EPL - Final Day LIVE:

Hello again everyone and welcome to my latest blog post where I have LIVE Coverage of the final day unfolding in the Premier League.

Quick note: If you want to see more from me, you can follow me on Twitter here @Football365Mo or add me on Facebook at Mosope Ominiyi - just send me a message and I'll know :)

All 20 teams are in action, in what could be another dramatic final day this season. If City lose to West Ham, and Liverpool beat Newcastle, Liverpool will win the title. 

If City win against West Ham, all bets are off and they will regain the title they famously won on goal-difference with an Aguero winner in the dying seconds in 2012.

The Premier League title is currently at The Ethiad, as it stands they are league champions

Here is what has already happened, what could happen and what has been confirmed this season:

• Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal have all qualified for next season's Champions League
• The title will either go to City or Liverpool based on today's results
• Fulham and Cardiff have been relegated to the nPower Championship while Leicester City and Burnley have been promoted
• Hull City will play in the Europa League next season whether they beat Arsenal in the FA Cup final next week or not
• Manuel Pellegrini will finish the season with the Premier League title and a Capita
• Manchester United will end the season with their worst league points total in over 20 years, without Champions League and possibly also Europa League football aswell
• Norwich will join Fulham and Cardiff in the Championship next season unless they can beat Arsenal by a 17-goal margin today

Here are the matches being played:

Cardiff City vs Chelsea
Fulham vs Crystal Palace
Hull City vs Everton
Liverpool vs Newcastle United
Manchester City vs West Ham United
Norwich City vs Arsenal
Southampton vs Manchester United
Sunderland vs Swansea City
Tottenham vs Aston Villa
West Brom vs Stoke

15:00 - All the stadiums are full, players are ready to kickstart the last game of the season in their respective matches.

I will be focussing on: Manchester vs West Ham, Liverpool vs Newcastle and Norwich vs Arsenal, but will have goal alerts across all matches being played. 

15:07 - GOAL! The first goal of the day goes to Swansea as they take a 1-0 lead away from home against Sunderland in the 7th minute thanks to a cooly-taken finish from winger Nathan Dyer after good link-up play with fellow winger Wayne Routledge.

15:09 - GOAL! Everton have already qualified for Europa League football next season and have broken the deadlock against Hull away from home thanks to a first league goal of the season for midfielder James McCarthy despite .

1-0 up: McCarthy celebrates his first league goal of the season with his team-mates

15:10 - Safe to say that City are dominating in the early stages of the match at The Ethiad, a quick turn over to the Liverpool game at Anfield where they know they have to win today and hope that West Ham can pull an upset if they are going to end the season with a dramatic finish, and a possible EPL trophy.

15:14 - GOAL ALERT! Sunderland 0 Swansea 2:
Wilfried Bony sets him up and fellow striker Marvin Emnes smashes the ball into the net to double Swansea's early lead at The Stadium of Light. Sunderland look jaded and out of ideas.

15:15 - GOAL ALERT! Tottenham 1 Aston Villa 0:
Spurs break the deadlock thanks to a rebounded strike from Paulinho after his initial effort was parried away by goalkeeper Brad Guzan.

Laugh it off: Paulinho celebrates his opener with team-mate Harry Kane

Tim Sherwood's celebration says it all, he knows how much this game means to Tottenham's future, whether he is a part of it or not.

15:16 - GOAL! Cardiff City 1 Chelsea 0:
Bellamy opens the scoring for the already-relegated Cardiff side! 1-0 at home thanks to a 30-yard strike that deflected off Azpilicueta and wrong-foots Schwarzer. If only they could grind out results like this earlier on in the season.

Deflected strike: Bellamy's shot deflected off Azpilicueta to give Cardiff the lead.

15:20 - Unexpected turn of events at Anfield, as the game has seen its first goal! Newcastle take the lead thanks to a deflected strike by Gouffran is turned into the net past Mignolet by none other than.... Martin Skrtel.

Wrong net: Skrtel deflected an effort from Gouffran into his own net to give Newcastle the lead

His 4th own goal of the season gives the hosts something to worry about, City are not leading but now neither are they.

15:23 - Another own goal today, this time in the match between Stoke and West Brom. 

West Brom defender Gareth McAuley marks his 100th Premier League appearance with an unfortunate own goal, after a low cross into the box by Marko Arunautovic was side-footed into the net past Foster. 1-0, two own goals in the space of three minutes.

Taking advantage: Arnautovic celebrates after his cross was turned in by McAuley

15:28 - GOAL! It's deserved after some promising attacking play from the hosts, as United trail away from home against Southampton. 

English striker Rickie Lambert breaks the deadlock in the 28th minute after accidentally elbowing Nemanja Vidic, before latching onto a precise through ball pass from midfielder Steven Davis to get past his marker and smash the ball past de Gea into the bottom corner of the net.

