Arsenal 1-0 West Ham United - Barclays Premier League

Alex Song's late header gave Barclays Premier League title chasers Arsenal a narrow victory over West Ham United to deny the bottom club a deserved point at Emirates Stadium.

Robert Green, in front of watching England manager Fabio Capello, had pulled off a string of fine saves to keep the Gunners at bay.

However, with just two minutes left, Song dived to head home Gael Clichy's cross as Arsene Wenger's improving side kept up the pressure on leaders Chelsea.

Arsenal started brightly, with Andrey Arshavin put away down the left a couple of times, but the Russian was unable to make the most of the openings.

On nine minutes, Song tripped Frederic Piquionne conceding a free-kick on the left, which Scott Parker - so impressive during the Hammers' Carling Cup win over Stoke - whipped in and Lukasz Fabianski punched clear.

At the other end, Arshavin's deflected cross flew through the West Ham six-yard box before Song sent a bullet header over.

Piquionne burst clear down the right wing, but then after getting to the box, the former Portsmouth frontman seemed to run out of ideas and Arsenal cleared before former Gunner Luis Boa Morte drove a 20-yard effort over.

Bacary Sagna arrived on the end of Song's through pass to pull the ball back for Cesc Fabregas, who swept it goalwards, but Green produced a superb reflex save to deny the Arsenal captain.

West Ham remained positive, though, as Mark Noble ran at the Arsenal defence, and his 22-yard strike was straight at Fabianski.

Gunners fans were starting to get restless as half-time approached, with West Ham continuing to frustrated the home side.

Green again denied Arsenal when he kept out Song's angled drive and from the resulting corner, the England keeper flicked over Sebastien Squillaci's looping header.

The hefty challenges continued in the second half, this time Parker on Denilson, taking the legs of the Arsenal midfielder as he followed through, but again there was no action from the referee.

Arshavin broke clear down the left and darted to the edge of the West Ham penalty area, but dragged his low shot wide.

Boa Morte was cautioned for pushing over Denilson as the Brazilian charged forwards.

From the resulting free-kick, around 35 yards out, Samir Nasri crashed the ball against the crossbar, with Green beaten.

The Emirates Stadium faithful upped the tempo as Arsenal went on the offensive.

With 23 minutes left, Wenger turned to Theo Walcott as the England man, who had scored twice in the midweek Carling Cup win at Newcastle, replaced Denilson

Chamakh got on the end of Arshavin's free-kick into the box, but could not guide the ball either side of Green.

Fabregas sent Walcott away down the right, and he dashed into the area, before sliding the ball under Green - only for it to come back off the inside of the far post and bounce to the grateful Hammers keeper.

Green again came to the Hammers rescue when he saved Walcott's deflected effort before then keeping out Fabregas' snapshot as the Gunners pressed for a late winner.

However, the Irons keeper was finally beaten with just two minutes left when Song headed in Clichy's cross at the far post as Arsenal took all three points.

Manchester City 0-3 Arsenal - Barclays Premier League

Samir Nasri, Alex Song and Nicklas Bendtner were on target as Arsenal struck a blow for the old guard against 10-man Manchester City.

City had been looking to reclaim second place in the Barclays Premier League but hopes of a fifth successive win were all but dashed with the early sending off of Dedryck Boyata at Eastlands.

Nasri put the Gunners ahead 20 minutes into a fiery contest and although Joe Hart kept City in contention with a penalty save from Cesc Fabregas, Song and Bendtner finished them off.

Victory lifted Arsenal back into second spot, above City on goal difference, and contradicted recent criticism of the Londoners' record against their perceived title rivals.

The momentum all appeared to be with City prior to the match, which was preceded by a memorial service and minute's applause for their late manager Malcolm Allison.

Carlos Tevez was back to lead the City line while Emmanuel Adebayor, despite a midweek hat-trick, was left on the bench against his former club.

And the hosts appeared in a rush to impress as Boyata, starting ahead of Joleon Lescott, released Tevez with a superb ball down the right after one minute.

Tevez raced beyond the defence and into the area but David Silva failed to make firm contact with his ball into the middle and Lukasz Fabianski saved his scuffed shot.

Yet no sooner had City started to look dominant than Boyata, as the last man, was sent off for bringing down Marouane Chamakh as he raced onto a Fabregas ball.

Mark Clattenburg took time to consider his verdict but showed a straight red card.

After that it became clear Clattenburg was in for a tough afternoon as the tackles started to fly in.

