November proved no problem for Arsenal, and December is off to a brilliant start. Even with a number of players out, anything’s possible if Sánchez can stay fit and in this kind of form.
West Ham have been even more unlucky with injuries, and are having a terrible time settling at their new home. After an unwelcome trip to Anfield next week, they face Burnley (H), Hull (H), Swansea (A) and Leicester (A) over the festive period.
We’ll know by the end of that run just how real the danger of dropping back to the Championship is. Today, Arsenal and Sánchez were in a different league. Thanks for reading. Bye!
Updated
Full time: West Ham 1-5 Arsenal
Arsenal climb to second after embarrassing West Ham on their own patch, in a rout led by Alexis Sánchez, who on days like this is as good as anyone in the league.
Updated
92 mins: One final burst of brilliance from Sánchez, toying with the West Ham defence before almost setting up Ramsey with a through ball. Randolph, who’s had no help today, comes out to gather the ball.
Here’s the official Championship Twitter account, adding insult to injury:
We've missed you too, @WestHamUtd fans.
— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) December 3, 2016
👋
90 mins: Three added minutes. Koscielny is down getting treatment. Slaven Bilic looks pained on the touchline. At least nobody’s fighting...
89 mins: Arsenal fans are Olé-ing every touch. From a slightly awkward spot midway through the second half, this has become a rout. Oxlade-Chamberlain almost makes it six, Randolph saving well with his feet.
88 mins: Double change for Arsenal – Ozil and Coquelin off, Elneny and Iwobi on. Given the way Sánchez finished that, an outrageous dummy sending Ranolph to the deck, it would have almost been churlish for the assistant to flag.
Updated
GOAL! West Ham 1-5 Arsenal (Sánchez)
West Ham are all over the place now, and Özil slots the ball through to Sánchez, in an offside position, who races through, sits Randolph down, and lifts the ball into the net. A breathtaking hat-trick completed, although it shouldn’t have counted.
Updated
Özil played a pass inside to the winger, who was allowed to take a touch and pick his spot from 25 yards. He’s lacked end product today, but not here – he bends the ball beyond Randolph, and into the far corner!
Updated
GOAL! West Ham 1-4 Arsenal (Oxlade-Chamberlain)
The veneer of respectability Carroll added to the scoreline is no more, as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain makes it four with a cracking long-range effort.
Updated
GOAL! West Ham 1-3 Arsenal (Carroll)
The West Ham fans who have stayed get to see a goal, as Payet’s free kick crashes off the bar, and with Cech and his defenders static, Andy Carroll races in to head home.
81 mins: Ayew is still trying, earning a free kick in a dangerous spot, as Mustafi is booked for bringing him down. Payet is over this one...
Ozil’s pass ricocheted towards Sánchez, who tracked it along the edge of the area, then hit a daisy-cutter back across goal, and right inside the far corner. West Ham fans head for the exits.
GOAL! West Ham 0-3 Arsenal (Sánchez)
Alexis Sánchez has run the show up front for Arsenal, and he gets his second with a terrific, instinctive finish.
Updated
79 mins: Ayew has been a lively presence – due to his injury, he’s been missed by Swansea and West Ham this season – and he forces Koscielny into a smart block.
78 mins: Xhaka picks out Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose heavy first touch allows Arbeloa to get a foot in and clear the ball.
76 mins: Oxlade-Chamberlain has time and space on the left, with West Ham looking defeated. He should square to Sánchez, but drills a shot wide of the far post.
74 mins: Ayew gets away from Coquelin, and curls his shot inches over the top corner.
72 mins: Andy Carroll is on for Mark Noble. Too late.
GOAL! West Ham 0-2 Arsenal (Sánchez)
Mustafi slides the ball towards Sánchez, who turns Masuaku, darts into the box, and fires low across Randolph and inside the far post. That’s magnificent, and all his own work.
Updated
70 mins: Ramsey’s presence in the midfield has given Arsenal a foothold, and they keep the ball upfield...
69 mins: Arsenal move through the gears, with Monreal cutting the ball back from the left. Ramsey prods it towards goal, but Randolph saves with his feet – and gets up at speed to parry Özil’s volley!
“As it stands, West Ham are a point better off than Sunderland and Hull City” says Niall Mullen.
“You know, if I was a West Ham fan I’m not sure I’d be happy about that”.
Look at it another way; they’re only a point off the champions...
Updated
67 mins: Fletcher holds the ball up well, forcing Koscielny into a clumsy foul that draws a booking.
