Arsenal were in scintillating form as they thrashed West Ham United by a 6-0 scoreline at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Arsenal backed up their landmark win against Liverpool last time out with a statement victory against West Ham United today.
Mikel Arteta was forced into some changes to his starting XI for this match, as Jakub Kiwior came in for the injured Oleksandr Zinchenko. Meanwhile, Leandro Trossard was tasked with leading the line in the stead of the still sidelined Gabriel Jesus. The fact that Arteta did not give the nod to Eddie Nketiah in these circumstances does not bode well for the Hale End academy graduate.
The Gunners ran rampant in the first half against the hapless Hammers. After a fairly cagey first half-hour, William Saliba rose highest to nod home a Declan Rice corner. After that, the floodgates opened, as Bukayo Saka struck from the spot to hit a personal milestone, Gabriel Magalhaes headed in from another Rice set-piece, before Trossard picked out the top corner after some neat footwork in the penalty area.
Arsenal’s dominance continued after the break, as Saka doubled his tally for the match, before Rice struck a long-range effort against his former club. Arteta was then able to ring the changes, as academy wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri was amongst those to be given minutes in the second half.
Arsenal player ratings v West Ham
David Raya – 7/10
Barely tested but some nice distribution.
Ben White – 7.5/10
Again untroubled defensively, but got forward well.
William Saliba – 8/10
A goal and a dominant display for Saliba.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 8/10
Exactly the same can be said of Gabriel as it can for Saliba, a good goal and a solid performance.
Jakub Kiwior – 7.5/10
Looked comfortable throughout despite playing out of position at left-back.
Declan Rice – 8.5/10
Rice returned to haunt West Ham today and capped a powerhouse midfield performance with a thunderous strike from range.
Martin Odegaard – 8.5/10
Two assists for Martin Odegaard as the Arsenal club captain pulled the Hammers apart.
Kai Havertz – 7.5/10
Kai Havertz might have flown somewhat under the radar amid the goal-fest unfolding around him, but the £65 million former Chelsea man did a lot of good work to tie Arsenal’s attacking play together in a mature performance that won’t garner any headlines.
Bukayo Saka – 9/10
A sensational day for Saka who became the first Arsenal player to reach one milestone since 1978. Another massive, record-breaking performance from the Hale End academy graduate.
Gabriel Martinelli – 8/10
Worked incredibly hard.
Leandro Trossard – 8.5/10
Trossard was able to shine as he and Havertz rotated striking duties. The Belgian took his goal brilliantly.
Substitutes
Eddie Nketiah – 6/10
Hard to make an impact with the game so securely won by the time he came on.
Reiss Nelson – 6/10
Similar issue as Nketiah, but important minutes for the winger.
Mohamed Elneny – 6/10
Good to see the Egyptian veteran back out on the pitch.
Cedric Soares – 6/10
A rare outing for Cedric Soares. His involvement highlights just how comfortable Arteta felt.
Ethan Nwaneri – 6.5/10
A huge day for Nwaneri as the 16-year-old made his second Premier League outing and produced some neat touches.
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