Clinical: Lambert celebrates his finish to break the deadlock at home against United

Painful: Vidic recieves treatment after being whacked in the face by Lambert in the build-up

15:29 - GOAL! Goals are coming thick and fast now, the deadlock has been broken at Craven Cottage where Fulham host Crystal Palace:

1-0 to Palace, a dangerous cross from outside the box was whipped into the 18-yard box by Joel Ward, Gayle does well to beat his marker and tap the ball past Stockdale from close range to score his third goal in two matches. 

From close range: Gayle scores his 3rd goal in 2 matches to open the scoring

Lucky for Fulham that they are already relegated, eh? 

15:36 - GOAL! Yet another own goal, the third in just over 35 minutes. 

2-0 to Tottenham at home, a cross into the box by left-back Danny Rose towards Adebayor bounces off young Villa defender Nathan Baker into the net. Same scenario as the Stoke goal earlier.

15:38 - Aston Villa commit footballing suicide. First, concede an own goal. Then, concede a penalty thanks to a handball. Makes you wonder whether they want to win the game or not.

Garbiel Agbonlahor handled in the box, referee had no choice but to point to the spot. Adebayor steps up to take it.... SCORES! Smashes down the middle into the roof of the net, and Spurs are in full control.

3 and easy: Adebayor celebrates his 14th goal in all competitions this season.

15:40 - GOAL! A pivotal one in the title race, City have taken full control of the match against West Ham and eventually made them pay, with 5 minutes left until half-time.

A great strike from Nasri from 25 yards out left Adrian scrambling with no chance of stopping it, and you cannot say that it is not deserved. 1-0 to City, as it stands they have won the title! Liverpool currently losing aswell at home to Newcastle. 

1-0: Nasri puts City in the driving seat before half-time with a well-taken strike

Race for the title: Nasri celebrates his goal; he knows how much it means to City

15:46 - Most of the matches have blown for half-time, here are the latest scores:

Cardiff City 1 Chelsea 0
Fulham 0 Crystal Palace 1
Hull 0 Everton 1
Liverpool 0 Newcastle 1
Manchester City 1 West Ham 0
Norwich 0 Arsenal 0
Southampton 1 Manchester United 0
Sunderland 0 Swansea City 2
Tottenham 3 Aston Villa 0 
West Brom 0 Stoke 1

15:47 - So as it stands, the match at Carrow Road is the only game today which is goal-less. Arsenal already safe for 4th place, 0-0 at Norwich who are relegated unless they can somehow muster 17 goals in 45 minutes.

15:48 - United have been struggling defence-wise at Southampton, Lallana and Shaw are literally running rings around the defence and looking impressive on the counter attack.

Meanwhile, Everton look comfortable in possession but would like to kill off the game in the early stages of the second-half and Cardiff have shown some bright football against Chelsea, a sense of what should have been played throughout the season instead of in small stages. 

15:50 - It's been a great Premier League season, and the final day has already lived up to expectation. 3 own goals, 12 goals in the first-half, drama and penalties already.

Football fans will be relieved that the World Cup in Brazil starts in a month on Friday, because otherwise it would be a long summer without the Premier League on show.

16:00 - Major transfer news at the moment:

• Lallana is reportedly set to join Liverpool in the transfer window for £20million pounds
• Sagna has revealed that he is set to leave Arsenal after the FA Cup final next week - "I'm out of contract, as everyone knows. I still consider myself as an Arsenal player at present but actually we had a small problem to agree with the club, and I don't think I'll stay at Arsenal at the end of the season."
• Galatasaray, Inter Milan, PSG and Manchester City are among those who are interested in the Frenchman.
• Meanwhile, Micah Richards is also expected to depart a Premier League club at the end of the season - Manchester City!
• Liverpool and Arsenal are among the teams who have voiced their interest in him, City have said he is "surplus to requirements"

16:02 - Second halves beginning now.. 

16:04 - GOAL! Exactly what I said a few minutes ago.. Everton needed to kill off the game to be even more comfortable, and it's virtually sealed the three points.

A nice passing move, an inviting ball from Osman falls to Lukaku who slots past McGregor. 

Could be his last game for the club, Lukaku shines again. Hopefully, Everton could raise funds from advertising, and the fact that they are in the Europa League to sign Lukaku on a permanent transfer. He looks happy there, and could leave Chelsea...

16:07 - GOAL! And that goal could seal the title!!!! City double the lead after a corner is not cleared, falls to the captain Vincent Kompany who has no problem in firing the ball past a helpless Adrian to make it 2-0.

Pounce: Kompany pounces as West Ham fail to clear, to make it 2-0.

Title's ours? Kompany wheels away to celebrate doubling City's lead

16:08 - GOAL! Sunderland halve the deficit thanks to a headed goal from on-loan striker Fabio Borini! Interesting second-half ahead.

16:09 - WHAT A GOAL! Arsenal open the scoring at Carrow Road after a lacklustre first-half for both sides, and what a goal to break the deadlock! 

