are set for a really good ending to this match. The home fans are starting to get a little frustrated now, and that is persuading the player to commit a lot of men forward. The counter-attack is almost always on for the visitors when they get the ball now.

SAVE! De Gea makes another stop as Arsenal continue to fail to find a way past the keeper. It is a well-worked move from the hosts as Welbeck nods the ball down for Cazorla, whose half-volley from 20 yards bounces just in front of De Gea. However, the keeper makes the stop and crucially holds onto the ball.

United have a chance to threaten from a set piece, but the ball finds Fellaini too far from goal to really test Martinez. The Belgian planted his effort a yard or so wide of the post, but there was no power on it anyway.

Ramsey wins a free kick for his side in a dangerous position, but for once Sanchez can't come up with the goods. He curls his effort well over the top and De Gea is untroubled.

Ramsey almost releases Welbeck with an incredible pass from midfield, and for a moment it looks like the striker well get on the end of it. However, Smalling recovers well and gets a vital foot in to poke the ball away from danger.

MANCHESTER UNITED SUB: Van Persie makes way for United here as James Wilson comes on for the final 15 minutes of this match.

ARSENAL SUB: A third and final change for the hosts, and it is a significant one as Olivier Giroud makes his first Arsenal appearance since August. He is back a month ahead of schedule from his broken leg and could make a difference in the closes stages here. Ramsey is the man to make way.

CHANCE! Giroud almost has an immediate impact as he holds off the challenge of Blackett to get his head to a corner. However, he can't keep his header down, planting his effort over the top of the bar.

The pressure is starting to build on the United defence now, with the visitors camped on the edge of their own penalty area. They crowd Arsenal out and hold firm against relentless attacks before finally getting the ball clear.

Arsenal have less than 10 minutes to rescue this game now. They found a number of important late goals earlier in the campaign but have been on the wrong end of them in recent weeks, so it will be interesting to see what happens in these closing stages.

Arsenal break forward again and it is Cazorla who breaks into the box. He skips past one rather wild challenge before finally digging out a shot that Blackett does well to clear in front of his own keeper.

Arsenal were always in danger of being caught out on the break as they continued to pour men forward, and that is exactly what happens here. One ball out to Di Maria sets up a two-on-one situation, and the Argentine plays it perfectly to slide in Rooney. The skipper races through on goal and dinks a cool finish over Martinez to wrap up the points. There was never any doubt that he would finish that one!

That is now 11 Premier League goals against Arsenal for Rooney, more than any other player. It has been a superb week for the skipper, who reached 100 caps for England, scored three goals for his country to edge closer to the record and has now surely sealed the win for his club side against Arsenal.

MANCHESTER UNITED SUB: United make a third and final change late on as Young, who came on as a sub earlier in the match, makes way to be replaced by Fletcher.

Perhaps this one is not over just yet... the fourth official has just indicated a minimum of EIGHT minutes added time!

Arsenal really need to score in the next minute or so if they are to stand any chance of getting back into this one. A goal now would put huge pressure on United in this long period of added time, but so far the hosts have held firm.

CHANCE! Oh my word, it really should be 3-0 to the visitors! Arsenal may be chasing a goal, but this is still criminal defending as they leave no defenders between their goal and Di Maria, who is inside his own half. Rooney plays the ball through to the Argentine, who only has the keeper to beat, but his attempted chip goes wide of the mark.

Wow! What a way to announce your return from injury. Arteta plays a lofted ball over the top for Giroud, who has peeled away from his man and is in behind the defence. Even so, he still has a lot to do as he lashes a vicious strike past De Gea at his near post. There are three minutes still left of stoppage time - game on perhaps?

YELLOW CARDS! A late flash point between the two sets of players as Di Maria goes down and reacts angrily to Chambers dragging him to his feet. Mike Dean flashed two yellow cards in the midst of that, one to Wilson and one to Giroud.

SAVE! United have the ball inside the Arsenal half, but Fellaini opts to shoot from range instead of keeping the ball. He catches his driven effort well, but Martinez is down to make the save.

Mike Dean brings an end to the match as United leapfrog Arsenal in the table with their first away victory under Louis van Gaal. It is a huge win for the visitors, while Arsenal have now made their worst start to a season since 1982. There were boos at the final whistle, and no doubt further questions will be asked as Arsenal once again fall short against one of their main rivals.

Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what was an entertaining clash between the Premier League's two greatest rivals as United pick up a valuable 2-1 victory over the Gunners. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!