Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match between Arsenal and Reading, and what a huge match it is for both sides.

Let's start with Arsenal. The Gunners face a very real threat of finishing outside the top four and not being in the Champions League next season, and for a while it looked like this would definitely be the case. Their 2-1 loss at the hands of Tottenham earlier this month opened the gap to seven points, but since then Spurs have lost both of their matches, and now Arsenal are just four points behind their North London rivals with a game in hand.

Spurs face a tricky tie away to Swansea City today, so a win for Arsenal could see them gain more valuable ground on fourth place. Should Spurs only manage a draw and Arsenal win, then the Gunners could move ahead of Tottenham if they win their game in hand. There are, of course, a lot of ifs and buts in that scenario, but the situation looks a lot better from an Arsenal point of view than it did at the start of this month.

The Gunners will definitely be looking up the table, then, but they will also have to be slightly wary of the threat Everton pose from sixth place. The Toffees are just two points behind the Gunners and the two sides have played the same number of games, so David Moyes's side will be looking to make the most of any Arsenal slip-ups.

So, a win is vital for Arsenal to keep the pressure on Spurs, but Reading also need a win for very different reasons. They have drifted seven points from safety at the bottom of the table, sitting in 19th place level on points with QPR. With Aston Villa and Wigan both starting to find a bit of form, every point is vital to Reading from now on.

Of course, the Royals have a new man at the helm for today's match as Nigel Adkins takes charge for the first time. The 48-year-old drew many plaudits for his time in charge at Southampton and many felt that he was unlucky to get sacked from that job, myself included. He is undoubtedly a high-quality manager, but whether he can save Reading from relegation this season remains to be seen. It is a very tough ask of any manager.

Aston Villa aren't in action today, so a win for Reading would move them to a more respectable four points from safety, albeit having played a game more than Villa. However, to get a win they will have to drastically improve their recent form. They have lost their last five league games, a run that includes matches against relegation rivals Wigan and Aston Villa.

TEAM NEWS: The team news for both sides is in, and the stand-out news for the Gunners is that Szczesny, Vermaelen and Podolski are all on the bench for Arsene Wenger's side. Gervinho starts, while Mikel Arteta has been named captain for the day. Reading make two changes of their own, bringing in Pavel Pogrebnyak and Danny Guthrie. Full team news coming right up...

ARSENAL STARTING XI: Fabianski; Sagna, Monreal, Mertesacker, Koscielny; Arteta, Rosicky, Ramsey; Cazorla, Giroud, Gervinho

ARSENAL SUBS: Szczesny, Gibbs, Coquelin, Vermaelen, Jenkinson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Podolski

READING STARTING XI: Taylor; Kelly, Shorey, Mariappa, Pearce; Karacan, Leigertwood, Guthrie, Robson-Kanu, McAnuff; Pogrebnyak

READING SUBS: McCarthy, Gunter, Morrison, Akpan, McCleary, Le Fondre, Hunt

So, what can we make of those two lineups? Well, Wenger's decision to bring in Gervinho ahead of Podolski is the most interesting one for me. Podolski has proven himself to be a dangerous player and Gervinho has struggled to prove himself since arriving at the club. I imagine that he will play out wide right with Cazorla on the left, but I can't help but think that playing Podolski on the left and Cazorla on the right would have been the better option.

Perhaps Wenger is resting a few key players after their international exploits in the last week as, with all due respect to Reading, this is a match that they really should be winning. However, Wenger won't need me to tell him that this is by no means a foregone conclusion - Reading will be fighting for their lives in this match and the new manager could just give them the impetus to go out and shock the Gunners.

Speaking of Reading's new manager, Nigel Adkins has opted for just one up front for the Royals today. They have experimented with two up top at times this season, but the likes of Adam Le Fondre and Noel Hunt always seem to be more effective when coming off the bench. Pogrebnyak has failed to reproduce his best form in a Reading shirt so far, but there is no doubt that he knows where the goal is and is capable of snapping up any chances that come his way. The Arsenal defence has looked shaky at times so far this season, so the likes of Robson-Kanu and McAnuff will be keen to provide good service for the big striker.

