ARSENAL v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS U21 PREMIER LEAGUE ELITE GROUP STAGE
MONDAY 28 JANUARY 2013
KICK-OFF: 1PM
REFEREE: CARL FITCH
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Final score - Arsenal U21s 0-2 West Ham United U21s
93 mins - The final whistle is blown and West Ham have indeed completed their third U21 victory over Arsenal in three meetings this season. Wellington Paulista has scored on his first appearance and the Hammers have started the Elite Group Stage with a win! We'll have exclusive highlights and post-match reaction soon on whufc.com and West Ham TV. Thanks for joining us this afternoon.
90 mins - Arsenal substitute Wynter has a shot but it's blocked. West Ham have defended well all afternoon. Even when the Gunners have got through, Spiegel has been outstanding. Spence has been impressive, while further forward Moncur and Lee have worked very hard. Paulista's debut was eye-catching, too.
89 mins - Callum Driver is replaced by Kieran Bywater for the final couple of minutes.
86 mins - Moncur takes a corner to the near post, from where Yennaris makes the clearance. This would also represent the best possible start to the Elite Group Stage campaign and mark Nick Haycock's maiden win at this level. Throw in a debut goal for Wellington Paulista and it's been a very satisfactory day in the wind and rain here at London Colney!
85 mins - A chance for West Ham. Fanimo carries the ball into the box before showing some quick feet and finding Lletget. The American shoots but goalkeeper Martinez makes the save. Can West Ham hold on for their third win in three Barclays U21 Premier League matches against the Gunners this term?
82 mins - Arsenal have a corner on their left-hand side. Henderson takes it again left-footed, but again it's over-hit and curls out for a goal kick on the far side.
79 mins - Aneke sends the ball into the West Ham penalty area. Substitute Rees gets there in the inside-left channel before shooting, but his effort is off-target.
75 mins - Ansah is finally taken off and Samir Bihmoutine is the man to come on.
74 mins - Lee has a shot from just inside the penalty area. The low drive is well saved by goalkeeper Martinez low to his right. Arsenal are still playing with ten men.
73 mins - Ansah will definitely not be able to continue, but Arsenal will have to wait for the ball to go out of play or for another stoppage to make the change.
69 mins - Ruddock is first back up on his feet before, a few moments later, Ansah is also able to climb to his. However, it looks like the Gunners No9 will need to be replaced.
67 mins - It really is very windy here at Arsenal's state-of-the-art training complex. Ansah and Ruddock challenge for a ball in the air and clash heads. Both go down and the physios race on.
66 mins - Amos Nasha is to be replaced, with Taylor Miles coming on for the final 25 minutes or so. Angha crosses this time and the ball is cut out at the near post and put behind for a corner. Henderson's right-wing corner comes to nothing. Goal kick.
64 mins - An Arsenal free-kick into the box is cleared by Lletget with his head. Moments later, right-back Angha has another go, but this time he flashes a wild effort miles off-target.
62 mins - Angha shoots from the left corner of the penalty area and again Spiegel is equal to it, diving low to his left to parry the ball. He gets good distance on his parry, meaning Arsenal cannot benefit from a follow-up effort.
60 mins - Paulista has completed an hour and his goalscoring West Ham debut is at an end. He is replaced by another debutant in Irishman Sean Maguire.
58 mins - Arsenal replace Neita with Josh Rees during a break in play.
56 mins - The home side have another go from distance. Henderson has a shot and the ball swerves in the wind. Spiegel takes the safe option and helps the ball wide for a corner. Henderson's corner is cleared back to him, but he then loses the ball.
54 mins - The end-to-end nature of the game continues as Fanimo cuts in from the right and shoots low from about 25 yards. The ball skims a yard or two side with Martinez diving to cover. Goal kick.
53 mins - Eisfeld plays the ball through to Neita, who shoots with the outside of his left-foot. The ball comfortably flies wide of the far post and away for a goal kick.
