Contentious Jay Rodriguez penalty denies Arsenal victory on a record-breaking day for Arsene Wenger

That is it from me, thanks for following along. IBTimes UK will be back tomorrow to bring you live coverage of a five-strong New Year's Day slate that includes Burnley vs Liverpool and Everton vs Manchester United.

Until then, it's goodbye.

That draw means that Arsenal do temporarily jump above Tottenham into fifth and move within three points of the top four before hosting Chelsea on Wednesday.

Spirited West Brom, now without a win in 19 league matches, leapfrog Swansea into 19th on goal difference ahead of their trip to West Ham on Tuesday.

Full-time

West Brom 1-1 Arsenal

The usually mild-mannered Cech is also booked after the final whistle as Wenger waits for Dean outside the tunnel.

We should mention that Arsenal goal has indeed gone down as a McClean OG. Wilshere was also booked for protesting the penalty decision.

Krychowiak fouls Xhaka and Arsenal go in search of a stoppage-time winner.

Lacazette gets past his man before firing a cross straight into the hands of Foster.

What a dramatic end to this contest. Four minutes of added time for someone to find a winner.

No mistake from Rodriguez, who smashes his penalty straight down the middle.

Wenger is absolutely furious.

Goal: West Brom 1-1 Arsenal (Jay Rodriguez)

Gibbs chases a pass down the left channel and flicks the ball onto the hand of Chambers, who had no time at all to react.

That looked very harsh indeed. Rodriguez steps up...

Penalty to West Brom

Not over yet as Dawson almost makes contact with a dangerous cross. Can West Brom find a late equaliser?

McClean turns his back at the vital moment and Sanchez's right-footed effort smashes in off his leg. Could that be an own goal?

Arsenal's players swarm around the Chilean and Bellerin makes a point of gesturing how "together" they are.

Goal: West Brom 0-1 Arsenal (James McClean OG)

Dawson and Barry converge on Sanchez and give away the free-kick. Sanchez to take...

Lacazette brings down Barry and West Brom have a free-kick in a useful position. With Brunt now off the pitch, McClean's strike is blocked by the wall.

With Chambers' attentions occupied by the invisible man, Rodriguez runs at the Arsenal defence before his deflected shot is beaten away by Cech.

Bellerin blocks the follow-up attempt from McClean.

The final changes see Welbeck replace Iwobi and Robson-Kanu withdrawn in favour of Allan Nyom.

A defensive move from Pardew and West Brom.

Iwobi intercepts a very loose pass from Livermore but fails to trouble Foster with a lacklustre strike from a long way out.

A flurry of changes now as Mertesacker replaces Koscielny and Phillips and Brunt make way for James McClean and Grzegorz Krychowiak.

Koscielny did not look to be struggling, although he does have to manage that long-term achilles condition.

Arsenal begin to lay siege to the West Brom box, but cannot find a way through their resilient backline.

The ball is cleared from Sanchez after another nice touch from Lacazette and Xhaka's shot is blocked.

Bellerin concedes possession in dismal fashion and Robson-Kanu looks incredulous as he is denied a free-kick following what looked like a body check from Chambers.

Lacazette fails to get the proper purchase on a ball from Xhaka and Foster gratefully collects.

It looks like Mertesacker is going to be sent on soon, rather than Walcott or Danny Welbeck. Another injury for Arsenal or a change in system?

Arsenal keep up the pressure as Sanchez cuts inside Dawson before rattling a shot into the side netting.

Deadlock still to be broken just past the hour mark.

Sanchez provides an inviting low pass for Lacazette, who gets in front of Evans and flicks the ball narrowly wide of the front post.

Better from Arsenal.

Wilshere pings an accurate ball into the path of Lacazette, who takes a superb first touch and exchanges passes with Iwobi before forcing a smart low save from Foster.

Brunt then loses out to Wilshere but redeems himself by earning a goal kick on the far side.

Brunt is somewhat harshly cautioned for a foul on Wilshere.

Mustafi is booked for a lunging challenge on Robson-Kanu after being dragged out to the right wing.

Brunt's free-kick is confidently punched away by Cech and Phillips miscues his attempt from distance.

Rodriguez is told to get to his feet after being nudged over by Iwobi. Robson-Kanu skips past a rash challenge from Mustafi before his back-post cross from the left wing is headed safely behind by Maitland-Niles.