In terms of options on the bench, Arsenal have two names in particular that can be game changers. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Podolski could really make a difference if Wenger finds himself in need of a goal, while Vermaelen is also a great person to bring on if the Gunners are trying to defend a lead.

When it comes to form going into this game, there is only one team on top. The Gunners have won their last two games, including a 2-0 win away to Bayern Munich that almost saw them progress into the next round of the Champions League. If we only look at league form, Arsenal have lost just once in seven games and, although that loss (2-1 against Spurs) would've hurt them more than most, five wins in that time would have gone some way to alleviating the pain.

All those points put Arsenal into second in the Premier League form table, only behind Manchester United, while Reading's five defeats in a row leave them second from bottom in the form table, with only Sunderland below them.

Speaking of Sunderland and Manchester United, those two sides are currently in action in the day's early kickoff. There is very little time left but you can catch the closing stages here. United currently lead 1-0 thanks to a Titus Bramble own goal.

There are five other 3pm kickoffs in the Premier League today alongside this one at the Emirates, some of which will have a big impact on both Arsenal and Reading. I will keep you updated as the goals fly in around the country.

Arsenal's league position, form and home advantage all point to a win for Arsene Wenger's side today, but what does history point towards? Well, one thing that is a recurring feature of this fixture is goals. And lots of them. Arsenal won the reverse fixture earlier this season by five goals to two, while they played out an incredible 7-5 thriller in the League Cup back in October.

So, the two meetings between these two sides so far this season have brought about a quite frankly ridiculous 19 goals...more of the same today please!

Unfortunately for Reading, another thing that this fixture continually provides is three points for Arsenal. They have played each other eight times, and every single time Arsenal have emerged victorious.

If the Royals are looking for a hint of hope in this match then perhaps Arsenal's home record so far this season can provide it. They have amassed 27 points from their 14 matches at the Emirates so far this season, which is only the eighth-best record in the league. The bad news is that only Manchester United have scored more goals in front of their own fans than Arsenal have this season.

And there is more bad news coming for any Reading fans, I'm afraid. If Arsenal's home form is fairly average, Reading's away form is awful. The Royals have only won once on their travels so far this season, and with just two draws to add to that, their tally of five points from 15 away games is comfortably the worst away record in the top division.

Things look pretty glum for Reading this afternoon, then. However, there is still that 'X factor' of a new manager. We've seen plenty of examples of the same 11 players looking like a completely different team when a new manager comes in, and that may be the only thing providing Reading with any optimism going into this one.

Things look pretty glum for Reading this afternoon, then. However, there is still that 'X factor' of a new manager. We've seen plenty of examples of the same 11 players looking like a completely different team when a new manager comes in, and that may be the only thing providing Reading with any optimism going into this one.

Those scenarios usually come when the players have lost faith in their old manager, however. It is fair to say that Brian McDermott's sacking was a bit of a shock and he seemed very popular with his own players. I'm sure that they will not have any issues with Adkins coming in as he is a good young manager himself, but they might not suddenly have that new lease of life that can accompany a new manager.

PREDICTION: I just can't see past Arsenal for this game. Everything is pointing towards a home win and the only unknown factor is how the Reading players will react to Nigel Adkins. Even then, I can't see Arsenal blowing this one, and I think they will win fairly comfortably. I'll go for a 3-1 win to the Gunners.

Often teams fighting tooth and nail against relegation can be hard to predict, but Arsenal also have something of great importance to fight for, so their superior quality should shine through today.

This match could go some way to deciding the fate of both of these sides at the end of the season, and both options have huge financial implications for either side. For Arsenal, the revenue generated by Champions League football is a substantial figure, while Reading will not need telling how much Premier League football is worth compared to Championship football.

