Arsenal leapfrogged Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table as Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka celebrated Mikel Arteta’s 300th game in charge with goals in a comfortable 2–0 win over West Ham United.
Rice capped an excellent performance in the heart of midfield with a composed 38th minute finish, stroking the ball into the net to open the scoring after Eberechi Eze had been denied by a sprawling save from Alphonse Areola.
Martin Ødegaard concerningly went off injured for Arsenal midway through the first half after receiving a blow to the knee, but that was the only blot on the copybook of the Gunners as they made up for last season’s defeat to West Ham at the Emirates Stadium.
Saka’s goal came from the penalty spot—El Hadji Malick Diouf penalised for a clumsy tackle on Jürrien Timber—and put the icing on a polished performance from Mikel Arteta’s side.
Arsenal Player Ratings vs. West Ham (4-3-3)
GK: David Raya—7.1: Other than misjudging a first minute corner, Raya had absolutely nothing to do. The Spaniard was so bored that whenever there was a stoppage for a player to receive treatment, he ran up just to get his hands on the ball.
RB: Jürrien Timber—8.3: Added plenty of value to Arsenal’s attacks, inverting into advanced areas to open up space for Bukayo Saka out wide. Easy to understand why the club are looking to reward him with a new contract when they connect so well.
CB: William Saliba—7.4: A very comfortable afternoon for the Frenchman, whose only discomfort was occasionally having the sun in his eyes.
CB: Gabriel Magalhães—7.4: In the nicest possible way, you didn’t really know that Gabriel, an injury doubt pre-game, was playing. That’s how little threat West Ham carried.
LB: Riccardo Calafiori—7.8: Like Timber, provided plenty of attacking threat as Arsenal pinned West Ham back. Rocketed a shot with his weaker foot off Areola’s post and was unlikely it didn’t ricochet in.
CM: Martin Ødegaard (c)—6.7: A brutal run of injury luck continues for the Norwegian who had actually looked quite bright in the opening 20 minutes. A clash of knees with Summerville the cause, rather than a reoccurrence of his previous shoulder problem.
CM: Declan Rice—8.6: Spent the majority of the first half dictating the tempo of the game and would have had a lovely assist had Saka not strayed offside. Then opened the scoring with a tremendously cool finish—although arguably his glare at West Ham’s boo boys was the real ice cold moment.
CM: Eberechi Eze—7.2: Somehow scooped the ball over from six yards when it looked easier to score, but was very in sync with Rice and Calafiori throughout.
RW: Bukayo Saka—7.9: Caused numerous problems for Diouf, offering a threat down the flank as well as cutting inside onto his favoured left foot. Tucked away his spot kick with composure.
ST: Viktor Gyökeres—6.5: On the periphery for most of the afternoon as Arsenal’s good work largely came in the build-up phase and from runs inside from the channel, but did enjoy a good physical battle with Konstantinos Mavrapanos.
LW: Leandro Trossard—7.5: Bright and breezy on the left flank without offering the same kind of killer instinct as his teammates.
SUB: Martín Zubimendi (30’ for Ødegaard)—7.5: Given a break from starting duties by Arteta but quickly got up to speed after Ødegaard’s enforced withdrawal. A smooth operator.
SUB: Myles Lewis-Skelly (75’ for Calafiori)—5.9: There wasn’t enough time for the academy graduate, who Arteta spoke about in the build-up to the game, to really influence things.
SUB: Ethan Nwaneri (75’ for Trossard)—6.2: Likewise, Nwaneri came on to provide fresh legs and to see the game out.
SUB: Mikel Merino (79’ for Rice)—5.7: Had a blocked effort on goal from a set piece but the game was done upon his introduction.
SUB: Gabriel Martinelli (79’ for Eze)—6.1: Would probably have wanted to start given his recent good form but will have a bigger role to play in the weeks and months to come.
Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Nørgaard.
West Ham United (4-1-4-1)
Starting XI: Alphonse Areola (GK), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Kyle Walker-Peters), Konstantinos Mavrapanos, Max Kilman, El Hadji Malick Diouf; Soungoutou Magassa (Freddie Potts); Jarrod Bowen (c), Mateus Fernandes, Lucas Paquetá, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Füllkrug (Callum Marshall)
Subs not used: Mads Hermansen (GK), Igor Julio, Guido Rodriguez, Luis Guilherme, Oliver Scarles, Callum Wilson.
Player of the Match: Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Arsenal 2–0 West Ham— How it Unfolded at the Emirates Stadium
It was almost curtains inside the first minute for Arsenal as Niclas Füllkrug flicked a header over the crossbar with David Raya caught out of position from a corner—an ironic situation given the home side’s strength from set pieces and West Ham’s fragility having conceded eight in six games prior to kick off—but that was the first and only time the hosts had any cause for concern.
Timber forced a smart save with his feet from Areola at the other end, minutes before Eze wasted a golden opportunity for Arsenal by firing over the bar from six yards out.
Arsenal soon assumed complete control of proceedings thereafter, with Nuno Espírito Santo’s West Ham set up to absorb pressure and remain compact, and the runners-up for the last three Premier League seasons starting to stroke the ball around with ease as Declan Rice played conductor in the heart of midfield.
It was his pass that led to Saka putting the ball in the back of West Ham’s net in the 25th minute, but the England winger’s run in-behind Diouf was mistimed and replays showed he was a good yard offside before controlling the ball to slot past Areola.
The disappointment of that disallowed goal was followed by a further bad news for Ødegaard, who accidentally clashed knees with West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville and was unable to run off the knock despite his best efforts.
His replacement, Martín Zubimendi, had been rotated out of the side by Arteta, but he played a key role in Arsenal unlocking West Ham’s defence seven minutes before half-time. Saka was also involved, laying the ball off to the Spaniard, before his perfectly weighted through ball gave Eze a glimpse of goal. The former Crystal Palace midfielder’s low rifled shot was palmed away by Areola but not out of danger, and Rice was on hand to superbly steer a controlled half-volley into the back of the net.
Rice, mercilessly booed by West Ham’s supporters, opted not to celebrate against the club he won the Conference League with in 2023.
Arsenal could have scored a second before the break but Riccardo Calafiori’s low right-foot cannon thundered off Areola’s post, and the one-way traffic continued after the interval. 20 minutes into the second half, Timber got in behind Diouf and the usually impressive left back felled the Dutchman by hauling him to the ground. Referee John Brooks pointed the spot, and after VAR confirmed the infringement had taken place in the area, Saka sent Areola the wrong way to make it 2–0.
Viktor Gyökeres worked hard up front, wrestling with Konstantinos Mavrapanos throughout, but the Swede only had two half sightings of goal and didn’t really carry much of a goal threat himself.
Arsenal were able to bring on some fresh legs late on, with slight concerns raised over Rice’s fitness as he clutched his lower back, and will take great heart from a very confident showing. West Ham, meanwhile, will have better days, with their only other moment of note coming in stoppage time as substitute Callum Marshall headed over the bar.
Arsenal vs West Ham Half-Time Stats
Arsenal vs West Ham Full-Time Stats
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal Player Ratings vs. West Ham: Former Hero Shines Brightest.