Aaron Ramsey with a fantastic volley inside the area after a good pass across the box from Giroud, smashed past Ruddy into the top corner. 

Did you see that? Ramsey's well executed volley flew into the top corner to give Arsenal the lead

Two amazing goals scored by Arsenal against Norwich this season. Wow. You need to see that! 
Click on the link below to watch Ramsey's stunner:

16:09 - GOAL! Not as interesting anymore for Sunderland, Ivorian striker Wilfried Bony scores with a low shot which bounces off the post and trickles into the net to make it 3-1 to Swansea.

Back to two goals ahead: Bony celebrates his goal to make it 3-1 to Swansea

16:12 - GOAL! United back in the game, thanks to another super strike of the day, this time from midfielder Juan Mata with a free-kick 20 yards out. Chelsea are literally longing for him right now, but he equalises for the visitors.

16:19 - GOAL! The Gunners double their lead! Clinically finished off by Jenkinson, to score his first senior goal for The Gunners, the club that he grew up supporting as a small boy. He celebrates like he's score the winner in the FA Cup final, emotional stuff at Carrow Road as the visitors chant "Jenko is a Gunner."

16:20 - Elsewhere, there have been goals for West Brom against Stoke (Sessegnon, 1-1) and Fulham against Palace (Woodrow, 1-1).

16:21 - It's a first senior goal for young Woodrow, while Sessegnon gives West Brom an equaliser which they arguably deserve. McAuley will be slightly relieved now after his earlier mistake cost his team an own goal. 

First goal for Fulham: Woodrow celebrates his goal to equalise for the hosts

16:22 - GOAL! Liverpool have scored two in the space of two minutes, first Daniel Agger with an aerial tap-in at the back post from Gerrard's free-kick before almost a replica with Sturridge tapping the ball past Krul to make it 2-1! 

That was quick: Agger equalised for Liverpool after latching onto Gerrard's free-kick delivery

Deja vu: Sturridge does the exact same thing a minute later to give Liverpool the lead

Was quick, but they need to hope that somehow West Ham can score 3 goals against City and beat them if they stand any chance of winning their first league title in over 20 years. 

16:24 - RED CARD! Something that looked like nothing has obviously escalated, Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi given two yellow cards from the restart as the referee has seen something he does not like.

16:25 - Ameobi appeared to argue with the referee, probably said something so the dismissal will have to go down as "verbal abuse" and "unsportsmanlike conduct" - unneeded. 

16:35 - GOAL! Chelsea make a mini comeback, just as Liverpool did! Marshall makes a good save to deny Azpilicueta's header, before Schurrle scores the rebound to equalise. 

Then, Torres wins the ball from a Schurrle header before going on the counter attack and takes a touch to score from close range with a curled finesse shot. 2-1.

16:36 - Meanwhile, French defensive-midfielder Abou Diaby has come onto the pitch for Arsenal as a substitute.
His first appearance for the first-team in 15 months since his injury-plagued career took a turn for the worse last year.

16:41 - GOAL! Palace are back in the lead, in dramatic fashion! Just over 5 minutes to play, Gayle steps up to take a free-kick from 20 yards out and his curling effort beats Stockdale into the corner of the net, out of reach. 

That's his 4th goal in two games, what a week for him! Palace fans go wild, rightly so. As it stands they'll finish the season with 45 points, in 11th place.

16:43 - Some interesting developements at White Hart Lane, Spurs' fans have voiced their discontent over the fact that Tim Sherwood is still their manager after not qualifying for the Champions League given the amount of money the club was given to invest in players (especially the Bale transfer), and he's had enough!

A fan chanted "you're getting sacked in the morning", so Sherwood points at him gesticulating to come towards him. He gets out of his seat, Sherwood gives him his gilet and invites him to sit in his own seat on the bench! 

The supporter takes the gilet and sits next to Les Ferdinand, shocked that this is actually happening! Wow!

16:45 - Charlie Adam has given Stoke the lead again at The Hawthorns, while substitute Paul Dummett has been sent off after a rash challenge on Suarez. Newcastle down to nine men in the closing stages.

16:48 - FULL-TIME SCORES:

Cardiff City 1 Chelsea 2
Fulham 2 Crystal Palace 2
Hull 0 Everton 2
Liverpool 2 Newcastle 1
Manchester City 2 West Ham 0 
Norwich 0 Arsenal 2
Southampton 1 Manchester United 1
Sunderland 1 Swansea 3
Tottenham 3 Aston Villa 0 
West Brom 1 Stoke 2

16:51 - So there you have it. The title goes to Manchester City after a season of twists and turns. You could argue whether they deserved to win it or not, but they got the job done and you cannot say fairer than that.

Unity: City players celebrate after the Palace game last week, when Liverpool lost

Champions once again: Kompany lifts the trophy aloft after the win against West Ham

Good squad depth: City have overcome the odds to win their second league title in 3 years

It just highlights how important a team with quality and squad depth is, if you are going to play a league season with potentially over 50 matches in 9 months (domestically, FA Cup, Capital One Cup, Champions League and Europa League)

Aguero, Silva, Yaya Toure, Dzeko, Hart and Kompany among others did their bit for the team, when it mattered. 