66 mins: Ramsey is on in place of Walcott, with Ozil presumably shifting to the right. Reid is booked after going through the back of Sánchez as Arsenal look to break.
65 mins: West Ham offering much more of an attacking threat, but that leaves them open to an Arsenal break. Sánchez threads a diagonal ball to Walcott, whose shot is closed down smartly by Masuaku.
64 mins: Ayew immediately offering an extra presence in the area, but Lanzini’s cross evades him after tidy link-up play with Fletcher.
63 mins: Payet toys with Walcott inside the area, but then takes a heavy touch, to groans from the crowd. It’s been that sort of day so far for Payet. Ayew is on, in place of Fernandes on the right wing.
62 mins: Arbeloa gets another go from a deep position on the right, and finds the head of Fletcher, whose header is on target, but straight at Cech. Ayew has covered the half-mile between dugout and touchline, and will come on shortly.
60 mins: It now looks like André Ayew will be next on for West Ham. Obiang, at the heart of West Ham’s revival, spreads the ball right to Arbeloa – but his cross is poor, with Payet and Lanzini in advanced positions.
58 mins: Fletcher is picked out by Reid, then stands on Koscielny’s boot after a heavy touch. He’s booked by Pawson, which seems harsh. Masuaku is back on, as is Gabriel.
56 mins: A break in play as Masuaku and Gabriel recover from a clash of heads. Gabriel’s had a rough time out there.
“Does Carroll have to put up with the same suspicions and implicit criticism about his injuries and their cause as Daniel Sturridge?” asks Ian Copestake. “Any closeups of his face when he is mid-meh? I did not think so.”
The cameras have been trained on him in this half, now showing him doing stretches as West Ham enjoy their best spell of the game.
54 mins: Fletcher spins away from his marker, collects the ball from Lanzini and fires wide of Cech’s near post. The home fans are making a racket, for the first time in the match.
53 mins: West Ham almost crack the Arsenal defence open, Payet threading a pass to Lanzini in space on the left, who tries to square to Fletcher – but Koscielny makes a superb interception, underneath his own crossbar!
52 mins: Arsenal break, Sánchez slotting a through ball to Walcott, with Fernandes getting back to make life difficult for him as he fires wide from an angle. Carroll latest: bib back on.
51 mins: Craig Pawson levels things up, giving West Ham a free-kick as Masuaku collides with Oxlade-Chamberlain. It’s in a decent spot for Payet to whip the ball in... and it curls just beyond Reid, who was in behind the Arsenal defence.
49 mins: Andy Carroll is continuing his preparations, fiddling with the bandage on his left leg, taking his jacket off one arm at a time. He might get on before full- time.
48 mins: Ozil takes the free kick, a couple of feet from the corner flag, and his inswinger finds Walcott in space, who heads over! He really ought to have tested Randolph there.
47 mins: Arsenal resume their residency in the West Ham half, and win a soft free kick as Masuaku tussles with Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Updated
Here’s Mark Smith:
“A slightly odd thing for Wenger to do, I thought, in making Carl Jenkinson’s ‘crisis of confidence’ so public, then putting him on the bench, thus setting him up for a public pillorying against his former team; a possibility which looks likely if Gabriel’s injury is serious. As confidence boosts go, it doesn’t seem the most intelligent.”
How was he to know one of his players would pick up a bizarre injury? Eh? Ah.
Peep!
Here we go again. Carroll hasn’t come on yet, and Gabriel has returned for the second half.
It looks like an entirely predictable half-time change could be on the cards...
.@AndyTCarroll is going through a vigorous half-time warm-up. Will he be on for the second half?
— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) December 3, 2016
[0-1] #COYI #WHUARS pic.twitter.com/zDlmYXMywM
Anyone out there? On your way back from a non-league game who were forced into attending due to the clásico blackout? Get in touch.
Updated
Half time reading...
Half time: West Ham 0-1 Arsenal
The first half ends, with a dominant Arsenal leading through Mesut Özil. The positives for West Ham: they’re only one goal down.
Updated
47 mins: Reid plays a long, diagonal pass towards Masuaku, who forces a hobbling Gabriel to turn the ball behind. The corner is cleared, before a spot of head tennis, and an abortive Arsenal break. A little more time being played, due to Gabriel’s injury.
45 mins: Gabriel goes down awkwardly – and he stays down, holding his knee. That’s the last thing Arsenal need. He’ll come back, until half time at least. There’ll be three added minutes.