52 mins - Lletget crosses for Lee, whose initial effort is blocked. The ball falls back into the path of the forward, but his follow-up effort goes over the crossbar.
51 mins - Arsenal have some decent possession outside the box before the ball is worked to No7 Eisfeld. The German has a shot from 12 yards which is blocked behind for a corner past the left-hand post. The corner drops to No10 Henderson, but he cannot make the most of the opportunity.
47 mins - Arsenal force an early corner, just as they did last Wednesday, but this time the Hammers stand firm and the ball is headed out of the penalty area to safety. Moments later, No10 Henderson has a go from all of 30 yards, but it flies off-target.
46 mins - West Ham get things back underway. Arsenal have replaced Boateng with Wynter at the back.
Half-time score - Arsenal U21s 0-2 West Ham United U21s
46 mins - After a minute or so of added time, Mr Finch blows for half-time. So far, so good.
45 mins - Into the final minute of the half and Nick Haycock will be delighted with the scoreline. Now, he'll just want his team to avoid starting the second half the same way the first team did last Wednesday. Yennaris has a go from outside the box. Spiegel gets down and makes another routine save.
42 mins - A quick throw-in from Fanimo to Lletget, who makes his way to the byline, but cannot quite wrap his foot around the ball enough to pull it back for his team-mates. Martinez collects at the near post.
39 mins - Eisfeld has looked most likely for Arsenal, but his shot from distance is straight at Spiegel. The German's shot is easily held by the Swiss stopper.
34 mins - Spiegel makes a fine save. The ball is clipped in from right-back Angha and hit first-time by the No7 Eisfeld, but Spiegel gets down to his left to push the ball aside for a corner. The flag kick comes to nothing.
33 mins - Miquel squares for Boateng and he has a go from about 30 yards, but the effort just eludes the angle of post and crossbar. That is the closest Arsenal have come to a goal so far.
30 mins - GOAL! A cross from the right-hand side from Fanimo is allowed to bounce inside the penalty area and Martinez is caught out completely. The ball curls and nestles inside the far post. West Ham double their lead. All of a sudden the cold wind does not seem so cold and windy any more!
27 mins - Fanimo picks the ball up on the right touchline before cutting inside and trying to thread a ball through for Lee, but it's too strong and Martinez is out to collect smartly. The game has livened up, it seems!
26 mins - Aneke to Neita inside the penalty area this time, but the No11 cannot keep his shot down and the ball flies high over the top and into the gloomy sky beyond.
25 mins - Henderson crosses left-footed, Aneke heads on and out to the far side. The cross comes in from the right and Miquel meets it with a header at the far post, but he nods wide from ten yards.
24 mins - Thankfully my colleague packed a lovely multi-coloured umbrella in his car, otherwise we'd be getting soaked at the moment. Arsenal have half a chance through Eisfeld, who brings the ball forward from 40 yards out and crosses low and hard. Spence is there to clear for a corner.
23 mins - Paulista has looked lively enough. He won the ball in the centre circle with a neat chest control and pass that led to the corner he scored from. He took that glancing header very well, too.
21 mins - GOAL! Moncur takes the corner from the left-hand side and Paulista wins the header ahead of his marker at the near post and glances a superb effort into the net from six yards. What a start for the Brazilian!
20 mins - Lee has a go from 20 yards at the end of a decent move involving Paulista, Moncur and Lletget. The ball takes a deflection and spins just wide.
19 mins - To be honest, the game is still very stop-start and without much rhythm. Arsenal win a corner as Angha crosses and Driver clears behind. Henderson to take it from the left-hand side. The ball is deep to the back post, where Miquel is whistled for a foul on Ruddock.
16 mins - Paulista's first shot in claret and blue is not a memorable one! He has a go from 25 yards and clears the crossbar by quite a distance.
15 mins - The rain had momentarily stopped around kick-off time, but you'll be pleased to hear it is now falling again. West Ham have a corner. Moncur comes across to the left to take it and whips it to the far post. Nasha is there and gets a shot in from a tight angle, but Martinez is equal to it and makes the block before Arsenal scramble the ball clear.
