Lehmann starts for Gunners

Veteran goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was dramatically drafted in for his 200th Arsenal appearance at Blackpool today.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger turned to the 41-year-old, recently coaxed out of retirement, after Manuel Almunia injured his knee in the warm-up at Bloomfield Road.

Captain Cesc Fabregas also returned to the starting line-up for a game the Gunners needed to win to keep alive their outside chances of landing the Barclays Premier League title.

Relegation-threatened Blackpool welcomed back striker DJ Campbell after a three-match ban which stretched across six weeks but midfielder David Vaughan was missing.

Blackpool: Kingson, Baptiste, Evatt, Cathcart, Crainey, Adam, Southern, Taylor-Fletcher, Puncheon, Campbell, Varney.

Subs: Rachubka, Eardley, Ormerod, Phillips, Kornilenko, Reid, Beattie.

Arsenal: Lehmann, Eboue, Squillaci, Koscielny, Clichy, Diaby, Fabregas, Wilshere, Nasri, van Persie, Arshavin.

Subs: Almunia, Rosicky, Walcott, Ramsey, Gibbs, Chamakh, Bendtner.

Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire)