Struggling West Ham United have succumbed to a 5-1 defeat at the hands of high-flying Arsenal in Saturday's Premier League clash at the London Stadium.
Mesut Ozil opened the scoring in the 24th minute as the Hammers rode their luck in the first half, but the visitors found their shooting boots after the break, Alexis Sanchez claiming a hat-trick and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain helping himself to a goal.
Andy Carroll's late strike for the Hammers came as no consolation for Slaven Bilic, whose side slip to 17th place in the Premier League table, one point above the bottom three, while Arsene Wenger's side climb to second, three points behind table-topping Chelsea.
Here is how the action unfolded at the London Stadium.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live commentary of Saturday's Premier League clash between West Ham United and Arsenal!
Today's late Premier League kickoff sees two sides at opposing ends of the table desperately in need of points for differing reasons - Arsenal need to keep up the pressure on the top teams in the table, while West Ham are looking to claw themselves away from the drop zone.
Neither side is in impressive form - the Gunners have won two and drawn three of their last five in the league to leave them with a bit of ground to make up on a Chelsea side in red-hot form, while the Hammers have won just two of their last ten to sit just above the bottom three. Both sides were also knocked out of the EFL Cup in midweek.
Without further ado, let me bring you the team news for this afternoon's game at the London Stadium.
WEST HAM STARTING XI: Randolph, Reid, Ogbonna, Collins, Masuaku, Noble, Obiang, Fernandes, Lanzini, Payet, Fletcher
ARSENAL STARTING XI: Cech, Gabriel, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Xhaka, Walcott, Ozil, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alexis
WEST HAM SUBS: Adrian, Nordtveit, Arbeloa, Feghouli, Carroll, Zaza, Ayew
ARSENAL SUBS: Ospina, Gibbs, Holding, Ramsey, Elneny, Iwobi, Lucas
Bilic has opted to make four changes to the West Ham side that drew at Manchester United in the league last time out. Winston Reid returns to the heart of the Hammers defence and there are starts for Edmilson Fernandes and Arthur Masuaku, while Ashley Fletcher, fresh from scoring against former club Man Utd in the EFL Cup in midweek, retains his place up front.
Elsewhere, Andy Carroll is in line to make his first Hammers appearance since mid-August after recovering from a knee injury - he is among the substitutes.
Wenger, meanwhile, makes two changes to the Arsenal side that beat Bournemouth last weekend, with Francis Coquelin replacing Mohamed Elneny in midfield. The other Gunners alteration comes at right-back, where Gabriel is deployed in place of the injured Mathieu Debuchy.
Aside being out of the EFL Cup and out of form, both West Ham and Arsenal are suffering from personnel problems ahead of tonight's clash.
The Hammers are missing top scorer Michail Antonio and defender Aaron Cresswell after both suffered groin injuries in the midweek defeat. Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate are also out.
Notable absences for the Gunners include Mathieu Debuchy, who will be sidelined for up to six weeks with a hamstring injury, Santi Cazorla, who will undergo surgery on an ankle injury and be out for around three months, and Olivier Giroud, who is nursing a groin injury.
Maybe I'm being a bit harsh - sure, both sides are out of the EFL Cup and their league form over the last few weeks has not been the best, but last weekend both claimed positive results. West Ham held Man Utd to a draw at Old Trafford, while Arsenal secured a good win over Bournemouth. And in the cup, both fielded weak sides anyway, so we might see one side tonight mount a revival amid an upturn in form?
Arsene Wenger had this to say about the end of Arsenal's 19-game unbeaten run: "I don't think I can moan about the momentum in the Premier League. I knew that in the League Cup that could happen, but it was more disappointing to lose the game than the run we had. We want to keep the run in the Premier League going now."
As for Slaven Bilic, he praised Andy Carroll's impact in West Ham's 3-3 draw over Arsenal last season: "He's a player that offers something special, he is one of the reasons why we were so prolific last season in front of goal, why we were so versatile, so dangerous, why we scored so many goals and why we finished so high. He played a great game against Arsenal where we didn't start well, we were two down and didn't play good. It was basically him who brought us back in that game before half-time with two goals, and he went on to score a hat-trick."