He booked Denilson for a late challenge on Tevez but showed restraint after Nigel de Jong felled Fabregas.

Gareth Barry was shown a yellow card for fouling the Spaniard but Song escaped such punishment for a bad tackle on Silva.

In terms of chances, City had the next when Tevez mishit a shot at Fabianski but Johan Djourou then headed over from a Sagna cross.

The opening goal came after 20 minutes as Nasri played a one-two with Andrey Arshavin on the edge of the box and clipped the ball over Joe Hart.

Fabregas, still being given close attention by City, was booked himself after tangling with De Jong.

City responded by again attacking down the right as James Milner played Richards through.

Arsenal struggled to get back but were relieved as Richards checked back onto his left foot and screwed his shot wide.

Song and Djourou also went into Clattenburg's notebook before the break after challenges on Silva and Tevez respectively.

The match refused to settle down and Clattenburg was called upon again as Vincent Kompany lunged in on Fabregas just inside the area.

A penalty was the obvious outcome but Hart kept City in the match with a brilliant save from Fabregas' spot-kick.

Fabregas had another opportunity early in the second half after combining well with Chamakh and Nasri but his first-time shot was weak and easily saved by Hart.

City manager Roberto Mancini decided to make a bold change after 52 minutes, gambling on the determination of Adebayor to impress and removing usual talisman Tevez.

An intricate move saw Milner feed Silva inside the box and the Spaniard's curving right-foot shot was brilliantly tipped wide by Fabianski.

Adebayor had a chance from the resulting corner but Fabianski's presence forced him to direct his header over.

Arshavin then drilled a shot straight at Hart from 20 yards as Arsenal continued to push.

Song finished City off in the 66th minute when he grabbed an opportunistic second for the visitors.

Wayne Bridge had blocked a Fabregas pass intended for Chamakh but the ball ran loose and Song, unchallenged, pounced to smash it into the top corner.

Adebayor raised City fans' spirits when he forced a fine save from Fabianski with a firm header but a flag had already been raised for offside.

Substitute Bendtner put the result beyond any doubt five minutes from time when he raced clear and finished from a tight angle.

Fit-again £23m signing Mario Balotelli went close to a late consolation when he forced Fabianksi to tip over.

Arsenal 5-1 Shakhtar Donetsk - UEFA Champions League

Arsenal took an almighty stride towards qualification to the Champions League Knockout Stages with a fabulous 5-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night.

Alex Song, Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas, Jack Wilshere and Marouane Chamakh got the goals in a game that had been billed as Group H decider but turned out to be a cruise.

Shakhtar, who arrived on a run of seven straight wins, had endeavour early in each half but defensive frailties always undermined their ambition.

An omnipotent Arsenal plundered goals as and when they needed them. It was a pleasing night all-round.

Even Shakthar’s late consolation drew hearty applause. Eduardo half-volleyed home from close range and, as he had promised, did not celebrate the strike.

You could not have blamed him if he had, Shakhtar can take little else from this evening.

Arsenal have gathered nine points and 14 goals in their first three group games. They could secure top spot in Donetsk on November 3.

At this rate it is only a matter of time.

The main news pre-match was the return of Fabregas. The Arsenal captain had not been seen since injuring his hamstring in the act of scoring at Sunderland just over a month ago.

Wenger had spent last night mulling over the return of the Spanish midfielder. In the end, he decided against leaving him on the bench. However his inclusion left Abou Diaby among the substitutes.

Tomas Rosicky replaced Emmanuel Eboue numerically but actually played on the right. Samir Nasri took the Russian’s regular role on the left wing.

Before tonight, these two teams had taken six points out of six in Group H. And the first 15 minutes suggested both sides were facing higher standard opposition.

Shakhtar were as neat and tidy as their reputation had suggested. As a result, Arsenal lacked their usual incisiveness.

In fact they needed a bald-faced mistake to take the lead.

In the 18th minute, Nasri’s flashing cross was touched past the far post by the Shakhtar defence.

Chamakh nodded on the corner and, under little pressure, keeper Andriy Pyatov dropped a regulation catch. Johan Djourou stabbed the ball from under him and Song flicked the ball over the line.

Arsenal’s 1-0 lead had been not so much stolen as smuggled.

In the 25th minute, they nearly registered a much more authentic strike. Rosicky sand-wedged a ball to Chamakh, whose nod down was leathered goalwards by Nasri. This time Pyatov made the save.

