West Ham United FC v Arsenal FC - Premier League - Source: Getty
West Ham United FC v Arsenal FC - Premier League - Source: Getty
A sensational seven-goal first half saw Arsenal beat West Ham United 5-2 in the Premier League on Saturday, November 30.
West Ham were still without Mohammad Kudus, who is serving an extended ban. Julen Lopetegui decided to name an unchanged lineup following their 2-0 win over Newcastle United last week.
Arsenal, meanwhile, were coming off a huge 5-1 victory over Sporting in the Champions League. Mikel Arteta made two switches, with Kai Havertz coming in for Gabriel Jesus and Jorginho coming in for Mikel Merino.
It was the perfect start for the visitors who continued to show their acumen from set pieces. Gabriel Magalhaes was at the right place to head home Bukayo Saka's corner inside 10 minutes, making it 1-0.
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The pressure continued to build as Arsenal made it 2-0 after 27 minutes. A smart exchange between Saka and Martin Odegaard was followed by a great delivery from the winger into the box from Leandro Trossard to tap home.
It grew from bad to worse for West Ham as five minutes later, Saka was tripped in the box, handing the Gunners a spot-kick. Odegaard stepped up and dispatched it brilliantly. Arsenal piled on more as Havertz joined the party. Trossard found the German with a sharp through ball and he made no mistake to make it 4-0 to the visitors inside 40 minutes.
A twist in the tale seemed to be brewing as West Ham grabbed two goals in the space of three minutes. Wan-Bissaka was first to score, latching onto a pass from Carlos Soler and finishing accurately before Emerson Palmieri guided a free-kick home to make it 4-2.
The end of the first period saw Arteta's men secure another penalty when Lukasz Fabianski's miscued punch hit Gabriel. Regular taker Saka stepped up this time and got himself on the scoresheet to make it 5-2.
The second half was a much quieter affair than the first as neither side were unable to replicate their attacking brilliance from the first period.
The win means Arsenal jump Chelsea and Manchester City to second place in the league, while West Ham edge dangerously close to the drop zone. Here are the Gunners' player ratings:
Arsenal Player Ratings
David Raya - 6.5/10
A mostly silent outing except the two goals where he really couldn't do anything. He finished the game with three saves.
Jurrien Timber - 6.5/10
Timber continues to put his versatility on display, being used across the backline for Arsenal this season. He did well on defense to shut down any threat from the West Ham attackers.
Gabriel Magalhaes - 7.5/10
Gabriel continues to prove his worth as one of the league's best defenders. Apart from his solid defending, he showed his prowess in Arsenal's set-pieces, collecting his third goal of the campaign already.
William Saliba - 6.5/10
He had a comfortable outing overall, dealing well with Michail Antonio.
Riccardo Calafiori - 6/10
The Italian could have probably done better to prevent West Ham's opener and seemed to have been outdone by his replacement Zinchenko.
Jorginho - 6.5/10
A calm presence in the base of midfield, finishing the game with three interceptions, two accurate long balls, and five passes into the final third.
Declan Rice - 6.5/10
Rice's energy and ability on the ball continue to be vital characteristics for an Arsenal side looking to get back into the title race. In his return to West Ham stadium, he put in a tidy performance.
Martin Odegaard - 7.5/10
While Saka is clearly the side's best attacker, Odegaard might be their most important player. His creativity in midfield is unmatched from any other players in the squad and it was on display against West Ham again.
Bukayo Saka - 8.5/10
A rapid first-half saw the winger get heavily involved in the game. He finished with one goal, two assists and won a penalty, taking his tally to five goals and 10 assists in the league this campaign,
Kai Havertz - 7/10
The German displayed great calmness to put home the Gunners' fourth goal and looked decent overall.
Leandro Trossard - 8/10
Left-wing seems to be his best position as Trossard continues to find his form from last season. A goal and an assist combined with being a regular threat for the West Ham defense may cause some selection headaches between him and Gabriel Martinelli for Arteta.
Substitutes
Jakub Kiwior - 6.5/10
Fitness doubts meant Gabriel was unlikely to play the whole 90 minutes and Kiwior did well for the last half hour to see the game out.
Oleksandr Zinchenko - 7/10
He had a great cameo replacing Calafiori, finishing with one chance created and four passes into the final third in about half an hour of action.
Gabriel Jesus - 6/10
He did not do much to impress coming off the bench for Havertz.
Raheem Sterling - 6/10
He came close to scoring a free-kick but did not contribute much otherwise.
Ethan Nwaneri - N/A
He came on too late and did not play enough minutes to merit a rating.