Carroll's hat-trick over Arsenal last April was the first goals against the Gunners since Wayne Rooney managed it in 2011, and proved a death knell for the North London outfit's title hopes. But that was then and this is now - will Wenger get revenge over the Hammers tonight?
Let's look at the head-to-head between the two sides playing at the London Stadium tonight - the picture painted is not a nice one for the hosts, I'm afraid.
Arsenal have won nine of the last 11 Premier League meetings against West Ham, and didn't lose any of their final eight league trips to Upton Park, winning six and drawing two. However, Wenger only earned a point from last season's two league fixtures.
West Ham have also let in two or more goals in each of their last seven home Premier League games against Arsenal.
So how are the teams shaping up ahead of tonight? Let's begin with West Ham - they are without a win in four Premier League games, and all three of their league wins this season have been by 1-0 scorelines.
The Hammers have also lost 10 points from winning positions - more than any other Premier League side so far this season.
As for Arsenal, they are unbeaten in 12 Premier League matches - since the opening day against Liverpool - and have gone 11 away matches without defeat in the division since losing at Manchester United in February.
Theo Walcott, who starts for Arsenal tonight, has scored five goals against West Ham in the Premier League, the most against any opponent he has faced.
PREDICTION: Not long until kickoff so it's time for me to have a go at predicting tonight's scoreline. All signs point to one side being the clear victor, and I can't see the Gunners leaving the East End with anything less than three points. A 3-0 away win for me.
Marlon Harewood, who scored the winner last time West Ham beat Arsenal at home, is predicting a 2-2 draw. How will it unfold today? Only one way to find out - Sports Mole will talk you through the game!
Mighty @Mazer_9 is predicting a four-goal thriller!#COYI #WHUARS pic.twitter.com/Eo5TWeCzfC — West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) December 3, 2016
Both sides stand around the centre circle for a minute's silence to pay tribute to the Chapecoense players and officials who died in a tragic plane crash on the way to play the final of the Copa Sudamericana.
KICKOFF! West Ham get proceedings underway at the London Stadium upon the ref's whistle - Craig Pawson is the man in the middle.
West Ham look to attack straight from kick-off, but Arsenal keep the hosts at bay before breaking down the right themselves, until Iwobi gets crowded out and loses possession.
Arsenal seem to have found their groove and work the ball out to the left flank - Sanchez gathers and switches play to the right where Walcott claims, but his pass inside is too heavy for Bellerin.
SUBSTITUTION: West Ham, already depleted in terms of personnel, find themselves with another major issue as James Collins appears to have pulled his hamstring. He can't carry on, so Alvaro Arbeloa comes on in his place after just a few minutes played.
Sanchez flicks the ball forward with his heel, beating two West Ham players and setting Oxlade-Chamberlain away, but the winger's through-ball to Ozil is overhit and a promising move comes to nothing.
Sanchez continues to threaten and attempts a defence-splitting through-ball to Walcott but Reid is alert to the danger, intercepting the Chilean's threaded pass.
CHANCES! Arsenal begin to turn the screw now as they fashion two chances in quick succession - first, Monreal collects Xhaka's pass in space down the left and gets into a good position to attempt a cutback, before Reid hacks away, and moments later Monreal's low ball across the face of goal is cleared by the New Zealander once again, getting it away from a well-positioned Sanchez.
Masuaku turns the ball behind for an Arsenal corner - Ozil delivers into the area and Mustafi rises highest to meet the ball, but his flick-on is just too heavy for Sanchez, who is lurking at the far post.
CHANCE! Arsenal are nearly caught out as Noble puts Lanzini in the clear, with most Gunners players high upfield, but the Argentine is forced to an angle by Koscielny and his attempt hits the side netting after Cech gets a good hand on it.
Payet gets on the ball on the edge of the area, but lets it dribble away from him, then clatters into Coquelin in an effort to regain possession.
GOAL! WEST HAM 0-1 ARSENAL (MESUT OZIL)
It's first blood to the visitors, and after surviving wave after wave of attack up until now, West Ham commit a mistake at the back to gift Arsenal the lead. Ogbonna tries to pass it out from the back, but finds only Sanchez, who skips past Reid and squares unselfishly for Ozil, who prods the ball into the open goal.