UPDATE: A quick update from the Stadium of Light and Manchester United have taken once step closer to securing their 20th league title by beating Sunderland 1-0. That match report can be found here.

Nigel Adkins has just introduced himself to the Reading fans for the first time as he claps the travelling support. They give him a good reception - I think most of them were unhappy to see McDermott go but, at the same time, happy with Adkins' appointment.

Right, the players are ready, the managers are ready, and the officials are almost ready. We're just about set to start this one, and what a huge match for both sides.

Here we go! Reading get us underway at the Emirates.

Robson-Kanu makes a bright early break and wins a corner for his side. Adrian Mariappa rise highest to head towards goal, but it is quite a tame header and goes wide. Good start for the visitors.

With two minutes gone the game has already entered what I think will be a recognisable shape for the remaining 88 minutes. Arsenal spend a while in possession and knock the ball about inside the Reading half before eventually losing it. The Reading back four will have a lot of defending to do today, I imagine.

SHOT! Arsenal have their first shot on target of the day, but it is easy for Taylor against his old club. Ramsey flick is deflected into the path of Giroud, who tries to glance a header goalwards, but it is straight at the keeper.

Reading have a free kick in a good position after Arteta felled Guthrie, who had stumbled through the tackle and retained the ball. These chances will be Reading's most likely way of scoring today I think.

It's a poor free kick, though, and it is comfortably cleared by the Arsenal defence.

Reading are enjoying a good spell of possession at the moment. It eventually comes to an end with an attempted through ball that finds Pogrebnyak offside, but the visitors look hungry and eager to win the ball. Good desire in the early stages.

The stadium rises as one to applaud David Rocastle, who died 12 years ago this weekend. Good to see that the Arsenal legend is still so fondly remembered by the club.

Was there a hint of offside about that goal? Either way, it counts. Gervinho spins away from his man before feeding Giroud, who in turns gives it to Cazorla coming down the left. The Spaniard volleys towards the far post but his shot looks like it is going well wide until Gervinho pops into path of the ball to tap it into the empty net. Great start for the Gunners, terrible start for Nigel Adkins as Reading boss.

Replays are inconclusive regarding the potential offside leading up to that goal so I'll give Gervinho the benefit of the doubt. I questioned Wenger's decision to start him ahead of Podolski but he has repaid his manager's faith early on here.

The ball is carelessly given away by Leigertwood and Cazorla is immediately released. He works the ball out wide and finds space to shoot, but his effort is very well blocked.

CHANCE! Gervinho is impressing early on here! A cross comes in from the right and the Ivorian gets ahead of Pearce in the box, but he can only glance his header wide. Perhaps should have done better but he is showing good movement to get in these positions.

UPDATE: There is news of a goal from the Liberty Stadium, and it could have a big impact on Arsenal. Spurs have taken the lead against Swansea courtesy of a Jan Vertonghen goal. West Ham are also 1-0 up against West Brom.

PENALTY SHOUT! The Gunners want a penalty and they have a point! Giroud is released behind the defence and he gets a toe to the ball before Taylor, who brings the Frenchman down. Giroud's touch was a shot, which was cleared away, so he wouldn't have got onto the end of it again, but that was still a foul in my opinion. Should be a penalty and possibly a red card for Taylor.

To be fair to the ref, you can see why he didn't award a penalty as the ball was gone, but then it simply turns into a late tackle inside the box by Taylor and, if the advantage comes to nothing, it should be a penalty.

Leigertwood is caught in possession in a dangerous position again, releasing Giroud in on goal, but his effort is well blocked. Reading are not making it easy for themselves!

SHOT! What has happened to Gervinho?! The winger shows great pace and control to burst past a couple of tackles and run from inside his own half to the edge of the penalty area. His finish is much less impressive, dragging it harmlessly wide, but that was a good run by the Ivorian.

Leigertwood is having a really hard time in possession in his own half at the moment. He is caught for the third or fourth time already and again Arsenal are straight on the attack. This time Gervinho is forced out wide and his cross is put behind for a corner.