Evans nods down Brunt's corner and Hegazi takes a couple of touches before hooking the ball well over.

Chambers smashes the ball into touch with Rodriguez looking to pounce. The lesser-spotted Theo Walcott is being told to warm-up for Arsenal.

Lacazette shows good strength to hold off the towering Hegazi before being felled by Dawson in a central position.

Sanchez's disappointing effort cannons into the wall and Robson-Kanu clearly fouls Wilshere while trying to lead a West Brom counter-attack.

An early tester from Rodriguez is blocked by Maitland-Niles.

Dawson attempts to head Brunt's free-kick into the danger area but succeeds only in setting up an Arsenal break.

Wilshere carries the ball forward and a long pass towards Sanchez is intercepted by the retreating Brunt.

Back underway at The Hawthorns. No changes at the break.

Not much to shout about in that opening 45 minutes. Arsenal are badly lacking creativity without Ozil and need to ensure that Sanchez is on the ball as often as possible to try and unlock this stubborn West Brom defence.

Pardew will definitely be the happiest of the two managers, with Phillips and Rodriguez both looking dangerous at times.

Still no first-half goal during his tenure, however.

Half-time

West Brom 0-0 Arsenal

Mustafi being booed by the home crowd after a coming together with Robson-Kanu.

Lacazette gifts the ball to West Brom before Chambers skews a long pass straight out of play.

Two added minutes have been signalled by the fourth official.

In the 42nd minute, the West Brom fans rise to pay tribute to Richard Eades. A lovely touch.

Dawson makes a crucial sliding intervention after Wilshere, operating in the tightest of spaces around that West Brom penalty area, looks to thread a ball through to Sanchez.

A bad pass from Maitland-Niles puts Mustafi in bother and forces him to commit the foul on Robson-Kanu.

West Brom take a quick free-kick and Phillips beats the substitute before seeing a dangerous cross flicked away. Gibbs' shot is blocked by Bellerin.

Lacazette is caught on his heels somewhat as Foster claims a through ball from Bellerin.

At the other end, Livermore is just unable to get a shot away before Phillips' cross is caught by Cech.

Kolasinac hobbles off to be replaced by Maitland-Niles eight minutes before the interval.

Another injury worry for Wenger to contend with before the visit of Chelsea.

Kolasinac is still limping badly as Ainsley Maitland-Niles prepares to enter the fray.

He appeared to sustain the injury after being caught by the trailing leg of Barry.

A nervy moment for Mustafi as he is nearly caught out by Livermore.

Hegazi cuts out a lofted pass from Wilshere intended for Sanchez and Evans is booked for lunging in on Iwobi after taking too heavy a touch in the wet.

That's his fifth of the season, although the change in disciplinary rules mean he will not face a suspension.

Robson-Kanu leads another Baggies attack, but Brunt lands a cross on the roof of the net.

Kolasinac is limping for Arsenal.

Possibly unsighted by Hegazi, Foster makes a bit of a meal of a routine shot from Iwobi.

Sanchez's corner sails over the head of Koscielny and wide.

West Brom push for the opening goal and open themselves up to another counter orchestrated by Sanchez.

Iwobi finds Granit Xhaka, whose tame low shot is gathered by Foster.

Still goalless as we head towards the 30-minute mark.

Arsenal concede possession inside their own half and Mustafi is penalised for a trip on Robson-Kanu.

Brunt, making a record 254th Premier League appearance for West Brom, blazes the free-kick into the stands from a decent position.

Cech clears the resulting corner before West Brom evade the Arsenal press and come again. Kolasinac slides in on Robson-Kanu and earns the Gunners a goal kick.

This is really positive stuff from a West Brom side that have struggled so badly for goals during their woeful run of form.

Kolasinac gives Phillips far too much space to aim a cross towards Rodriguez, who does not make the run to the front post and allows Mustafi to head behind.

The lively Rodriguez produces a lovely turn and runs straight at the heart of that Arsenal backline.

Phillips beats Kolasinac before overhitting a cross that is collected by Gibbs. The attack ends with Rodriguez heading Barry's deep ball over the crossbar.

Phillips looks to release Robson-Kanu with an early pass down the right channel, but Cech reads the danger well and comes racing out of his penalty area to execute a fine ball to Kolasinac.