Lanzini and Payet combine effectively in the middle before slipping the ball to Noble on the right, but the latter then overhits his cross towards Fletcher.
Gabriel wins the ball in midfield and combines with Xhaka to find Oxlade-Chamberlain, who charges forward but blasts wide - Arbeloa was nowhere to be seen.
BOOKING: Arsenal's Francis Coquelin picks up the first yellow of the game for kicking the ball away.
Oxlade-Chamberlain marauds down the centre and lays the ball into the path of Sanchez, who cuts onto his right foot and lets rip from 20 yards, but Hammers goalkeeper Randolph manages to hold onto the ball.
CHANCE! The Gunners very nearly make it two as Sanchez has all the time and space to power through on goal, where Randolph rushes towards him, but the Chilean's touch is too heavy, which allows Reid to get in and thwart the opportunity.
Another scare for West Ham as goalkeeper Randolph is seen holding his groin muscle and appearing in pain, but for the moment it looks like he's able to shake it off.
It's not been a good afternoon for Arbeloa - Oxlade-Chamberlain once again gets the better of him before floating a ball to the back post, which goes wasted as nobody is there to get on the end of it, and a minute later, the former Real Madrid man clatters into Coquelin, seemingly out of frustration - a move that goes unpunished.
Payet takes aim from 30 yards, but his effort ends up soaring high into the stands. Oxlade-Chamberlain, meanwhile, leaves the field briefly to receive treatment.
CHANCE! Fletcher collects on his chest, cuts back and crosses left-footed for a leaping Obiang, who nods over. Now Gabriel goes down holding his knee, one of several players so far this evening who have had knocks.
The official indicates three minutes of added time to be played at the London Stadium.
HALF TIME: WEST HAM 0-1 ARSENAL
West Ham can count their lucky stars that they are just one goal behind at the break, as Arsenal have been dominant so far. But for some wasteful finishing and lack of incisiveness by the Gunners front line, plus a good display from Winston Reid, it could be a lot worse for the hosts.
The breakthrough came in the 24th minute, Mesut Ozil applying the finishing to a move that began through Angelo Ogbonna's poor clearance from the back. Francis Coquelin blocked the Italian's ball, releasing Alexis Sanchez in the process. The Chilean then drew last man Reid into a challenge before knocking the ball around him and squaring to the German playmaker, who slotted past the stranded Darren Randolph.
The Hammers lost James Collins early on, and Alvaro Arbeloa has had a shocker so far, coming off second-best to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on multiple occasions. Whatever gameplan Slaven Bilic had, it got thrown into disarray because of that injury, so he will be glad to have the opportunity to regroup at the break and to try and claim something from this game - which, at one down, is still plausible.
8 - Mesut Özil now has eight goals in all competitions for Arsenal this season, equalling his goal tally in 2015-16 already. Recharged. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) 3 December 2016
Andy Carroll is warming up - could he play a part in the second half and prove to be Arsenal's bogey player once again? The second half is about to get underway - stick with Sports Mole and keep in touch with all the action at the London Stadium!
KICKOFF: Arsenal kick off the second half. Carroll hasn't come on yet, and Gabriel has returned after his earlier knock.
CHANCE! The Gunners win a free kick after Masuaku is penalised for bringing down Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right-hand side. Ozil delivers into the Hammers area and finds Walcott six yards out, but the winger's glancing header flashes just over the bar.
Hammers fans cheer as Masuaku goes on a marauding run from deep, carrying the ball well into the Arsenal half before drawing a foul from Oxlade-Chamberlain - Payet whips the ball in but it curls just beyond Reid, who was in behind the visiting defence.
Arsenal come right back at West Ham as Walcott collects the ball and charges down the left before forcing a corner.
CHANCE! A different vibe at the London Stadium now as the home fans are in full voice - Payet threads a pass to Lanzini in space on the left, who tries to square to Fletcher, but Koscielny makes an interception right underneath his own crossbar.
CHANCE! More attacking endeavour from West Ham as Fletcher gets away from his marker, collects the ball from Lanzini and fires wide of Cech's near post.
Masuaku and Gabriel collide, which leaves both players in need of a moment to get their bearings.
BOOKING: Fletcher is picked out by Reid, then stands on Koscielny's foot after overrunning the ball, earning him a yellow card.