EPL: Worst signings of the season -

Hello and welcome to my latest blog post, where I analyse and review some of the worst and most ineffective transfers of the season in the EPL, whether it be a waste of money or the wrong investment from the club concerned, many teams have bought players they probably should not have this season.

This is not in any way me having a go/judging the players involved, but sometimes you can tell that you are not "fit for purpose" at football clubs. 

So here is my list of the worst signings of the season, don't hesitate to tweet me your list or any more additions you'd put in at @Football365Mo. 

• Marouane Fellaini - £27.5million from Everton

Well. Fellaini is a good player, but hee should not have gone to Manchester United in the first place. He was a panic buy and was specifically suited Everton's style in the heart of midfield, where he was flourishing. 

Out of his comfort zone: Fellaini has struggled since his big-money move from Everton to United

The intensity and style of United is completely different, and the Belgian has had to find this out the hard way. With only 1 assist and 5 chances created in 16 matches played this season, he needs to improve or expect even more criticism next year. Still a good player, I stress.

• Iago Aspas - £7million from Celta Vigo

Perhaps harsh, but when you sign a player, you expect them to do well. It takes time to settle in and start performing well, especially as a striker (wait for the next player about that..) and maybe it's a combination of not having his chance to prove himself and the money spent, but Aspas has been a waste of money so far. 14 matches played in his first season, he has more assists that goals. 1 assist, no goals. Ouch.

Ineffective so far: Aspas has failed to live up to his price tag at Anfield

• Roberto Soldado - £26million from Valencia

Decent player, but not currently living up to his pricetag of almost £30million pounds. Was expected to "spearhead" the Spurs attack at the start of the season along with Chadli and Lamela, but the exact opposite happened.

Soldado needs to up his game next season, only 6 goals this season and 4 from the penalty spot.

Do not like to single anyone out but if he had scored 20+ goals this season, he probably could have pushed Spurs further than they have done this season because they have underperformed. 

Not used the money from the sale of Bale correctly, only 2 or 3 good signings from almost £100million...

A striker is supposed to score goals right? Well just consider the very real fact that he has only scored two goals from open play this season. (the rest have been penalties) 

• Erik Lamela - £30million from Roma

It's all about the money. Roma will probably be laughing right now, £30million in the bank and the team they sold one of their most promising forwards to is yet to see exactly why they paid £30million for him.

Plagued by injury, the Argentinian winger has disappointed everyone in his first season. You cannot exactly blame anyone but Spurs on this one, pay £30million for someone who warms the bench and gets injured - great investment.

Reputation: Spurs fans are disgruntled - as seen on this sign posted on lamposts back in April

Injury-plagued: Lamela has not had the perfect start to his Spurs career, let's just say that.

Hopefully he proves everyone wrong next season, because his stats at the minute do not help the situation. 9 matches played, wasted talent? 

• Jozy Altidore - £6million from AZ Alkmaar

A player who had potential to be a good bargain signing. Strong, fast, beats defenders off the ball and is supposedly clinical. 

Sunderland will not agree with that though. The signing looked encouraging but a combination of a lack of encouraging performances and a lack of goals has seen Jozy Altidore's name on the list. The Black Cats were looking for a saviour to stop them from the possibility of relegation, especially in the past month or so. 

They didn't need Altidore though. Borini and Wickham did their jobs. Take note Jozy.

Oh dear: Altidore has scored only 1 GOAL in 30 appearances for Sunderland this season.

• Ricky van Wolfswinkel - £8.5million from Sporting Lisbon

There is a pattern emerging here isn't there? Too much money spent on player - player underperforms - not worth it. Same with Ricky. £8.5million and yet he has scored the same amount of goals this season as Altidore (above). 

van Wolfswinkel looked decent in his first few games, but since then has been virtually invisible in-front of goal

Most clubs could build a team around £8.5million worth, van Wolfswinkel struggled massively and will find himself having to push Norwich back into the top flight of English football unless they can win 17-0 on Sunday against Arsenal. Don't count on it.

• Kostas Mitroglou - £12million from Olympiakos

It's slightly harsh to put your hopes on a striker to save you from relegation, but just like Cardiff, Fulham were desperate to avoid the drop zone and needed a talismanic striker to carry them away from the bottom three.

Sign a player of Champions League-calibre from a Greek side (in this case Olympiakos) and you would naturally expect him to perform well right? 

Bad move? Mitroglou signed for Fulham in January, but has only played 150 minutes of football since then

Wrong. First of all, they signed him in January, when they had already started to struggle. Second of all, they forgot to factor in that he was unfit, and he was learning a new language (English). Lastly, they barely played him at all and he got injured frequently with niggles and knocks galore.