Smart defending from Barry to stop Kolasinac after the Serbian wing-back looks to cut inside Ahmed Hegazi.

Reported Arsenal transfer target Jonny Evans then gets too tight to Iwobi after a nice pass from Sanchez and looks relieved as the Nigerian international proceeds to lean back and curl an effort over the crossbar.

Dawson soars above the Arsenal defence before hopeful shouts for handball are waved away when Robson-Kanu's secondary header strikes the chest of Chambers.

Mustafi will need treatment for a head injury here after being caught by the left hand of Dawson. Cech is also not moving too freely after dropping that high ball under pressure from Rodriguez and Laurent Koscielny.

West Brom win a corner off Sead Kolasinac. It's taken short to Phillips, whose low effort is deflected behind by Shkodran Mustafi.

Action at both ends as Cech spills a looping cross and Calum Chambers blocks a quick strike from Robson-Kanu. Jake Livermore's follow-up is cleared.

Arsenal break forward with purpose and Hector Bellerin tees up Lacazette for a shot that is deflected wide by Chris Brunt.

A moment's hesitation from Barry almost proved costly there.

West Brom fashion the first chance of the afternoon after Phillips exchanges passes with Robson-Kanu down the right flank.

He gets to the byline and stands up a cross for Jay Rodriguez, whose header lacks power and is claimed by Petr Cech.

Gibbs concedes another corner in quick succession, but Iwobi's effort lacks quality and is also dealt with by the well-positioned Robson-Kanu.

Arsenal begin on the front foot with some intricate passing and Ben Foster is unable to prevent West Brom from conceding the first corner of the match.

Sanchez's near-post delivery is headed away by Robson-Kanu.

Referee Mike Dean gets the final Premier League fixture of 2017 underway. These red shorts are going to take some getting used to...

After a heartfelt tribute to Eades, the teams emerge from the tunnel. The rain is now falling steadily at The Hawthorns.

West Brom will don black armbands today in memory of club stalwart and mascot Richard Eades, who passed away aged 42 on Boxing Day.

Pardew says that the right-hand combination of Dawson and Matt Phillips can be influential for West Brom, who he claims will have to alter their style slightly without Rondon's hold-up ability.

The Baggies will have to be cleverer in transition and with their first pass, according to the manager, who also wants to get the crowd involved again for the second time in a matter of days.

For any kit aficionados out there, Arsenal will be kitted out in all red today for the first time since 1978.

That is due to West Brom's home kit also containing white shorts and the fact that Arsenal's away/third strips are deemed too similar. So there we are.

Alexis Sanchez seemingly doing his best mime impression before kick-off.

The Chilean burst into life at Crystal Palace after some harsh criticism for his ineffective and wasteful performances, although his teammates' seeming reluctance to celebrate his first goal led to Wenger having to deny that the uncertainty over his future is causing a team spirit issue.

In his pre-match broadcast interview, Wenger says, from what he's heard, that Ozil has a "little chance" of being fit for the midweek visit of Chelsea.

Official club confirmation of that Ozil knock...

He exacted revenge in September, when record signing Alexandre Lacazette netted twice in a 2-0 win on home soil.

Gareth Barry broke the all-time Premier League appearance record that night, of course.

Wenger will certainly not cherish the memories of his last visit to these parts, when Craig Dawson's headed brace secured a 3-1 win for West Brom.

You may remember it as the game where both pro and anti-Wenger banners were flown over The Hawthorns on what was a very bad day for the divisive Frenchman, who was booed for his decision to substitute goalscorer Sanchez.

Here's an excerpt from what Wenger had to say about surpassing Ferguson's Premier League record...

I have not been on the phone with [Sir Alex], we had other things to do. I saw that he was at the Manchester United game this week, but it is always a pleasure to meet each other now.

We don't compete anymore and it was always a big rivalry of course, but overall I believe that we tried to have a positive attitude towards the game and to get our teams to play in a positive way.

We have a similar passion, different personalities of course, but I respect and admire Ferguson for what he has done and for his high desire to win. That is why is is an achievement to have lasted for such a long time, similar to what he has done.

It's being reported on social media that Ozil is nursing a "slight" knee injury and is doubtful for Wednesday's clash with Chelsea at the Emirates...

