Arsenal travelled to the London Stadium on Wednesday evening to contest an EFL Cup tie.
A poor Arsenal performance saw them fall to a 3-1 defeat against the east London outfit.
A scrappy Ben White own goal from a corner saw Arsenal go a goal down in the first half. Despite having plenty of the ball in advanced areas, Mikel Arteta’s men sorely lacked cutting edge and were not able to level things up before the break.
Arteta did not make any changes at the break and things went from bad to worse for Arsenal in the second half as Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus both scored to take the game out of sight. Martin Odegaard scored a last gasp consolation that he didn’t bother really celebrating.
Arsenal player ratings
Aaron Ramsdale – 6/10
Was definitely being fouled as the opening goal went in, but with VAR unavailable in the EFL Cup, there was no reprieve for Aaron Ramsdale or White. The 25-year-old was clearly trying to be effective on the ball, to catch Arteta’s eye, but didn’t always look entirely comfortable. Made a huge save just after the break. Hard to argue that he should have kept out either of the second half goals.
Ben White – 5/10
A rare off-night for the usually reliable right-back.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 5.5/10
A difficult night for the Brazilian.
Jakub Kiwior – 6.5/10
Arsenal’s best player. Jakub Kiwior competed well in his duels, kept his passing crisp and progressive, and wasn’t at fault for any of the goals.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 4/10
Far too many sloppy passes in the first half from the Ukrainian. Oleksandr Zinchenko was also caught out under the ball horribly for the Hammers’ second goal. The £32 million former Manchester City man did his claim to start against Newcastle United on Saturday no favours. An audition failed.
Jorginho – 5/10
Tidy on the ball, as ever, but struggled to cope with the pace and directness of some of the West Ham counter attacks.
Fabio Vieira – 4.5/10
A big opportunity for the Portuguese playmaker to impress that entirely passed him by.
Kai Havertz – 4/10
Kai Havertz looked sharp and positive in the earliest stages of the match. After that, the former Chelsea man’s confidence and first touch seemed to desert him. Was one of the players who needed to impress tonight, but he really didn’t.
Reiss Nelson – 6/10
Arsenal’s brightest player in the first half, playing with purpose and the confidence to run at the West Ham back line, he just didn’t get enough help from his teammates. Have to feel sorry for Reiss Nelson, as this competition was his only reliable source of starts this season and the Gunners crashed out tonight in ignominious fashion through no fault of his own.
Leandro Trossard – 4/10
Tonight was a great opportunity for Leandro Trossard to show he can be more than an impact sub under Arteta. However, the Belgian was a peripheral figure throughout his time on the pitch.
Eddie Nketiah – 5/10
Looked a far cry from the striker who bagged a hat trick against Sheffield United.
Substitutes
Takehiro Tomiyasu – 6/10
Declan Rice – 6/10
Gabriel Martinelli – 6/10
Bukayo Saka – 6/10
Martin Odegaard – 6/10
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