Rosicky had a half-shout for a penalty soon afterwards. Had that been given and converted, Shakhtar might have been sunk. The Ukrainians seemed to lose their nerve after conceding the goal. Mentally they were there for the taking but Arsenal did not take charge.

Four minutes before the break Henrik Mkhitaryan’s deflected shot looped over the bar. It caused Lukasz Fabianski a worrying moment as did the subsequent corner. But given that is noteworthy, in reality, Donetsk were offering little.

And, a minute or so later, they were 2-0 down. Song exchanged passes with Emmanuel Eboue on the right and sent a deflected cross into the middle. Nasri cushioned the ball past Darijo Srna to create space for himself and then blasted home. It was his sixth goal of the season in only his ninth game.

Shakhtar made one change at the break but it was Douglas Costa and not the one for which the Arsenal fans were calling – Eduardo.

In the opening seconds, Mkhitaryan’s penetrative throughball released Luiz Adriano but Fabianski stood his ground to make a fine save.

There seemed to be more purpose about the visitors in the second half. And were just about to add to their firepower with Eduardo when Arsenal got their third.

Nasri curled over a free-kick from the right and Adriano tussled Djourou to the floor. Fabregas’ penalty was unstoppable – high and into the top corner. He then revealed a T-shirt wishing his mother a Happy Birthday.

The goal was the captain’s last meaningful touch. He was brought off for Denilson.

As the Brazilian waited to come on he shared a brief hug with Eduardo. The Croatian replaced Adriano seconds later and was greeted with rapturous applause.

It lightened the mood of the home supporters but did nothing for the lethal ambition of the team they were supporting. In the 66th minute, Wilshere raced onto Chamakh’s touch, exchanged passes with Rosicky and lifted his shot over the advancing Pyatov.

Shakhtar were now shell-shocked. They had been punished punitively this evening and it was not over yet.

In the 69th minute, Nasri scooped a pass over the visiting defence to the unmarked Chamakh. The Moroccan was so clear he could not believe he was onside but replays proved that was the case.

He gathered his senses – and the ball – before slotting home his sixth goal of the season.

Arsenal were now in party mood. Substitute Theo Walcott, seeing his first action since August 28, tried to arrow one in the top corner.

Eight minutes from time, Shakthar grabbed a goal.

Jadson hooked a high ball into the area from the right wing and Eduardo beat Fabianski from close range. It was a quality finish, the type that had first attracted Wenger's attention back in 2006.

He kept his word and did not celebrate the goal. The Arsenal fans repaid respect with respect.

The strike also threw up a notable question – was the first player to score at Emirates with three different clubs?

Costa tried a curler at the end. But the game had long since been lost.

Eduardo took time out to applaud the fans at the final whistle. Again, they responded in kind.

His smile suggested he was happy to be ‘home’ even though his new side had been swept aside on the night.

Arsenal 2-1 Birmingham City - Barclays Premier Leagu

Arsenal got their Barclays Premier League campaign back on track with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Birmingham City - but had Jack Wilshere sent off in stoppage time for a rash challenge.

The Blues took a shock lead through Nikola Zigic after 33 minutes as once again the Gunners - who had lost their past two league mastches before the international break - failed to make the most of early possession.

However, Samir Nasri levelled with a penalty just before half-time, before Marouane Chamakh slotted home a well-taken effort two minutes after the restart which proved enough for all three points.

The win was soured late on, however, when England teenager Wilshere showed his immaturity with a reckless challenge on Zigic which earned him a straight red and a three-match ban.

Defeat at Chelsea last time out had left Arsenal some seven points off the pace, and manager Arsene Wenger had called on his team to produce a strong response from kick-off.

It was almost that as Chamakh went close after just four minutes following a neat one-two with Wilshere on the edge of Birmingham's box, but Stephen Carr blocked his side-foot effort.

Arsenal suffered a shock 3-2 defeat against West Bromwich Albion in their previous match here last month - and there was more frustration for the home supporters during the first quarter-of-an-hour following some resolute defending by Birmingham.

On 17 minutes, Sebastien Squillaci headed in Samir Nasri's chipped free-kick from the right wing, but the offside flag was quickly up.

Arsenal were presented another golden opportunity on 24 minutes when a soft back pass from former Arsenal midfielder Sebastian Larsson in his own penalty area gifted Gael Clichy a free shot at goal from 10 yards, but the full-back dragged his shot wide of the far post.

Gunners goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski had not really been troubled, but needed to be alert to collect an inadvertent backward header from Emmanuel Eboue, which was set for the top corner, after a free-kick into the Arsenal box.

