Arsenal v QPR

Arsenal 1

Arteta 84′

QPR 0

FT 90 +6
HT 0-0

Jack Wilshere

By Jonathan Jurejko BBC Sport

Mikel Arteta's late winner ended bottom-club Queens Park Rangers' resistance as Arsenal finished a turbulent week with a vital victory.

Arteta poked in from close range after hitting the bar, as the returning Jack Wilshere helped Arsenal bounce back from defeats by Norwich and Schalke.

Analysis

John Motson BBC Match of the Day commentator

"It was a quite amazing end to what, for a long time, was a mundane match. But it exploded into life in the last 20 minutes. The turning point was the sending off of Stephane Mbia on 80 minutes. The winning goal came four minutes later and there could have been further goals at either end. It has put Arsenal gingerly back on track and left QPR stranded at the bottom."

The winner came moments after QPR's Stephane Mbia was sent off for kicking out at Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen.

QPR's Esteban Granero and Jamie Mackie spurned good injury-time chances.

England midfielder Wilshere played 67 minutes as he made his first senior Arsenal appearance for 17 months.

It has been a tough week for Arsene Wenger after his side's surprise defeats by Premier League strugglers Norwich and Champions League visitors Schalke were followed by a spiky annual shareholders' meeting, where fans questioned the club's ambitions.

But Arteta's winner, which came after Hoops keeper Julio Cesar magnificently saved Olivier Giroud's header at the start of a goalmouth scramble, moves Arsenal into fourth in the Premier League table.

It was harsh on Brazilian Cesar who produced several superb saves to keep out the Gunners as the crowd grew increasingly restless inside the Emirates.

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Arsenal winner offside - Hughes

Ultimately the game turned on the sending-off of Rangers defender Mbia, who was shown a red card by referee Anthony Taylor when he senselessly kicked out at Vermaelen while lying on the ground having already won a free-kick.

The defeat leaves QPR still searching for their first league win of the season and bottom of the table.

But manager Mark Hughes can take huge positives from a compact defensive display that only unravelled after Mbia's dismissal.

In their next three matches, Hughes's team face Reading, Stoke and Southampton - all teams in the bottom half - and will take heart from their brave display.

Even after they were reduced to 10 men and fell a goal behind, the visitors refused to give up and perhaps should have had an equaliser through either Granero or Mackie.

Rangers gunned down

QPR have only won once at Arsenal in 28 years. Strikes from Kevin Gallen, Bradley Allen and Andy Impey sealed a 3-1 win on New Year's Eve 1994. Danish midfielder John Jensen scored his only goal for Arsenal.

Former Real Madrid midfielder Granero skewed wide after he was put clean through, before Mackie powered through a parting Arsenal defence only to prod his shot straight at Vito Mannone.

Wilshere's return aside, pre-match attention was focused on QPR substitute Anton Ferdinand's decision to wear a T-shirt in support of anti-racism group Kick It Out during the warm-up.

Ferdinand - found by the FA to have been racially abused by John Terry - had chosen not to wear one last weekend and, in a joint statement released with brother Rio, has urged the organisation to do more to stamp racism out of football.

The Gunners' man in the spotlight was Wilshere and, after his first touch was greeted with huge cheers, he looked the likeliest player to unlock QPR with his neat touches and inventive play.

Aaron Ramsey's free header looped on to the Hoops crossbar, before Wilshere's stinging 20-yard shot was spilled by Cesar.

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Red card helped Arsenal win - Wenger

However, QPR continued to pose a threat on the counter attack, particularly down the flanks where they sought to expose the space left by the Gunners' attacking full-backs Sagna and Andre Santos.

Brazil international Santos endured a testing night against Schalke and his perceived vulnerability was targeted by pacy QPR pair Shaun Wright-Phillips and Jose Bosingwa.

Bosingwa failed to pick out the waiting Bobby Zamora as Vermaelen came to the rescue, while Wright-Phillips spooned a cross wide from another promising position.

Arsenal's frustrations were typified by Santi Cazorla wastefully smashing an inviting half-volley over the QPR bar before Arteta clinched a vital win.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger:

"It was a good game overall. We played against a QPR side which has quality.

"We played quite well but lacked a little bit of the confidence you miss when you have lost two games. We had chances before the sending-off but it made it easier [for us] and more difficult for Rangers.

Wilshere's return

Injury-hit Jack Wilshere made his first senior appearance for Arsenal in 524 days. He last played against Fulham on 22 May 2011.

"A draw would have been a big disappointment, but if we had lost today it would have been a crisis."

QPR manager Mark Hughes:

"I've come with teams on many occasions to the Emirates and that was as comfortable a game at the Emirates as I've been involved in.

"We were in total control, never under real pressure and they only created one chance when Cazorla ballooned the ball over the bar.

"We were making substitutions with a view to win the game because that was the extent of the control we thought we had. But the sending-off put us on the back foot, although even then I thought our response was magnificent and we had chances to win the game."

Lineup, Bookings (4) & Substitutions (6)

Arsenal

24 Mannone
03 Sagna
04 Mertesacker
05 Vermaelen
11 Santos
08 Arteta
10 Wilshere (Walcott - 67' )
16 Ramsey
19 Cazorla
09 Podolski (Gervinho - 71' )
12 Giroud Booked

Substitutes

36 Martinez
06 Koscielny
25 Jenkinson
14 Walcott
22 Coquelin
23 Arshavin
27 Gervinho (Arshavin - 81' )

Queens Park Rangers

33 Julio Cesar
03 Traore (Onuoha - 73' )
17 Nelsen
19 Bosingwa
02 Diakite
10 Taarabt Booked
11 Wright-Phillips (Mackie - 79' )
14 Granero Booked
40 M'bia Dismissed
23 Hoilett
25 Zamora (Cisse - 72' )

Substitutes

01 Green
05 Ferdinand
15 Onuoha
22 Ephraim
32 Faurlin
09 Cisse
12 Mackie

Ref: Taylor

Att: 60,103

Match Stats

Possession 70 30

Shots

21 4

On target

11 3

Corners

5 2

Fouls

14 9

Live Text Commentary

90:00 +5:10 Full time

Full Time The final whistle goes and the game is over.

90:00 +4:25

Foul by Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) on Jamie Mackie (QPR). Free kick taken right-footed by Jose Bosingwa (QPR) from own half, passed.

90:00 +3:48

Foul by David Hoilett (QPR) on Bacary Sagna (Arsenal). Free kick taken right-footed by Vito Mannone (Arsenal) from own half, resulting in open play.

90:00 +2:19

Foul by Bacary Sagna (Arsenal) on Nedum Onuoha (QPR). Free kick curled right-footed by Esteban Granero (QPR) from left wing (20 yards), save (tipped round post) by Vito Mannone (Arsenal). Inswinging corner from left by-line taken right-footed by Esteban Granero (QPR) to centre, clearance by Per Mertesacker (Arsenal).

90:00 +1:54

Attacking throw-in by Jose Bosingwa (QPR).

90:00 +1:41

Shot by Jamie Mackie (QPR) right-footed from right side of penalty area (12 yards), save (parried) by Vito Mannone (Arsenal).

90:00 +0:46

Shot by Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal) left-footed from centre of penalty area (12 yards), missed left. Goal kick taken short by Soares Julio Cesar (QPR).

90:00 +0:26

Defending throw-in by Nedum Onuoha (QPR).