13 mins - Paulista is involved going forward, playing the ball into Lletget inside the penalty area. He looks like he might have a yard of space, but centre-back Boateng steps in to clear before the No10 can strike.
10 mins - Spence comes across and clears the ball away from Aneke, but at the expense of a Gunners corner. Henderson takes it but the delivery is deep and clears the box. Aneke recovers but is challenged by Lletget, who brings the ball clear. The American finds Lee, but he over-runs the ball and goalkeeper Martinez ends the counter-attack as he gathers.
9 mins - To be honest, the game has started quite slowly. Indeed, the shouting of the players is probably the highlight of proceedings so far. Jordan Spence has the chance to pump a free-kick into the Arsenal half but it bounces out for a throw-in.
6 mins - West Ham come forward and Fanimo's cross from the right is cleared for a throw. Driver takes it and Moncur flashes the ball across the face of goal, but it eludes the forwards and goes out for a goal kick past the far post.
4 mins - Arsenal come forward again and try to play a through ball to Ansah, but the No9 is caught offside. Plenty of shouting from both sets of players as they try to impose themselves on proceedings. It is windy here, which is not going to make free-flowing football too easy to play.
2 mins - Paulista enjoys his first touch as a West Ham player, winning a header inside the Arsenal half. Unfortunately, it doesn't end in the net. Saying that, he was in the centre circle so it would have been some effort.
1 min - As you might expect, the Gunners are patient in possession right from the off, passing the ball around at the back. When Arsenal do attack down their right, Eisfeld crosses and Spiegel makes an easy catch.
1pm - The teams are on the pitch and we're underway. Arsenal kick things off!
12.55pm - There are probably at least 50 scouts here to watch the young stars in action. I am sure the likes of Moncur, Fanimo, Lletget and Lee will be on the radars of npower Football League clubs looking to bolster their squads with a loan signing or two.
12.45pm - We have today's team news. Wellington Paulista is indeed given his West Ham debut on a cold and wet afternoon in Hertfordshire. He will wear the No9 shirt and play in a front three alongside Matthias Fanimo and Elliot Lee. Raphael Spiegel will start in goal, with Callum Driver captaining the side from right-back. Jordan Spence and George Moncur also start.
Arsenal U21s: Martinez, Angha, Miquel, Yennaris, Boateng, Hajrovic, Eisfeld, Aneke, Ansah, Henderson, Neita
Subs: Rees, Charles-Cook, Wynter, Bihmoutine
West Ham United U21s: Spiegel, Driver, Shaw, Nasha, Spence, Ruddock, Moncur, Lletget, Fanimo, Lee, Paulista
Subs: Larkins, Onariase, Miles, Bywater, Maguire
Good afternoon and welcome to London Colney for today's Barclays Under-21 Premier League Elite Group Stage fixture between Arsenal and West Ham United.
Nick Haycock's side start their campaign at last after seeing their first two fixtures in this competition postponed due to the recent cold weather. An away trip to Manchester United and a home fixture with Liverpool both fell victim to the weather.
Haycock is set to hand January signing Wellington Paulista his claret and blue bow following the striker's move from Brazilian club Cruzeiro. Another new arrival, former Waterford United man Sean Maguire, could also feature for the first time. Of the more established names available, Jordan Spence, Matthias Fanimo, George Moncur and FA Youth Cup goalscorer Elliot Lee will all be hoping to impress.
Arsenal, meanwhile, started the Elite Group Stage with a 1-1 home draw with West Bromwich Albion, when Andre Santos was on target. That match saw the likes of Carl Jenkinson, Vito Mannone, Abou Diaby and England winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all feature, but Terry Burton is set to have a less-experienced side out with the Gunners hosting Liverpool in the Barclays Premier League on Wednesday.
We should have the team news very shortly. We will then have live text updates from kick-off at 1pm.