What makes it worse is the fact that they let arguably their best player leave the club on a loan deal to an upcoming team that will play in the Champions League next season, partyly thanks to THEIR player's contribution. But that's just mind-baffling.

If only: Berbatov joined Monaco, and has 6 goals and 4 assists in 11 appearances. 

 

Guess how many games the £12million pound signing played in? 3. That says it all. 

• Kim Kallstrom - loan deal from Spartak Moscow

Arguably controversial, but as a signing it was not an effective one. Kallstrom was the only signing that Arsene Wenger announced in a busy January transfer window - but you would have expected him to make an impact signing, someone who would bring flair and motivation to the side, who were trying to hold off their title rivals at the time.

Instead, he signs an experienced Swedish midfielder on-loan who looks encouraging but turns out to have an injury, and is out for 3 months with a back injury... 

Recently fresh from injury, too late! Loan signings are supposed to be for players to get game time, but Kallstrom has had the oppposite effect. 

Latest football news, transfer rumours and updates:

Hello again everyone and welcome to my latest blog post where I have the latest football news, transfer rumours and updates across Europe.

Today, there is a lot of news transfer-related as many clubs have been reported to be "close" to completing deals with other teams to sign players.

Latest football news, transfer rumours and updates:

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has extended his contract by an extra three years.

Contract extension: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Neuer has signed a new contract deal

The German number one keeper signed his new contract last Friday, with the club's chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge announcing the contract extension at a general meeting. 

"I find it astonishing and fantastic", said Rummenigge, who praised Neuer for the timing of his decision, just days after Bayern were knocked out of the Champions League after losing 4-0 at home against Real Madrid.


"This is a sign of his wonderful character that he has said "I want Bayern Munich forever."
I would like to thank Manuel Neuer for that from the bottom of my heart."

Meanwhile, Shinji Kagawa's agent has confirmed that the Japanese midfielder will NOT leave Manchester United in the summer, despite rumours that he could move back to Borussia Dortmund or even sign for Napoli amid rumoured interest.

Kagawa two to three years ago was a great attacking midfielder, arguably one of the best upcoming talents in Europe - him, Gotze and Gundogan in Dortmund's midfield was superb but as soon as his arrival in Manchester he has not looked as sharp or as slick on the ball, because he does not get his chance. 

Based on his talent, it's no surprise to see teams tracking his progress in-case he reveals that he wants to leave. 

Benched: Kagawa has only started and finished 11 matches this season for United - surely he should feature more next season?

Swansea have announced that Garry Monk will continue on as their new permanent manager, on a three-year contract deal.

Garry Monk will take full charge of Swansea from next season, as their official new manager

He said: "It's the proudest moment of my career. I'm honoured the club thinks so highly of me to give me this chance. It's the opportunity of a lifetime - and one I fully intend to take.

I have had a taste of the job for the last three months and it's something I've really enjoyed."

Everton manager Roberto Martinez believes that Romelu Lukaku's future will be finalised only after the World Cup.

The Toffees are desperate to hang onto the Belgian striker, but it is thought that Chelsea will not let him leave easily.

Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing midfielder Dani Parejo from Valencia, but will have to fight Champions League finalists' Atletico Madrid for the Spaniard's services.

Stats: Parejo has improved in the past few seasons, and is being watched by Liverpool and Atletico

Swansea striker Wilfried Bony has stated that he is "happy" at The Swans, despite rumours circulating in the past few days that he wants to play Champions League football and could be on the move to Borussia Dortmund in the summer.

Money well spent: Bony was signed from Vitesse for £8.5million pounds

Clinical: Bony (left) has been a revelation for Swansea this season since his move in July

The Ivorian signed for Swansea last summer and has scored 15 goals in 33 appearances this season.

FACT: Only Giroud, Aguero, Rooney, Touré, Suarez and Sturridge have scored more goals this season than Bony. Joint 7th most goals in the league with Jay Rodriguez.

The FA have confirmed that they are thinking about the idea of creating a new tier within the Football League to accommodate Premier League B teams, which is part of their four-point plan to boost English football in the future. 

The plan also calls for a BAN on non-EU players outside of the EPL and a reduction in the amount of people not born or brought up in England in Premier League squads.

This controversial but potentially interesting idea has been specifically designed to allow clubs from the top two English leagues (EPL and nPower Championship) to loan players out to a lower division club to enable greater opportunities for 18 to 21-year-old English footballers. 

EPL Super Sunday - LIVE Coverage:

Hello again everyone and welcome to my latest blog post where I have LIVE Coverage of today's afternoon matches in the EPL. Today, there are two matches being played:- 

Arsenal vs West Brom at 1.30pm and Chelsea vs Norwich at 4pm. 

I will be covering the first match of two at The Emirates, while having a match report from Chelsea's game being posted tomorrow. Link to follow. 

