Wilshere back for Gunners after more than a year out

England midfielder Jack Wilshere started his first competitive Arsenal match in more than a year after returning from injury in this afternoon’s Barclays Premier League clash against QPR at Emirates Stadium.

The 20-year-old, whose last appearance came in May 2011, missed the whole of last season with niggling ankle and knee problems, which ruled him out of Euro 2012 and the London Olympics.

Full-back Bacary Sagna also returned to the starting XI, while Theo Walcott was back on the bench from a chest injury suffered on international duty with England against San Marino as the Gunners looked to arrest a run of defeats, to Norwich and in the Champions League against Schalke.

Bottom club QPR, meanwhile, were still in search of a first Premier League win, but had to do without captain Park Ji-Sung because of injury.

Arsenal: Mannone, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Andre Santos, Arteta, Wilshere, Cazorla, Ramsey, Podolski, Giroud. Subs: Martinez, Koscielny, Walcott, Coquelin, Arshavin, Jenkinson, Gervinho.

QPR: Julio Cesar, Bosingwa, Mbia, Nelsen, Traore, Wright-Phillips, Diakite, Granero, Hoilett, Taarabt, Zamora. Subs: Green, Ferdinand, Cisse, Mackie, Onuoha, Ephraim, Faurlin.

Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)