West Ham are enjoying their best spell of the game but Arsenal never cease to pose a threat, with Sanchez firing just wide of the target from the edge of the hosts' area.
Arbeloa plays a crossfield ball from a deep position on the right and succeeds in finding the head of Fletcher, whose header is on target but straight into the arms of Cech.
SUBSTITUTION: West Ham make their second change - first non-enforced one - of the night as Edimilson Fernandes makes way, but it's not Andy Carroll who comes on as expected, rather it's Andre Ayew.
Payet does well to get away from Walcott down the left, but he lets the ball run away from him and it goes out for a goal kick.
West Ham's attacking forays have left them more susceptible to counter-attacks, and indeed, Sanchez threads a diagonal ball to Walcott, who is in acres of space, but his shot is closed down smartly by Ogbonna.
BOOKING: Reid is booked for a foul on Sanchez in the build-up to Arsenal's last move.
SUBSTITUTION: Arsene Wenger makes his first change of the night as Theo Walcott makes way for Aaron Ramsey.
BOOKING: Fletcher holds the ball up well, forcing Koscielny into a clumsy foul that earns him a yellow.
CHANCE! Midway through the second half and Arsenal are upping the tempo - Monreal cuts the ball back from the left and Ramsey rifles towards goal, but Randolph saves with his feet before leaping up to parry Ozil's volley.
GOAL! WEST HAM 0-2 ARSENAL (ALEXIS SANCHEZ)
Heartbreak for West Ham, who appeared hopeful of getting back in the game, and for Randolph, who just pulled off a great double save, but what a goal that was from Sanchez!
Mustafi played the ball into the feet of Sanchez, who kept hold of it well, swivelled past Masuaku into the area, and drilled past the Hammers stopper from an acute angle. Can the hosts get back into the game at this late stage, or is it all over for them?
SUBSTITUTION: Slaven Bilic turns to Andy Carroll, bringing him on in place of Mark Noble, but has he left it too late to make a decisive impact?
The Hammers work the ball to Ayew in the visitors' box, but his shot on the turn curls over the bar and onto the roof the net. Quarter of an hour for the hosts to score twice and salvage something from this game.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has time and space on the left to square to Sanchez, but decides to go for glory and drills a shot wide of the far post.
GOAL! WEST HAM 0-3 ARSENAL (ALEXIS SANCHEZ)
That's game, set and match. The West Ham fans begin streaming towards the exits as the Chilean prodigy makes it three for Arsenal. His first touch at the top of the box sets him up perfectly to lash a low finish into the bottom corner.
GOAL! WEST HAM 1-3 ARSENAL (ANDY CARROLL)
GOAL! WEST HAM 1-4 ARSENAL (ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN)
GOAL! WEST HAM 1-5 ARSENAL (ALEXIS SANCHEZ)
Crikey, that's what I call a hectic spell! Four goals in eight minutes as Andy Carroll pulls back a consolation for the Hammers, but quickfire goals from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis Sanchez - who seals his hat-trick - make for some exciting, compelling viewing if you're an Arsenal fan or a neutral, but truly mortifying if you're a West Ham fan.
In the midst of this goal rush was a free kick conceded by Mustafi, who fouled Lanzini and got booked in the process - the set piece by Payet led to Carroll's consolation goal.
Three added minutes here at the eerily empty London Stadium. Everyone associated with West Ham cannot wait for the final whistle to come quick enough.
FULL TIME: WEST HAM 1-5 ARSENAL
Arsenal fans are jubilant after witnessing their side put in a five-star display at the London Stadium, completely overwhelming West Ham United in a 5-1 thrashing.
Mesut Ozil opened the scoring in the 24th minute as the Gunners proved somewhat wasteful in the first half, but they found their shooting boots after the break, Alexis Sanchez claiming a hat-trick and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain helping himself to a goal, while Andy Carroll's goal for the Hammers will come as no consolation for Slaven Bilic, who witnessed his side completely capitulate in the final 10 minutes of the game.
That's all we have time for here at the London Stadium but stay with Sports Mole as we bring you match reports, reaction and all the latest news from today's games! Thanks for following and have a great rest of the day!
Written by
Giuseppe Labellarte
Giuseppe Labellarte