But first, a recap of the matches being played yesterday afternoon:

• West Ham record their 3rd straight win over Tottenham with a 2-0 win at Upton Park, thanks to goals from Harry Kane (OG) and Stewart Downing
• Aston Villa secured their place in next season's Premier League with a 3-1 win over Hull - with young striker Weimann completing a brace
• United lost their 12th match of the season at home against Sunderland, thanks to a lone goal from Sebastian Larsson
• Newcastle were comfortable as they beat Cardiff 3-0 at home, despite boos from both sections of supporters in the ground
• Stoke were vicious at home as they thrashed Fulham 4-1 thanks to goals from Arnautovic, Odemwingie, Assaidi and Walters
• A last-minute winner from Rickie Lambert gave Southampton all three points as they won away from home against Swansea
• Manchester City moved to the top of the table on goal-difference with a narrow 3-2 win at Goodison Park thanks to goals from Aguero and a double from Dzeko. Barkley stole the show as Everton did well to compete for long-periods of the game, but City did well to hold on

The team line-ups:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal (Vermaelen 80'), Flamini, Arteta (Kallstrom 63'), Cazorla (Rosicky 69'), Ozil, Podolski and Giroud.

Subs not used: Fabianski, Jenkinson, Diaby and Sanogo. 

Only the one change from the 3-0 win against Newcastle on Monday, Ramsey is out of action with a minor thigh strain so is replaced promptly while Gibbs is still unavailable due to injury. 

Monreal starts, and Diaby returns to the first-team as he is named as a substitute. 

West Brom: Foster, Dawson, Lugano, Olsson, Brunt, Amalfitano (Anichebe 80'), Mulumbu (Vydra 84'), Dorrans, Morrison, Sessegnon and Berahino. 

Subs not used: Myhill, Yacob, McAuley, O'Neil and Sinclair.

Anichebe and Scott Sinclair are among the subs bench for West Brom in a strong side made by Pepe Mel as they look to be the first team to beat Arsenal at The Emirates since Aston Villa in August. 

Referee - Mike Jones

13:25 - The teams are waiting patiently in the tunnel as the referee leads them out onto the London sunshine.

13:26 - You may or may not know this, but these are April's Player and Manager of the Month awards:

13:27 - Pre-match handshakes are taking place at the moment to warm applause from both sides.

This could be Sagna's last home match for Arsenal as his contract expires in the summer (pending contract extension talks are not successful)

13:28 - Nothing to do with this match, but Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has announced that he is "fit" to feature in the last week of the Premier League season next week, after he was taken off in the first-half with a groin strain in yesterday evening's 3-2 win against Everton. 

13:30 - The referee is looking as his watch as he is about to blow this whistle to kick-off the match at The Emirates.

0: The referee does eventually blow his whistle, the first-half has begun. 

4: First real chance for Arsenal, good play - a nice chipped flick into the box by Ozil falls to Giroud who plays the ball back to Podolski, who hits the ball first time but it fizzes into the advertising board past the post. 

6: Good sliding clearance by Koscielny to deny Berahino an opportunity to burst past him after an outside-of-the-foot through ball towards the young English striker is intercepted well.

7: Close! West Brom have their first real chance of the game as the ball falls to Berahino on the edge of the box, he runs towards the byline by as he shapes to shoot he is closed down well by Koscielny and his attempted strike is deflected into the arms of Szczesny. Wake-up call? 

12: Patient build-up play in the midfield from Arsenal, passing the ball around and pushing West Brom back into their own half to try and force a mistake.

13: Good attacking movement by Ozil to weave his way past the West Brom defence near the touchline and a cheeky drop of the shoulder before the ball falls to Cazorla, well-struck shot but deflected over the bar for a corner. Could be dangerous. 

14: GOAL! I said it could be dangerous, and I was proved right! An inswinging corner was whipped into the box well and deep towards the head of Giroud, who powered past the West Brom defenders to poke his header past Foster into the net.

Heads I score: Giroud breaks the deadlock with a header in the 14th minute

Arsenal lead by a goal to nil, and it's Giroud's 16th league goal of the season.

16: Arsenal have pushed on the counter attack now as they try and give themselves a comfortable enough lead, playing from the centre of midfield and passing across to the flanks.

31: West Brom start to pick up the pace, having a few chances. Morrison has a long-range effort from 45 yards out as he sees Szczesny off his line, but fails to hit the target, before another long-range effort is parried by Szczesny and Berahino has efforts over the bar.

Pepe Mel will be encouraged but he will want his players to hit the target to test the Polish goalkeeper.  

34: Good save diving low to his right by Foster to deny Cazorla from making it 2-0 after a good passing move into the 18-yard box. 

38: Tentative defending from Arsenal as they are desperate to keep up the pressure on their visitors when they have the ball, but do not want to give away any needless fouls. 

39: Amalfitano has a whipped cross into the box headed clear by Koscielny, out for a corner.

40: Corner comes of nothing. Waste from West Brom.

41: A patient piece of build-up play by Arsenal almost results in another goal for the hosts. Koscielny bursts down the field with pace as he adds another option with Cazorla and Giroud running either side of him. 