The Blues, however, continued to look dangerous from set-pieces and it was no real surprise when the visitors went ahead after 33 minutes.

A throw-in was fed back to Keith Fahey, and his sweeping cross was met by Zigic, who got up above Johan Djourou to power a header back into the bottom corner for the Serbian's first Barclays Premier League goal.

Birmingham almost snatched a second when Roger Johnson knocked the ball back across the six-yard box, but Fahey blazed over as he got in the way of Zigic.

Arsenal were then handed a lifeline five minutes before the break when Scott Dann clipped Chamakh's trailing leg and referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot.

Nasri made no mistake as he crashed in his fifth goal of the season.

Arsenal went ahead just after half-time.

Wilshere played the ball into the left side of the penalty area, where Chamakh ghosted past Carr before holding off Dann as he rounded the goalkeeper to roll home his fifth goal of the season from a tight angle.

Arsenal soon settled into their usual passing rhythm, as Birmingham suddenly found themselves chasing possession for long spells, but were again guilty of taking too many touches around the box when a more direct approach was required.

Wilshere did just that when charging into the left side of the penalty area before drilling an angled drive over.

Both substitute Tomas Rosicky and Nasri tested Foster from distance while the introduction of Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner for his first appearance of the season gave Arsenal a different option.

But it will be Wilshere's red card which makes the headlines after he went in late on Zigic, and must now serve a three-match ban.

Chelsea 2 - 0 Arsenal - Barclays Premier League

Chelsea moved four points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League after a goal in each half from Didier Drogba and Alex earned them a vital victory over London rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.

Drogba backheeled Ashley Cole's low cross into the net at the near post five minutes before the break for his 13th goal against Arsene Wenger's side in 11 starts.

Defender Alex settled the contest with a powerful 30-yard free-kick in the 85th minute to hand the Gunners their second successive league defeat.

The tempo was set when Arsenal almost took the lead in the opening minute, with Bacary Sagna's right-wing cross headed just wide by Marouane Chamakh.

Referee Mike Dean adjudged that the ball had deflected off a Chelsea defender and when the corner found its way into the six-yard box, Lauren Koscielny headed over from two yards out.

It was a wake-up call for the home side who responded with a Drogba free-kick that ballooned over the crossbar.

In the ninth minute, Chelsea almost opened the scoring when John Terry found Florent Malouda in the inside left channel but the France international's audacious chip was just over.

Arsenal hit back immediately with Andrey Arshavin forcing Petr Cech into a save when he cut inside from the left wing and unleashed an angled drive.

In the 19th minute Chelsea squandered another chance to open the scoring when Michael Essien rose unmarked in the six-yard box but headed Drogba's corner wide of the target.

Cech saved Chelsea in the 28th minute when he dived to his left to tip Arshavin's fierce 20-yard drive around the post.

Arsenal were enjoying as much of the possession as their hosts and Samir Nasri was a yard wide after outwitting the Chelsea defence on the edge of the penalty area.

In the 34th minute Lukasz Fabianski pulled off a great save to deny Drogba after the Ivory Coast striker had been put in the clear by Essien.

It was end-to-end stuff and a typical fast-flowing London derby that had everything but a goal - until the 40th minute. It was no surprise when the scorer turned out to be Drogba.

It was a superb move which led up to his finish. A quick free-kick eventually saw Ramires put Cole through on the left and when the former Arsenal full-back crossed the ball, Drogba backheeled it into the net at the near post.

The Gunners should have equalised in the 58th minute when Chamakh opted to take one touch too many on the edge of the penalty area and Ramires was able to block the danger.

But Chelsea should have made it 2-0 moments later when Anelka robbed Sebastien Squillaci and rounded Fabianski but the France international sent his shot into the side-netting.

In the 64th minute, Cech was alert enough to take the ball off the feet of Chamakh after Nasri's clever ball looked to have put the Arsenal man in with a clear opportunity to score.

Arsenal replaced Abou Diaby with Tomas Rosicky in the 71st minute as they looked for more invention in front of goal - and Rosicky soon forced Cech into a fine save.

However, Chelsea wasted another chance to kill off the match in the 73rd minute when Anelka raced clear of the Arsenal defence but his shot was somehow kept out by Fabianski.

Chamakh failed to hit the target from six yards when he sent a firm header just past the right-hand upright with 10 minutes left - and five minutes later Alex put the outcome beyond doubt when he crashed a 30-yard free-kick into the roof of the net.