Premier League: Arsenal 2-0 Hull City - As it happened

A rather drab affair but three vital points for Arsenal nonetheless. Alexis Sanchez's brace handed Arsene Wenger's men the points in a game defined by two handballs.

The Chilean star bundled Arsenal's opener into the net with his hand on 35 minutes, while Lucas Perez's goalbound header was stopped on the line by Sam Clucas' arm. The versatile midfielder gave Mark Clattenburg no choice but to show him a red card, and Sanchez made no mistake from the spot.

That brings us to the end of our coverage of the goings on at The Emirates but stick with us for all the goals as they happen in the Premier League three o'clockers.

Full-time: Arsenal 2-0 Hull City.

Sanchez sneaks the penalty under Eldin Jakupovic to complete the job for Arsenal. It's not been pretty, but the three points are incredibly valuable for the Gunners, who have looked low on confidence today.

GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Hull City (Sanchez)

An incredibly tepid affair defined by two handballs. Lucas Perez's goalbound header from an Alexis Sanchez cross is handballed by Sam Clucas. The Hull star is inevitably shown his marching orders.

RED CARD FOR HULL!

PENALTY TO ARSENAL!

Arguably the most entertaining moment of the whole second half was the handbags between Maguire and Walcott.

Diomande manages to connect with a corner but his header flies over the bar. Five minutes of normal time remaining.

This really is a dull game. Overhit passes and poor crosses everywhere.

Hopefully the introduction of Danny Welbeck and Lucas Perez can inject life into proceedings. The pair replace Alex Iwobi and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Hull's final change of the day is an attacking one with Diomande coming on in place of Huddlestone.

Sanchez has been shown a yellow card for simulation. Replays show Ranocchia did touch him but it's fair to say the Chilean exaggerated the contact.

Ranocchia is booked for a mistimed challenge on Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean then receives a kick from Elmohamady, whose protests are waved away by Clattenburg.

Arsene Wenger makes his first move of the day as Theo Walcott comes off to be replaced by Mohamed Elneny. Oxlade-Chamberlain will now be shifted to the right wing.

N'Diaye blasts a wayward shot high and wide. The Villarreal loanee had better options but failed to take them. Silva makes his second change with Elmohamady replacing Elabdellaoui.

Hull have replaced Grosicki - very ineffective in the second half - with Evandro. First substitution of the day.

Iwobi picks out Ozil on the left hand side and gets the return pass from the mercurial playmaker. Some neat footwork from the Nigerian international gives him the chance to shoot but he blasts over from 17 yards.

The game is bubbling under nicely now with a real edge to proceedings. Little in the way of clear-cut chances in the second half but more space is beginning to appear.

Gibbs shoves Markovic with the Serbian through on goal. Mark Clattenburg brandishes a yellow card for the left-back but Hull players are seething and are demanding a red. They have a point.

Walcott and Maguire engage in some pushing and shoving for no real reason whatsoever. The Arsenal winger's petulence - along with throwing the ball away - has earned him a yellow card.

Niasse draws an excellent save from Cech after some more strong running by Markovic! The Everton loanee has all the time in the world in the penalty area but cannot apply the finish after being picked out by the Serbian.

Better from the Humbersiders.

The second half is in somewhat of a lull at the moment, so here are some photos of Sanchez bundling home the opener.

Coquelin is immediately on the ground after coming off second best in a clash with N'Diaye. It looks like the Frenchman may have to be replaced.

Second half is underway. Can Hull peg Arsenal back, or will the Gunners fire their way to three points?

Thierry Henry believes referee Mark Clattenburg was right to award Sanchez's goal.

The former Arsenal striker is a strong advocate of hands playing a big part in crucial goals, just ask the Republic of Ireland...

Half-time: Arsenal 1-0 Hull City

Not a classic but chances for both teams. The main talking point from the first-half will of course be Sanchez's goal; the ball struck the Chilean international on the hand before going in.

Hull have let themselves down at times with wayward passing but they have had chances through Niasse and Markovic. Polish winger Grosicki has been causing a lot of problems down Arsenal's right flank and looks very impressive indeed.

Still all to play for in the second half.

Hull asserting a little more pressure on the hosts . Grosicki and Niasse combine to win a corner but they fail to test Cech. Not long to go until half-time.

Ozil has been lively against The Tigers and was heavily in the build-up to Arsenal's controversial opener.

Iwobi and Ozil combine well and it's the German who drags back the ball into the danger zone. Gibbs rifles a low shot which is blocked on the line by Robertson, but his clearance hits Sanchez and the ball trundles in.

Replays show the ball hit Sanchez on the arm as it went past the line. Major controversy as to whether it should have stood. 1-0.

GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Hull City (Sanchez)

Half an hour played and we're still goalless in north London. Arsenal are failing to punish Hull's wayward play, while the Tigers are getting some joy down the left hand side with the tricky Grosicki.

