Barclays Premier League as it happened: Manchester City 0-2 Arsenal

4:52: Arsenal have finally cracked it on the road against the Premier League's elite. An excellent performance from Arsene Wenger's side successfully nullified a lacklustre Manchester City who remain five points behind leaders Chelsea.

FULL TIME

Manchester City 0-2 Arsenal

4:49: We are well into the four minutes of added time now. Cazorla threatens to humiliate City again with another deft run but is thrown to the floor by Fernando.

5:47: What a chance for Arsenal to score a third! Rosicky slips a marvellous ball down the inside right channel where Flamini does well to shrug off a challenge from Clichy. All he has to do is slide the ball across to Giroud but he is charged down by Kompany and the chance is gone.

5:45: Lampard sneaks a ball through to Dzeko who has a bit of space inside the left of the box but the Bosnian tries to beat Ospina at his near post, and fails. Wrong decision. Moments before a frustrated Aguero was booked for pulling back Gibbs.

5:42: Two changes for Arsenal as Mathieu Flamini and Kieran Gibbs on for Sanchez and Ramsey. Looks like Arsenal have switched to five at the back with Monreal moving inside as a third centre half.

5:40: Arsenal walk through City again, picking out Rosicky who is invited to shoot after Zabaleta slips. He works the ball inside onto his right foot but lashes a wild effort over the bar.

5:37: A sequence of flicks and headers from Aguero and Dzeko frees Jovetic down the inside right channel but his deflected effort veers out for a corner. This time, Ospina is out confidently to collect.

5:35: Another change for City, the very disappointing Navas is off for Edin Dzeko.

5:33: Santi Cazorla wins a 50-50 challenge on the edge of the box, drives upfield skipping past two City challenges before finally being stopped after a 60-yard run, The Spaniard has been sublime in all aspects this afternoon.

5:31: Lampard lifts a cross into the box and with no one around him, Monreal nearly slices his clearance straight into his own net! It floats over the bar and City have another corner, which again they take short to little effect.

5:28: It's Arsenal who look like scoring the next goal! More pressure sees Alexis Sanchez try curl one into the bottom corner. Hart bats it away but Bellerin can't react quite quickly enough to get onto the rebound.

5:25: Arsenal have another! From a free kick about 30 yards out from goal Cazorla floats an inviting ball into the box where Giroud is on hand to nod it into the left corner past Hart. Fernando was attempting to mark the Frenchman, and did a downright awful job of it.

Goal! Manchester City 0-2 Arsenal (Olivier Giroud, 66)

5:23: First change for Arsenal; Tomas Rosicky comes on for Oxlade-Chamberlain.

5:22: The former Chelsea man is involved straight away, spraying a neat ball wide to Zabaleta but his cross is easily collected by Ospina.

5:21: With just about half an hour to play, Frank Lampard has entered the fray, replacing Fernando.

5:17: Close from City! Navas drills a low ball across goal from the right but Koscielny gets just enough on to divert it away from the waiting Aguero and Jovetic. City get the corner, but it is wasted.

5:12: Arsenal almost catch City on the counter as Sanchez and Giroud swap passes before the latter opts to move it out to the left for Ramsey to shoot, but the Welshman smacks a wild effort well over the bar.

5:09: There's another melee in the Arsenal box that results in Fernandinho lashing an effort over the bar, via a deflection. City launch a corner into the box that Ospina gets nowhere near but Arsenal clear.

5:08: Ramsey loses control on the edge of the City box and the home side break through Fernando, who feeds Navas. The Spaniard cuts in at pace and lashes a shot on goal but it;s straight at Ospina who bats it away.

5:06: City work it short and it is eventually whipped in at pace by Navas but Arsenal clear.

5:05: Aguero cuts in from the right and looks for the far corner but is denied by Ospina. Corner for City.

5:04: City howl for hand ball as Aguero flicks the ball into the mid-drift on Monreal but the Argentine handled it first and the ref awards Arsenal the free kick.

5:02: And we are back underway at the Etihad. One change to bring to you, Stevan Jovetic is on, replacing James Milner for City.

4:50: Has the penny finally dropped for Arsene Wenger and Arsenal? The Gunners have played with the grit and discipline that has been non-existent in their trips to the Premier League's elite in recent years. City have failed to work a single clear opening on goal such has been the efficiency of a hard-working Arsenal unit.

Manuel Pellegrini's charges look very one-paced and have struggled to get David Silva involved. As a result, Sergio Aguero has probably managed less touches of the ball than Joe Hart. Good stuff from the Gunners.

HALF TIME

Manchester City 0-1 Arsenal

4:46: Arsenal lose possession and City mount forward in the last attack of the half. City win a corner but it's cleared and the whistle blows.

4:45: Milner duels with Bellerin down the right and gets the better of the Spaniard as breaks away into the box. Aaron Ramsey nicks the ball off his toes and then tries to dribble his way out of trouble, but Monreal takes control and slides the ball wide for Arsenal to clear.