Ozil dribbles past the West Brom markers towards him, eventually finding Giroud with a through ball but the Frenchman's resulting shot is deflected off a West Brom defender into Foster's hands. 

45: The fourth official signals for just 2 minutes of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the first-half.

45+1: Close! Ball falls to Flamini just outside the area and he takes a well-struck drive towards goal first time, but Foster catches the ball as it flies at him.

45+2: Corner-kick with a few seconds remaining of the first-half, but Foster jumps high and parries the ball away to safety as the referee blows his whistle.

HALF-TIME - 
Arsenal lead 1-0 thanks to a 14th minute header by Olivier Giroud. The Gunners have been dominant in terms of passing and possession, but have not had many clear-cut chances apart from the goal which should encourage Pepe Mel and his side who have taken the game to their opponents and have not exactly let them play "the Arsenal way."

14:18 - West Brom need to test Szczesny more often if they are to equalise, Berahino looks dangerous on the counter attack but he needs to see more of the ball, as do the rest of his team.

14:33 - The second-half has begun at The Emirates. Arsenal lead 1-0, no substitutions at half-time.

49: A spell of West Brom pressure inside the Arsenal half is clearly working, they are not giving as much time or space as they previously were in the first-half and are doing their best to retain ball possession.

50: Wenger does not look too happy, West Brom have come out for the second-half with freedom and the ability to pressure their opponents while Arsenal are obviously under pressure to win the game.

52: And finally Arsenal are starting to emerge from the shadow and play with a spring in their step.

Not particularly attractive football at the minute but they are keeping hold of possession and trying to deliver balls into the box, Sagna's cross was comfortably held by Foster.

55: Good defending by Sagna on the backfoot as Sessegnon goes on the counter attack and runs with speed past Monreal on the flank, before Sagna cuts inside him and clears the danger into the stand. 

Highlights an area that Arsenal need to isolate, the pace and counter attack of West Brom. Sessegnon and Berahino.

56: West Brom corner is well cleared away by Sagna, before the ball falls to Ozil, who tries to find a team-mate with an over-the-top ball, but Flamini mis-interprets the flight of the ball and West Brom pass it out from the back.

60: Another standout performance from Ozil, looks so confident and full of quality on the flank.

He passes the ball to Monreal and immediately gets it back, skills his way past two West Brom defenders before crossing the ball deep into the box for a team-mate to latch onto, but Olsson gets there first and heads the ball out for a corner.

62: Arsenal keep up the pressure as they get forward on the flank and another attempted cross is deflected out for a corner, while they prepare for a change. 

63: Arsenal SUB:
Mikel Arteta OFF
Kim Kallstrom ON

A smart move by Wenger as Arteta is replaced by Kallstrom with just under 30 minutes to play. 

The experienced Spaniard looks jaded and is replaced by Swedish midfielder Kallstrom who is still yet to complete a 90-minute game for The Gunners on his loan spell from Russian side Spartak Moscow in the January transfer window.

64: Nacho Monreal is given the first yellow card of the match after clearly holding onto the back of Sessegnon's shirt as he tried to burst past him. Clear foul, no complaints.

68: Arsenal doing well to hold off West Brom's advances as of yet, Mertesacker and Koscielny solid at the back, especially as The Baggies are winning more set-pieces.

70: Arsenal SUB:
Santi Cazorla OFF
Tomas Rosicky ON

Rosicky replaces fans' favourite Cazorla with 20 minutes to play. Cazorla has been quiet in the second-half and is consequently replaced by the Czech attacking midfielder Rosicky, who has been known for his energy, reliability and non-stop stamina in recent years.

71: I expect a nervy last 20 minutes to play for Arsenal if the scoreline stays the same. West Brom know that there is all to play for and they are pressurising their hosts. 

Amalfitano came close with an attempted strike after getting in-behind the Arsenal defence, but between Szczesny and Mertesacker the ball was smothered and the danger was cleared. 


73: Close! Unlucky from Ozil as the ball falls to him from a header towards him by Giroud but the ball bobbles on the ground and he is closed down well by 3 West Brom defenders as he shapes to shoot and his effort trickles past the post and out for a goal-kick.

74: Cameras have shown that on-loan Newcastle striker Loic Remy is watching the match at The Emirates.

Rumours will be speculating now that he is ready to join Arsenal in the summer, with parent club QPR already admitting that the Frenchman will most probably leave the club at the end of the season in search for a team who can offer Champions League football, and Arsenal can do that..

75: Arsenal have looked lethargic in the second-half as if they are happy to take the 1-0 win and close out the game, but whenever that is the game plan it is dangerous. 

West Brom looking to equalise with just under 15 minutes plus stoppage time to play, they are looking dangerous on the counter attack and with set-pieces.

76: Close again! Podolski almost kills off the game with a half-volley from 8 yards out, Foster is beaten by the strike which bounces off the crossbar and falls into his hands. 