No word yet on the reason for Ozil's absence, although tongues are sure to wag with the transfer window set to open tomorrow. The German playmaker, like Sanchez and Jack Wilshere, is out of contract at the end of the season and has been linked with Barcelona and Manchester United.

On that subject, Guardiola stated after this afternoon's draw at Palace that City would hold "internal meetings" on whether to sign Sanchez in January following those injuries to Jesus and De Bruyne.

"He is a player for Arsenal and I think he is going to stay there," he said. "We will have internal meetings and see what is for the best, but he is an Arsenal player and I think he will be [after January]."

Arsenal's only change sees Mesut Ozil drop out of the matchday squad altogether. Alex Iwobi is promoted to the starting XI as Per Mertesacker and Mohamed Elneny come onto the bench.

No Rob Holding among the substitutes. Wenger sticks to a back three featuring the same personnel.

Just the one change from Pardew, with Hal Robson-Kanu drafted in for the injured Rondon.

Oliver Burke comes onto the bench. Kieran Gibbs lines up against the club he left in the summer.

Official lineups will be with us in just a couple of minutes.

Will Wenger switch to a back four having again reverted to a three-man defence at Selhurst Park?

Today's contest should come too soon in Aaron Ramsey's recovery from a hamstring problem, although Wenger did previously state that he should be ready for the beginning of 2018.

Nacho Monreal (ankle) and Olivier Giroud (hamstring) probably will not be back until mid-January, while a ninth operation on his gruesome achilles injury scuppered any hopes of an imminent comeback for poor Santi Cazorla.

The unfortunate Spaniard has not played for Arsenal since October 2016 and is having to start his rehabilitation "from zero".

Back to our feature game, where West Brom will be without Nacer Chadli. The Belgian international suffered the recurrence of a hip problem against Stoke before Christmas and is expected to miss two months of action.

Striker Salomon Rondon is doubtful with a hamstring injury sustained on Boxing Day, while long-term absentee James Morrison (achilles) remains sidelined.

Before we delve into the latest injury news for West Brom-Arsenal, let's bring you fully up to date with what else has happened in the Premier League today.

At Selhurst Park, Manchester City preserved their unbeaten run but could not notch up a 19th successive league victory as they were held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace.

Ederson saved a 92nd-minute penalty from Luka Milivojevic after Raheem Sterling had fouled Wilfried Zaha as Pep Guardiola's side extended their lead at the top-flight summit to a surely unassailable 14 points.

However, Gabriel Jesus now looks set to miss more than a month after injuring his knee in the first half and Kevin De Bruyne was also stretchered off after a woeful challenge from Jason Puncheon.

Could that provide the slightest glimmer of hope for the chasing pack?

Hello and welcome to IBTimes UK's live coverage of the final Premier League fixture before we all sing Auld Lang Syne and usher in the New Year.

We end a busy 2017 at The Hawthorns, where Arsene Wenger is set to move clear of old sparring partner Sir Alex Ferguson and set a new record of 811 top-flight matches as a manager as his Arsenal side take on beleaguered West Brom.

Alexis Sanchez netted twice on Thursday to help the impressive Gunners hold off a spirited Crystal Palace fightback in an entertaining London derby and, following Liverpool's comeback win over Leicester, they will seek to move back to within a point of the top four with another victory this afternoon.

With Tottenham curiously having not played at all between Boxing Day and New Year's Day, they could also temporarily leapfrog their north London rivals into fifth.

Goal-shy West Brom are currently on a truly miserable run of just two victories in 29 league matches and, despite talk of improvements in the winless six-game stretch under new manager Alan Pardew, now sit bottom of the table and four points adrift of safety after Carlos Carvalhal guided Swansea to a last-gasp triumph at Watford yesterday.

Their sequence of 18 matches without a win - one that stretches all the way back to a 1-0 win over Burnley on the second weekend of the season in August - is the longest since a hapless Aston Villa team went 19 on the bounce before being deservedly relegated back in 2015-16.

The struggling Baggies have already equalled the club record for defeats in a single calendar year (14), per Opta, but can take at least some encouragement from the fact that they have won each of their last two matches against today's opponents on home soil.

Stay tuned for all the latest team news and minute-by-minute updates after kick-off in the West Midlands at 16.30 GMT.