Bournemouth 3-3 Arsenal, Crystal Palace 1-2 Swansea: Premier League - as it happened

Well it has been another dramatic night in the Premier League, on and off the field it must be said. We're back tomorrow with a fifth day of action when Tottenham host record-breaking chasing Chelsea. But until then, goodbye.

Full time: Crystal Palace 1-2 Swansea City, Stoke 2-0 Watford

Statement from Hull City

BREAKING NEWS

Hull City have sacked manager Mike Phelan. More to follow.

GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-1 Swansea (Wilfried Zaha)

Full time: Bournemouth 3-3 Arsenal

Simon Francis' red card turned the contest on its head.

Bournemouth almost grab the winner as Harry Arter lashes goalwards but Cech keeps it out. Arsenal look a bit dead on their feet as the Cherries attempt to see this out.

GOAL! Bournemouth 3-3 Arsenal (Olivier Giroud)

Remarkable stuff. Ten-man Bournemouth are breached for the third time in a quarter-of-an-hour. Giroud holds off Cook in the area and nods beyond Boruc, who can only turn the ball into his own net.

Six added minutes at the Vitality Stadium. Can Arsenal complete the comeback?

Lucas Perez gives Arsenal hope with a late volley.

Giroud somehow doesn't equalise as Cook heads clear from under his own crossbar. Grand stand finale in prospect here. Aaron Ramsey now volleys wide from eight yards out. Should have done better.

RED CARD! Simon Francis (Bournemouth)

Another twist to this thrilling game as the home side are reduced to 10-men. Simon Francis goes through Aaron Ramsey with two feet and Michael Oliver has no hesitation but to brandish a red card. Less than 10 minutes left and the Gunners will fancy an equaliser.

It's all Arsenal now but Bournemouth are taking baby-steps out of their half when they get the opportunity and they should have won it when Dan Gosling turns past Giroud but curls wide with the goal gaping.

GOAL! Bournemouth 3-2 Arsenal (Lucas Perez)

Game very much on at the Vitality Stadium now as Arsenal pull a second back. Some neat build-up sees Giroud clip a pass over the top for Perez who takes the ball first time on the volley and finds the corner with a fabulous strike. Two goals in five minutes and this is a totally different contest.

Bournemouth look a bit nervy now and Giroud shoots from 25 yards and Boruc makes a low save. Arsenal much improved now but can they find an unlikely route back into this match?

GOAL! Bournemouth 3-1 Arsenal (Alexis Sanchez)

Now then. Arsenal get one back, which they barely deserve. Bellerin's cross is flicked on by Giroud and his deft touches catches out Bournemouth and Sanchez steals in with a diving header. The visitors' first effort on target.

Ryan Fraser taken off as Bournemouth look to consolidate. Having had another look at the replay of the goal, there is quite a big shove on Bellerin which really should not go unpunished. Poor decision it must be said.

GOAL! Stoke 2-0 Watford (Peter Crouch)

GOAL! Bournemouth 3-0 Arsenal (Ryan Fraser)

Say goodbye to the title for another season Arsenal fans. Bournemouth don't have to wait long to get their third as Fraser levers Bellerin off the ball, perhaps unfairly, but he leaves the Spaniard in his wake and threads his shot under Cech and into the far corner. Wenger is fuming, but frankly his team have been woeful in this opening hour.

Bournemouth get a third! But no, Michael Olivier rules it out for handball and once again the referee gets it spot on. Cech palms away Fraser's cross to the feet of Arter whose shot strikes Wilson on the arm and deflects into the net but the infrigement is called and the Gunners survive.

When it rains...

Sam Allardyce's first home game in charge of Crystal Palace is not going according to plan. Appears to have lost the Selhurst Park faithful inside 45 minutes. Might be a record.

GOAL! Stoke 1-0 Watford (Ryan Shawcross)

Back underway at the Vitality Stadium where Bournemouth are heading for their first ever win over Arsenal, who are yet to have a shot on target.

Thierry Henry taking aim at his former club.

GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-1 Swansea (Alfie Mawson)

Paul Clement is not officially in charge tonight but his presence has produced an improved display from Swansea and they take the lead in the twilight of the first half. Gylfi Sigurdsson swings in the free-kick and Mawson heads home his first Premier League goal.

Two games are still in the first and we'll have updates as and when the goals go in at Crystal Palace and Stoke. We'll be back for live coverage of Bournemouth vs Arsenal in a couple of minutes.

Half time: Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal

If this is indeed a job interview for Eddie Howe then he is having a stormer, while making the current incumbent for the role look obsolete. Bournemouth have dominated Arsenal, lead by two goals and frankly could be out of sight. Arsenal's title challenge looks done just in time for February while Arsene Wenger looks dull and irrelevant. Quite a 45 minutes on the south coast.

Stanislas beats Cech but beats the left-hand post. Bournemouth probably need a third to put Arsenal out of sight here, not that they look like forcing their way back into the match. They have been awful in this first half.

Chance for Arsenal. Their best move of the game see Oxlade-Chamberlain find Alex Iwobi, who under pressure from three Bournemouth defenders drags his shot woefully wide. Close for the Gunners, who have improved during the last five minutes.

Bournemouth's build-up continues to delight and they go close to making it three when King tees up Harry Arter, from Daniels' pull-back but he slices his effort wide.

Hector Bellerin booked for a foul on Ryan Fraser as Bournemouth threatened a third. Arsenal have barely threatened in the first half, bar an Aaron Ramsey effort which was deflected behind. Otherwise, they've been outrun and outplayed by Eddie Howe's well-drilled side.

Callum Wilson strokes home Bournemouth's second from the penalty spot.

Francis Coquelin off and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on after the Frenchman picks up an injury. Arsenal need a change of mentality though if they're to get back into this game. Still basking in the glow of Giroud's goal on New Year's Day.

Charlie Daniels celebrates the opener for Bournemouth.

GOAL! Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal (Callum Wilson)

Arsenal's title challenge is falling apart as Bournemouth double their lead inside 20 minutes. Granit Xhaka needlessly bundles Ryan Fraser to the ground when he was going nowhere, and Michael Olivier has no choice but to point to the spot. Callum Wilson steps up, and cooley rolls the ball down the middle.

Penalty to Bournemouth

GOAL! Bournemouth 1-0 Arsenal (Charlie Daniels)

This has felt like a banana-skin from the outset for Arsenal and that is exactly what is on the cards as Bournemouth hit the front with a sublime goal. Fraser hits a cross-field pass which finds Charlie Daniels, who plucks the ball out of the south-coast sky, turns inside Hector Bellerin and calmly steers past Petr Cech. The visitors haven't got going and they've been punished in emphatic fashion.

The games at Selhurst Park and The Britannia Stadium are now underway. Updates as the evening progresses on the way.

Referees have been at the centre of attention since Mike Dean's indifferent display at the London Stadium last night, so lots of focus on Michael Oliver tonight. He gets the first major decision spot on, as Calum Wilson appeals for a penalty after being felled by Cech but replays show the Arsenal 'keeper got a touch on the ball.

Olivier Giroud has been the talk of the Premier League the last few days after his 'scorpion' goal against Crystal Palace.

First effort on goal comes for Bournemouth as Junior Stanislas, who has recently returned from injury, testing Petr Cech but the Arsenal 'keeper holds o at the first attempt.

An almost somber atmosphere on the south coast tonight, where you would be forgiven for wondering if a game was even going ahead. After four straight days of games everyone could do with a break.

Underway on the south coast. Can Arsenal keep their title hopes alive?

So how will tonight's coverage work? Our featured game is Bournemouth vs Arsenal, but we will have updates from both Crystal Palace vs Swansea [which finished 5-4 earlier in the season] and Stoke vs Watford where both sides need a win.

But for not, to the Vitality Stadium where both teams are out before kick-off.

So is tonight the night that Arsenal's title bid goes up in smoke? Defeat and they could be 12 points behind leaders Chelsea by the time they next play and with Bournemouth having already beaten Liverpool this season there is no guarantee they will leave the south coast with all three points. With Mesut Ozil also absent, this will surely prove to be a tough evening for the Gunners.