80: Two substitutions coming on with just over 10 minutes left, one for either side -

Arsenal SUB:
Nacho Monreal OFF
Thomas Vermaelen ON 

Vermaelen is brought on to help solidify the Arsenal defence for the last 10 minutes or so, Monreal is already on a yellow card so a smart change from Wenger again. No more subs left though.

West Brom SUB:
Morgan Amalfitano OFF
Victor Anichebe ON

Anichebe comes on to try and beef up the West Brom strikeforce, Amalfitano has shown flashes of good play but hasn't done enough. 

88: Just 2 minutes plus stoppage time remain for Arsenal to hold on as it were, a corner to the hosts after Podolski's attempted cross was well dealt with by the West Brom defence. 

89: Sagna's cross into the box falls to an Arsenal head... but Kallstrom does not connect with the ball properly and it bounces away from goal. 

90: The fourth official has signalled for 3 minutes of stoppage time to be played as Berahino falls onto the turf as he tries to control the ball on the counter attack, to ironic cheers from the home support.

90+1: West Brom corner is cleared away, and the referee brandishes yellow cards to Dorrans and Giroud after an argument between the two.

90+2: A potential good cross into the box is not taken by the West Brom attackers and Arsenal let the ball run out of play for a goal-kick. Szczesny walks over to get the ball, and that will be that for the match.

90+3: The referee blows his whistle to end the match! Arsenal do well to hold on for a 1-0 win at home against West Brom, in their last home match of the Premier League season thanks to a headed effort from Olivier Giroud. 

13th home win for Arsenal, only the one loss at The Emirates, against Aston Villa on the opening day. 

This week's transfer rumours, football news and updates:

Hello again everyone, and welcome to my latest blog post - where I have this week's transfer rumours, general football news and updates from across Europe's top footballing leagues including the Premier League and Bundesliga. 

Firstly:

Liverpool are reportedly ready to deal with a massive transfer offer for talisman striker Luis Suarez.

Match-winner: Suarez signed a new contract at Liverpool earlier on in the season, but could he be persuaded?

Match ball: Suarez has scored 30 goals this season, including various hat-tricks!

Suarez has scored many eye-catching strikes this season, especially a volley from 40 yards out against Norwich

Real Madrid have expressed an interest in the Urugayan, who leads the top scoring charts in the league with 30 goals this season. The rumoured transfer fee? £70million pounds. 

Southampton's youth talent and English full-back Luke Shaw has said publicly that he is "happy to stay" at the club, despite many news reports linking him with a potential move to Manchester United and Chelsea in the summer transfer window. 

Potential: Shaw (pictured far right) was given his first senior cap for England earlier this year

The 18-year-old teenager is widely tipped to join England at the World Cup in Brazil (in June) and has the potential to replace the likes of Ashley Cole (formerly of Chelsea) as the number 1 left-back for the national side for the foreseeable future. 

Under-pressure Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has admitted that he is not surprised to see that other managers are linked with his current job, amid a possible sacking in the summer. 

Bad run of form: Newcastle have gone on a 6-match losing streak.

This banner was shown during the match at The Emirates.. 

He said: "When you lose five games in the Premier League, if you can't accept that there's going to be some speculation about your job, then you are not being realistic."

Arsene Wenger maintains the statement that he wants to remain at Arsenal and is keen to extend his stay at the Emirates Stadium past this season.

He said: "Look, I have said many times already, I have given my word to this club and that I want to continue where I am. That means to stay." 

The experienced Frenchman has been heavily linked with a move to AS Monaco in the summer, as his contract expires soon and he has been expected to succeed Claudio Ranieri. 

Fenerbahce are reportedly willing to offer French right-back Bacary Sagna a £100,000-a-week contract deal to leave Arsenal in the summer.

Chelsea are reportedly interested in making a £20million move for Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal to help bolster their midfield.

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is reportedly thinking about making a summer move for Cardiff defender Steven Caulker, who will be reluctant to leave the quality shown in the Premier League especially if Cardiff get relegated this season.

Captain rock solid: Caulker is linked with a move to Liverpool, if Cardiff get relegated

Schalke defender Sead Kolasinac has revealed that he is weighing up offers from Manchester United and Arsenal over a potential summer move.

Not easy to push away: Kolasinac (right) has been a standout player in the Bundesliga this season

One to watch: Kolasinac has been key for Schalke this season, but could he and Draxler leave?

He has been a standout performer at left-back in the Bundesliga, along with Alaba he has been quality and one of the best in the German league - at age 20. 

Liverpool have edged ahead of Manchester United in the race to land Southampton ace Adam Lallana.

Tony Pulis wants £30million to take Crystal Palace to the next level, with Sunderland striker Connor Wickham and Stoke defensive-midfielder Steven N'Zonzi among his targets.

Atletico Madrid have added Arsenal's Olivier Giroud to their "ever-growing list of striker targets".