4:41: And Kompany joins him, bundling Giroud over after the Frenchman had scampered away from him. Not a great half from the City skipper.

4:40: Aaron Ramsey has also gone in the referee's book after tripping Aguero.

4:38: Fernando tries to find Silva with a precise pass in the final third but can't find the Spaniard. That's been City's biggest problem thus far, are both Fernando and Fernandinho required against a fairly lightweight Arsenal midfield?

4:36: City edge forward again but again the move lacks any real incision. Milner this time retrieves the ball and floats a ball into the box from the left but Aguero can't get any real pace on an off-target header.

4:32: City put six past Arsenal last year and scored twice at the Emirates in September but they haven't come close this afternoon. Aguero has struggled to get involved so far, you feel City are missing the drive of Yaya Toure or Frank Lampard.

4:26: That's a deserved lead for Arsenal, they've looked very comfortable in the last 10 minutes, exposing space in the City lines with relative ease. While Monreal may have gone down a little easy, there was clear contact from Kompany whose lack of match practice was evident there.

4:24: Cazorla steps up and slams a fine effort into the right corner, the pace of the shot beating Hart who dived the right way.

Goal! Manchester City 0-1 Arsenal (Santi Cazorla, 23)

4:22: Penalty for Arsenal! Nacho Monreal attempt to plays a one two just inside the box but goes down after Kompany stepped across his path.

PENALTY - Arsenal

4:20: Half a chance for Arsenal as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain tears down the right and clips in a cross towards the near post where Giroud is well placed with Kompany close by, but his diving header is sent over the bar. The Frenchman however appeals for a corner and gets it.

4:17: Sanchez spots a gap in the City backline and attempts to dance his way through, but he is quickly swamped and City nick the ball away.

4:12: Cazorla slips a clever ball out to the left where Sanchez has crept into space on the byline. He decides against swinging a first time ball into the box, allowing Zabaleta to get across and sufficently snuff out the chance. Alexis bemoans the lack of movement in the box ahead of him.

4:09: Manchester City have been dominant in these early stages but a slip from Demechelis allows Sanchez to cut in from the left but he is charged down by Fernando.

4:04: There is an early booking for Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny for clattering into Fernandinho with a clumsy challenge.

4:00: And we are underway at the Etihad Stadium.

3:25: A sublime second half performance from West Ham lifts them back above Liverpool into seventh place, level on points with Arsenal. Hull remain in the relegation zone; their lack of an effective striker with Hernandez and Jelavic was their downfall in a first half where they largely dominated. Steve Bruce's side are in trouble.

FULL TIME

West Ham United 3-0 Hull City

3:08: Elsewhere in the Premier League this afternoon, West Ham United are cruising against Hull City, leading 3-0 with 10 minutes remaining.

3:05: Decent news for City fans I suppose, Vicent Kompany and Sergio Aguero are both fit to start after their recent injury issues. Edin Dzeko is also fit to return to the bench.

Arsene Wenger meanwhile has chosen not to risk starting Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil this afternoon, meaning Santi Cazorla continues in the number 10 role which earned him the club's player of the month award in December. Long-term lay-offs for Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Debuchy mean we should start get used to the sight of Hector Bellerin at right back anf Francis Coquelin in a holding midfield role.

LINE UPS:

Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany (C), Demichelis, Clichy, Fernandinho, Fernando, Navas, Silva, Milner, Aguero

Subs: Caballero, Mangala, Sagna, Kolarov, Lampard, Jovetic, Dzeko

Arsenal: Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla, Alexis, Giroud

Subs: Szczesny, Gibbs, Chambers, Flamini, Rosicky, Ozil, Walcott

BREAKING: David Ospina continues in goal for Arsenal ahead of Wojciech Szczesny, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil start on the bench.

Chelsea's 5-0 hammering of Swansea City saw them open up a five point gap at the top of the Premier League on Saturday.

A repeat of last season's 6-3 hammering at the Etihad wouldn't go amiss this afternoon for Manuel Pellegrini's side, who will be looking to ensure Arsenal's awful record away to the Premier League's elite continues.

But are things moving forward for Arsenal? The returns of Theo Walcott, Meust Ozil and Aaron Ramsey bode well for the club who have maintained touching distance with the top four despite their underwhelming first half of the campaign. And there is the small matter of Alexis Sanchez, who is on a one man mission to inspire his teammates to victory this season.

A run of nine wins in their last 12 games has eased the pressure on Arsene Wenger, but another inexplicably bad result against the league's big sides this afternoon will see all that recently renewed vigour drain away.

Manchester City will be without former Gunner Samir Nasri this afternoon with Edin Dzeko also unavailable, but Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero are both likely to make their full returns after settling for spots on the bench last week.

We will have all your teams news as soon as it reaches us.