Rampant Arsenal stick six past West Ham in London derby blitz
Still in high spirits after a potentially pivotal victory over title rivals Liverpool last week, Arsenal put West Ham to the sword in the first half here.
The Gunners created plenty of early openings before breaking the deadlock in the 33rd minute when William Saliba nodded in Arsenal’s 11th league goal from a corner this season – a PL high.
Bukayo Saka was looking menacing, and after coming close on multiple occasions, the 22-year-old added his name to the scoresheet, netting from the spot following a trip from Alphonse Areola to become the youngest Arsenal player to reach 50 goals for the club in over 45 years.
Still reeling, West Ham were dealt another hammer blow when former captain Declan Rice recorded his second set-piece assist, this time teeing up Gabriel Magalhães for a simple close-range header.
By first-half stoppage time, home fans were pouring out of the London Stadium as Leandro Trossard curled a stunning effort into the top-right corner to mark Arsenal’s 8,000th league goal.
That nightmare 15-minute period left the hosts with an impossible task after the break, even with the knowledge that the last time Arsenal were 4-0 up at HT was the iconic 4-4 draw with Newcastle United in 2011.
Sadly, for the home support that remained, there was to be no fairytale comeback. Just after the hour mark, Saka bagged his second of the game with a simple low finish before Rice added to the humiliation with a fierce strike from distance three minutes later.
Mikel Arteta brought on 16-year-old Ethan Nwaneri as the visitors coasted to an emphatic result – West Ham’s worst home league defeat since 1963. David Moyes’ side had only lost two home PL games this term (W5, D4), but a chastening defeat here ends a run of six home league games without a loss (W3, D3).
Meanwhile, the significant margin of victory does the Gunners’ GD a world of good, matching Manchester City’s +31 as they go level on points with the champions, just two behind league leaders Liverpool.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Declan Rice (Arsenal)