More news on Benik Afobe, who despite turning down a call-up from DR Congo for the Africa Cup of Nations has been left out of Bournemouth's squad tonight.

The official line from the club is that Afobe has yet to be given international clearance to play for the Cherries, having turned down the call-up. Bournemouth would potentially be financially penalised if they played him without permission but it is an embarrassing situation for them, having put the forward on the front of tonight's match programme.

Paul Clement arrives at Selhurst Park on the same day he is confirmed as the new Swansea City manager. Will watch from the stands tonight, but his Premier League career begins in earnest tonight.

Big night for Eddie Howe, who has been tipped as a future replacement for Arsene Wenger.

Two changes for Stoke from the loss at Chelsea as Jon Walters and Marko Arnautovic come in for Xherdan Shaqiri and Ibrahim Afellay.

Watford make three alterations after being thrashed by Tottenham. Unsurprisingly two of them come at the back with Christian Kabasele and Miguel Britos coming in, while Odion Ighalo is replaced by Valon Behrami.

Finally, here are the teams for our third game Stoke vs Watford.

Four changes for Swansea on the day Paul Clement takes on on a full-time basis. The most notable is a start for Jay Fulton in midfield. Jack Cork is also recalled.

Palace start with Wilfried Zaha in attack but they only make one change from the loss to Arsenal, with Joe Ledley returning in place of Mathieu Flamini.

Crystal Palace vs Swansea team news...

Teams from Selhurst Park and the Britannia Stadium on the way.

Arsenal's chief centre-back pairing are back together tonight.

Three changes for Bournemouth then as they look to beat Arsenal for the first time. Dan Gosling, Josh King and Calum Wilson come in as Andrew Surman, Jack Wilshere and Benik Afobe - somewhat curiously - drop out. We'll try and get to the bottom of Afobe's omission.

Now for Bournemouth.....

So no Mesut Ozil again for Arsenal. Shkodran Mustafi returns to the centre of the defence. Elneny, Perez and Gabriel drop out.

Arsenal team news from the Vitality Stadium is in....

Thierry Henry in place at the Vitality Stadium, ready to tear Arsenal a new one if Arsene Wenger's side slip up tonight.

Let's turn our attention to Selhurst Park where Paul Clement will have a watching brief when he watches his new side Swansea take on Crystal Palace in Sam Allardyce's first home match in charge.

Palace do have Wilfried Zaha available after he was given special dispensation to join up with the Ivory Coast late. Damien Delaney is meanwhile back from suspension

Wayne Routledge faces a fitness test for Swansea after illness but Jefferson Montero is out. Fernando Llorente is doubtful with a knock.

How can we expect Bournemouth and Arsenal to line up tonight then?

Jack Wilshere is ineligible due to being on loan at Bournemouth from Arsenal, but Benik Afobe will play after turning down the chance to play for DR Congo at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Mesut Ozil should return from illness after missing the win over Crystal Palace, but Mohamed Elneny is missing after travelling to AFCON.

With Liverpool faltering at Sunderland and Pep Guardiola spluttering at Manchester City, any flickering interest remaining in the Premier League title race could rest with Arsenal. Defeat to Bournemouth tonight could see the Gunners slip 12 points behind leaders Chelsea - who face Tottenham on Wednesday - and all but extinguish any hope they have of lifting the title all before the tinsel has been packed away for another year.

A Cherries side who have already taken the scalp of Liverpool this season stand in their way, and though Eddie Howe's side will remain in the top half regardless of tonight's result they will be eager to put pressure on those teams above them and assure themselves of another campaign in English football's top flight.

Elsewhere on the fourth consecutive day of Premier League football Paul Clement will watch from the stands as his new Swansea City side take on Sam Allardyce, in his first home match in charge of Crystal Palace. Stoke and Watford, each of whom haven't won since early December, clash in the third and final game desperately in need of a result.

We'll have all the build-up, team news and updates from the three New Year fixtures on the way.