That is a brilliant move by Arsenal. It was almost like the Invincibles were back in full force. They knocked the ball about with ease and the move contained a number of one-touch passes that eventually saw Cazorla released, but his shot was blocked. Fine team move.

A rare breakaway from Reading sees Kelly feed Robson-Kanu down the right, but his cross takes a deflection on the way through that sends it into the arms of Fabianski.

It's Arteta's turn to lose the ball in his own half this time, but he works back to win it again and Arsenal launch yet another attack. Reading are really struggling to get hold of the ball for any length of time at the moment.

YELLOW CARD! The first yellow card of the day goes to Danny Guthrie for a clumsy sliding tackle on Arteta. He can have no complaints there.

Reading's defence have blocked a lot of shots already today. The ball breaks to Gervinho and he looks to have a free run on goal, but his shot is blocked by a combination of Kelly and Pearce. Fine last-ditch defending again, but how long can they keep that up for?

Leigertwood comes in hard and late on Aaron Ramsey from behind, and he is lucky to get away without a yellow card there. He has really struggled in this half.

CHANCE! Sagna puts in a deep cross towards the back post and Kelly is under no pressure to clear it, but he nods it straight to the feet of Cazorla on the edge of the box. It just doesn't sit up for the Spaniard, so he gives it to Rosicky, who in turn feeds Ramsey in the box, but his shot is, again, blocked and put behind for a corner.

CLOSE! Cazorla is inches away from doubling Arsenal's lead. Giroud and Gervinho both have shots from inside the box well blocked and the ball eventually falls to the Spaniard, who shoots on the turn. Taylor is rooted to the spot but is glad to see it whistle just past his left post.

CHANCE! I don't know how Arsenal have not added to their lead yet. They try to walk the ball into the net this time, with a string of one touch passes releasing Giroud inside the box. He tries to pull it back to Cazorla, but his attempted poke towards the empty net is blocked by Mariappa.

Wow, there is something you don't see often. They may just be the most one-sided possession stats I've ever seen! In the last five minutes, the Gunners have had an incredible 95% of the ball.

SHOT! Ramsey feeds the ball to Gervinho inside the box and the winger shows good feet to elude the tackles of three Reading defenders, but his eventual shot goes over the bar.

SHOT! More pressure from Arsenal sees Cazorla poleaxed right on the edge of the area by Leigertwood. The referee plays advantage and it eventually falls to Monreal, who drags his shot well wide. I'm sure Arsenal would've preferred the free kick there!

There will just be one minute of added time at the Emirates.

The referee brings an end to one of the most one-sided halves of football I have seen in a long time. It was one-way traffic from pretty much the entire 45 minutes, but somehow Arsenal only have a 1-0 lead courtesy of Gervinho's tap-in.

Arsenal have completely dominated possession and territory, but they haven't worked Stuart Taylor anywhere near enough. The Reading defence have played their part in that, putting in a number of superb last-ditch blocks, but the Gunners should certainly be in a more comfortable position than they find themselves in right now.

48% of play in that opening 45 minutes came in Reading's defensive third, which should give you some idea of the amount of pressure that the visitors were subjected to in that half. They have not played well by any stretch of the imagination, but the fact that they have made it to the break only one goal down after such a one-sided half will give them confidence.

Perhaps it is harsh to say that they haven't played well as their defence deserves a lot of credit for limiting the score so far. They were always going to be on the back foot here but I'm sure they would have hoped to be a little more in the game. Yes, the defence has provided a number of superb blocks, but they have offered nothing offensively.

UPDATE: Elsewhere in the Premier League today, Manchester City have taken a 2-0 lead into half time of their match against Newcastle, Carlos Tevez and David Silva getting the goals in that match. Southampton have taken a shock 2-1 lead against Chelsea, which is good news for Arsenal. Jay Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert scored for the Saints while John Terry scored for Chelsea. At the Liberty Stadium, Spurs have extended their lead over Swansea and are now 2-0 up thanks to Gareth Bale, and the Hammers have also doubled their lead against West Brom through Gary O'Neil.