Walcott and Huddlestone in the thick of it.

A lovely long-range ball from Oxlade-Chamberlain finds Iwobi, who in turn picks out Sanchez.

The Chilean takes his time to find partner in crime Ozil, who volleys the ball over the bar after making an intelligent run.

Nothing is happening, if you are wondering.

Sanchez misses a golden opportunity! The Chilean picks up a loose ball in the area, jinks past one Hull defender but somehow manages to drag his shot wide. Arsenal's number seven won't be happy with that at all.

Grosicki is wonderfully picked out by N'Diaye's cross-field pass and delivers a sensational out-of-the-foot cross that finds Niasse. The Senegalese forward's header draws a smart save from Cech.

Hull's corner comes to nothing and Arsenal counter, Bellerin finds himself with space in the box but skewed his shot wide. Chances at both ends as the games begins to heat up.

Wenger has taken up his vantage point. He is serving the last of his four-match suspension today.

Markovic robs Iwobi on the halfway line and darts into the penalty area. The Serbian delivers a dangerous ball but Niasse's positioning is all wrong, he really should've made contact there. A real warning for the Gunners.

Very dull start to the game. Hull win their first corner but it comes to nothing.

Ozil latches onto a wayward pass from Huddlestone but his effort is blocked. The German seemed to take too long when teeing himself up.

Sanchez then gets between Hull's defenders but Ranocchia manages to put him off. Nearly 10 minutes gone.

A lot of empty seats around the ground at The Emirates. There was a fire at Holloway Road station, which could be the reason why.

Hull nearly gifting an early goal to Arsenal as Clucas plays it to Sanchez in his own area. Coquelin fluffs a shot from the resulting corner.

Oumar Niasse gets the ball rolling and we are underway at The Emirates Stadium.

Kick-off just moments away. The teams are out on the pitch.

Wenger's pre-match thoughts: "We have to respond to our disappointing results. We want the crowd behind us but that has to come from our commitment and desire, if we show that the crowd will be behind us.

"I'm very upbeat and I love to win, the next game is always an opportunity to win."

The Silva effect. Early days still, of course.

A closer look at the Arsenal squad being put through their paces on a chilly afternoon in north London.

Wenger has explained the reasoning behind including Kieran Gibbs over Nacho Montreal for today's clash against the Humbersiders.

Both of those goals came last weekend against Liverpool. Hull a much-changed outfit after the January transfer window.

Less than half an hour until kick-off. Can Hull emerge victorious at the Emirates, just as they did in their first season in the Premier League under Phil Brown in 2008, or will Arsenal steady the ship and shed some of the negativity that currently surrounds them?

Not pleasant reading for Arsenal fans.

Bellerin starts for Arsenal despite concerns over his head injury. Wenger also sees fit to change his other full-back position; Gibbs replaces Monreal, who drops to the bench.

Marco Silva has made two changes to the side that beat Liverpool last weekend. Markovic and Niasse, who scored the winner against Jurgen Klopp's side, replace Evandro and Hernandez.

SUBSTITUTES

Arsenal: Ospina, Gabriel, Monreal, Elneny, Lucas, Welbeck, Giroud.

Hull City: Marshall, Elmohamady, Meyler, Maloney, Tymon, Evandro, Diomande.

TEAM NEWS

Hull City: Jakupovic, Elabdellaoui, Ranocchia, Maguire, Robertson, Huddlestone, N'Diaye, Grosicki, Markovic, Clucas, Niasse.

TEAM NEWS

Arsenal: Cech; Bellerin, Koscielny, Mustafi, Gibbs, Coquelin, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, Ozil, Iwobi, Sanchez.

Team news less than 10 minutes away now. Will we see Hector Bellerin start for Arsenal?

The Spanish full-back suffered a head injury during Arsenal's loss to Chelsea but was able to take part in training on Friday.

There has been a lot of friction between Wenger and the Arsenal fanbase in recent months, and tensions seemed to spill over after the Gunners were comprehensively beaten by Chelsea last weekend.

One supporter was singled out at Stamford Bridge for bringing a sign calling for Wenger to leave his position, but the Frenchman is preferring to focus on more pressing matters.

"I believe what is important is we focus on the next game and don't give too much importance to one fan," he told reporters. "It is not me who is at stake, it is Arsenal football club and the season. I think in a football club it is important that you have different opinions, but what is important is to focus on what matters to us."

Marco Silva got the better of Wenger last season in the Champions League when he guided Olympiakos to a 3-2 victory over the Gunners at the Emirates.

Can he repeat the trick this afternoon?

Good morning and welcome to IB Times UK's live coverage of Arsenal vs Hull City.

Arsene Wenger is looking to put an end to his side's recent form which has seen them lose their last two games, while Marco Silva's men are aiming to build on their momentum with another huge scalp at The Emirates Stadium.

Team news is expected in less than half an hour. Stay right here for all the action as it happens.