Arsenal secured a big three points on the road in the first of several London-exclusive matches this winter. In what will perhaps go down as one of the maddest of the season, the goals were flying in at the London Stadium.
The Gunners took the lead against West Ham through a headed goal from Gabriel Magalhaes. The Brazilian orchestrated the corner kick from Bukayo Saka perfectly, running to the near post and flicking the ball into the back of the net.
Saka was on hand to provide another assist after some beautiful passing with captain Martin Odegaard. The England international putting it on a plate for Leandro Trossard to tap in.
Then came a mental period with four goals, two-a-piece, first with Arsenal scoring through a Martin Odegaard penalty and Kai Havertz before Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson replied two minutes later – the latter an excellent free-kick that perhaps shouldn’t have been given after Declan Rice was controversially adjudged to have given away a foul. Saka then restored a three-goal advantage from the penalty spot after Lukasz Fabianski caught Gabriel in the face from a corner.
Here's how football.london rated the Gunners individually in the game.
David Raya: Beaten at his near-post by Wan-Bissaka, but the free-kick from Emerson was perfect and it would be harsh to criticise the Spaniard for it. Calm distribution helped Arsenal out when the pressure was mounting from the Hammers’ press. 6
Jurrien Timber: Arsenal fans have come to expect plenty of technical brilliance from the Dutchman and this evening was no different as Timber produced another excellent display on the right-hand side. 7
William Saliba: Perhaps not standing out as much as he does in other matches, he was still dependable when called on and produced some calm passes in high-pressure moments. 7
Gabriel: A classic goal for the Brazilian, heading in from a corner early in the first half and then bravely winning the penalty before half-time with another leap from a set-piece cross. Went off at the break locking in a solid score for his efforts. 8
Riccardo Calafiori: Another decent game from the Italian who was replaced early in the second half. His combinations in the opening thirty minutes were particularly impressive but clearly Arteta felt he needed to come off. 6
Jorginho: Coming in for the injured Thomas Partey, the Italian showed his dependency in the middle of the park. Solid performance spraying passes left and right, bringing the composure when it was needed in what was a frenetic game. 7
Declan Rice: It is always interesting to see how the former Hammer features when facing his old club. While not producing the fireworks of last year, Rice again was able to recycle play well and progress the ball down the left channels to his left-wing partner. 7
Martin Odegaard: The flicks, the tricks and the touch of an angel, the captain was again on fire and scored an important penalty, gifted to him by Saka. He continues to lead by example as a captain should with confidence on the ball, incisive passes and chance creation that was simply absent during his time out with injury. 8
Bukayo Saka: Perfect delivery from the corner onto the head of Gabriel for the first and again for Trossard’s tap-in. Winning the penalty also saw the star boy enjoy an emotional game that got all the rewards it deserved. 9
Kai Havertz: Composed when it mattered, finessing the ball into the net in a one-on-one situation. Very strong hold-up play and was involved in the build-up to the penalty win by Saka for the Gunners’ third. 7
Leandro Trossard: On hand to finish the Gunners’ second on the night with a tap-in but had to be in the right place at the right time. Similar to Odegaard, just a bit below the skipper’s tenacity, the technical turns and spins were on show and helped stretch the West Ham’s back line. 7
SUBSTITUTES –
Jakub Kiwior – Replaced Gabriel at half-time following the head injury leading to the Arsenal penalty. Performed solidly barring one poor challenge on Bowen but helped see out the game for a half. 6
Oleksandr Zinchenko – Replacing Calafiori early in the second half. Some good combination play and held his own defensively when the back four was weakened. 6
Gabriel Jesus – Failed to make an impact on the game and again left me wanting more from someone who should be doing everything to earn a place in the team. 5
Raheem Sterling – Very similar story to Jesus, when on the ball didn’t show much ambition to go at the West Ham defence and test them besides one shot that hit the side netting from a tight angle. 5
Ethan Nwaneri - Not on long enough to influence the game. n/a
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