So, as things stand for Arsenal, they won't gain any ground on Spurs today but could move three points closer to Chelsea if Southampton retain their shock lead over the Blues. That would move the Gunners two points behind Rafael Benitez's men.

As far as Reading are concerned, Wigan are still drawing 0-0 against Norwich so they would only drop one point further behind the Latics as things stand.

Back to this match at the Emirates and Reading will have to improve significantly to get anything out of this game. If the second half is anything like the first, the Royals will surely not be able hold out for another 45 minutes. As far as Arsenal are concerned, they need to create more clear scoring opportunities, but Readings are defending very deep to try to stop exactly that happening.

Right, the teams are back out for this one and Santi Cazorla is wincing as he stretched his back, not a good sign for the Gunners but I'm sure it's nothing too serious.

We're back underway here and Arsenal kick us off for the second half.

Gervinho immediately breaks through the Reading defence but he is forced out wide and cuts backs before crossing towards Giroud. The ball is cleared, but that is a bright start to this half from the home side.

I said that Reading wouldn't be able to hold out and there we have it! Surely game over now, the way this one is panning out. Cazorla passes the ball out to Gervinho before dropping off onto the edge of the box. The Spaniard gets the ball back and, with time to pick his spot, just passes a beautiful curling effort into the bottom right corner. Lovely finish.

SHOT! The Gunners are taking shooting practice from the edge of the box now. This time it is Ramsey who has a go, but his shot takes a deflection on the way through and goes out for a corner.

Reading finally work the ball into a good crossing position and Kelly has the chance to find the significant aerial presence of Pogrebnyak in the box, but his cross doesn't leave the ground and is cleared by the first man. Poor.

Shorey does his keeper no favours by giving him a bouncing backpass with an Arsenal player bearing down on him, and Taylor is forced to boot it straight out for a throw.

Reading have seen much more of the ball since that second goal went in, but they aren't using it very well. Robson-Kanu lays the ball off to Guthrie and wants the return ball, but Guthrie massively over-hits it and it goes out for a goal kick.

Fantastic tackle from Koscielny as Reading looked to be through for the first time in this match. Pogrebnyak was just about to pull the trigger before the Arsenal defender slid in with a fine tackle.

SHOT! That's about the first thing Fabianski has had to do all day. The Arsenal fail to clear a cross into the box and Pearce controls it on his knee before volleying it goalwards, but it is straight at the keeper.

READING SUB: Pavel Pogrebnyak has had no service whatsoever today and he cuts a disconsolate figure as he trudges off the field to be replaced by Noel Hunt.

CLOSE! Reading have 10 men behind the ball as Arsenal knock the ball about just outside their penalty area. Cazorla eventually works it out wide right to Sagna, who clips a ball into the box. Gervinho rises highest to meet it, but his header is unconvincing and loops wide.

There is sun on the field but don't be fooled that Britain has suddenly been hit by a warm spell - snow is falling inside the Emirates.

Cazorla produces a beautiful pass with the outside of his boot to relase Gervinho, but the winger's pass back inside is too weak to find Rosicky. Cazorla has run this match so far today.

That pretty much sums Reading's performance up today. Guthrie and Shorey suffer from miscommunication and give the ball away, but instead of chasing back they choose to moan at each other! Sagna releases Gervinho on the break and the Ivorian held the ball until he had support, eventually feeding Giroud, who hammered a low shot past Taylor.

Reading hit straight back! McAnuff works space to cross down the left and he swings a fine ball to the back post. Robson-Kanu has peeled off Monreal at the back post and meets the ball with a good diving header. Well attacked by the Reading man there, but surely they can't mount a comeback...can they?

Monreal is hurt following that goal. He slid right into the post when trying to keep the ball out, and it looks like he will have to go off.

ARSENAL SUB: Indeed, there is the change. On comes Kieran Gibbs for his 100th Arsenal appearance and Monreal limps off.

CLOSE! That is so close to a Reading own goal there! A cross is flicked by Hunt at the near post and it flies narrowly wide of the Reading goal with a helpless Taylor looking on.

ARSENAL SUBS: The Gunners make their remaining two changes and things won't get any easier for Reading. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain comes on for Gervinho, who has a goal and two assists to his name today while Lukas Podolski replaces another goalscorer in Olivier Giroud.

READING SUB: Reading make a change of their own as Hope Akpan comes on in place of Jem Karacan.

It didn't take long for Oxlade-Chamberlain to make an impact! Mariappa carelessly gives the ball away to the winger who immediately races at the defence. He beats Leigertwood with ease before going over the outstretched leg of Mariappa. The replays suggest that it may have been just outside the area, however. Arteta steps up to the spot kick and sends Taylor the wrong way to make it 4-1.

UPDATE: Swansea have got a goal back against Spurs courtesy of a Michu goal, while Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure have both scored to make it Man City 4-0 Newcastle.

READING SUB: Yet another goalscorer goes off as Robson-Kanu is replaced by Gareth McCleary in the game's final change.

CHANCE! Arsenal are passing the ball for fun here. First Ramsey fires in a powerful shot that stung the palms of Taylor, then a sublime move resulted in a chipped through ball to Rosicky, who just reached the ball before Taylor but tried to square it rather than going for goal himself. Arsenal then have a third chance in a matter of seconds as Oxlade-Chamberlain whips a shot just over.

UPDATE: West Ham have just extended their lead over West Brom to three goals courtesy of Andy Carroll and, crucially for Reading, Wigan have taken the lead against Norwich.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has really made a difference since coming on. He receives the ball about four times in one move as Arsenal move steadily up the field. The England winger eventually stands the ball up into a dangerous area but no red shirts are there and the chance goes begging.

This has been as easy a match as Arsenal will have had this season. The win was never in doubt from the moment they took the lead in the 10th minute, and the only black mark for the Gunners this afternoon is the goal conceded. Everything else has been superb.

Half chance for Arsenal, who seem intent to walk the ball into the back of the net now that the match is tied up. Again they are denied by a last-ditch sliding tackle, though.

There will be three minutes of added time at the Emirates.

Reading began this match looking to chase every ball down and win every 50/50, but Gervinho's goal seemed to kill off their spirit, certainly in an attacking sense. They defended admirably in the first half but have gone out with a whimper in this second 45 minutes.

That is a huge win for Arsenal and potentially a massive defeat for Reading, but they can have no complaints at the result. Arsenal dominated from start to finish and were by far the better team throughout. They played some nice football and, quite frankly, it probably should have been more than four for the Gunners.

The goals for Arsenal came from Gervinho, Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud and Mikel Arteta, while Hal Robson-Kanu got on the scoresheet during a rare attack for the visitors. Wenger may be a little annoyed at not having kept a clean sheet, but overall he will be very happy with his side's performance today.

Nigel Adkins, meanwhile, will be fully aware of the enormity of the challenge he faces to keep Reading up. They won't be facing teams of Arsenal's quality every week but they didn't show too much desire in that match, particularly after the second goal went in at the start of the second half. They will need to play better if they stand any chance of reducing the seven-point gap that separates them from Premier League survival.

Elsewhere, Spurs held out against Swansea but Chelsea lost to Southampton, which means that Arsenal are just two points behind the Blues in the race for a top four spot now. For Reading, the bad news just keeps on coming as Wigan pulled off an important 1-0 win over Norwich to move level on points with Aston Villa.

Right, that's it from me today! Thank you for joining Sports Mole for what was a very one-sided match between Arsenal and Reading. The Gunners eventually ran out 4-1 winners and they were very good value for that win. I will leave you with Subhankar Mondal's match report, and be sure to stick around for analysis, which will be on site within half an hour. Goodbye!