Updated
43 mins: A West Ham player does get a head on a cross, with the ball whipped in by Ashley Fletcher. It’s Obiang who beats Mustafi to the ball, but he can’t keep it down.
42 mins: Payet takes aim from 30 yards and sends a shot soaring towards the giant screen behind the goal. Oxlade-Chamberlain has left the field briefly to receive treatment.
Updated
40 mins: Sánchez, beginning to enjoy himself out there, shimmies away from a couple of defenders before looking for Walcott with a lofted ball. Masuaku, the only West Ham defender to emerge from the first half with any credit, is in place to cut it out.
39 mins: Payet tries to pick out Fletcher, but can only find Cech with a sweeping cross. Fletcher is doing his best, but crosses when he’s surrounded by Mustafi and Koscielny aren’t going to work.
37 mins: Randolph is holding his groin after racing out to take on Sánchez. Poor West Ham: even their goalie has picked up a knock.
35 mins: The respite lasts 30 seconds, before Oxlade-Chamberlain sends Sánchez clear. He takes a heavy touch in an effort to get around Randolph, and the goalkeeper does well not to bring him down before Sánchez runs out of room.
Updated
34 mins: Arsenal force West Ham back to the edge of their own area, but Obiang is on hand to make an interception. From the throw-in, the ball is worked to Sánchez, who waits, and waits for Gabriel to overlap. In the end, Masuaku makes a well-timed challenge to end the danger.
Updated
32 mins: Noble and Payet attempt a one-two that Gabriel, doing a decent job at right back, intercepts. West Ham win it back, before Masuaku’s cross sails into Cech’s hands.
30 mins: West Ham concede possession in midfield again, and Sánchez tests Randolph with a low effort from the edge of the area. The keeper spills it, but recovers quickly. Moments later, Coquelin is booked for kicking the ball away. Unnecessary.
Updated
29 mins: Gabriel wins the ball well in midfield, and Xhaka slots the ball to Oxlade-Chamberlain, with Arbeloa nowhere to be seen. Luckily for the absent right-back, Oxlade-Chamberlain sends a woeful shot wide.
27 mins: Arsenal happy to sit back and take a breather after being gifted the lead. Arbeloa gets forward from right-back, but his cross from deep is never finding Fletcher, still isolated up front.
25 mins: Lanzini and Payet, always capable of sparking something, combine effectively in the middle, before Noble finds space on the right – and overhits his cross towards Fletcher.
GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Arsenal (Özil)
Oh boy. West Ham shoot themselves in the foot, Ogbonna trying to pass it out from the back and picking out Sánchez, who skips past a flailing Reid, and squares unselfishly for Özil, who tucks the ball into an open goal.
Updated
23 mins: West Ham have rallied after that shaky start, perhaps adjusting to the new formation. Sánchez scurries towards a through ball, but is flagged offside.
22 mins: Payet gets on the ball on the edge of the area, but lets it dribble away from him, then fouls Coquelin in an effort to regain possession.
20 mins: Payet is caught by Xhaka in mid-stepover, but the referee waves play on. Cue boos from the home faithful.
18 mins: ...Fletcher gets a pass into his feet and lays it off to Payet, whose through ball to Lanzini bisects the Arsenal defence. Lanzini has Fernandes in his space to his right, but hangs onto the ball instead, forcing Cech into a smart save at his near post. Had he passed, West Ham might well be ahead.
Updated
17 mins: Gabriel heaves a hopeful long ball to Özil, which is intercepted. Arsenal in danger of taking it too easy here...
16 mins: Arsenal win a corner, which Mustafi heads down and across goal. Koscielny and Sánchez are both free, but can’t get a decisive touch – although the flag is raised anyway.
14 mins: West Ham escape their own half, with Payet finding Lanzini, whose cross finds Fletcher. Rather than take on an awkward header, the forward tries to return a pass to Payet, who is crowded out.
12 mins: An extra body on the right hasn’t stopped Nacho Monreal, who gets free in the area twice in quick succession. The second, from a diagonal Özil pass, is nudged off Sánchez’s boots by Reid. Arsenal getting ever closer.
11 mins: Arbeloa’s introduction has seen West Ham switch to a back four, with Fernandes moving into midfield. It’s helped the hosts get a foothold in the early stages.
So many empty seats at the world class London Stadium.
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) December 3, 2016
Updated
9 mins: Sánchez flicks the ball forward with his heel, bamboozling two West Ham players and setting Oxlade-Chamberlain away. Arsenal have two on two, but the winger’s through ball to Özil is badly overhit.
7 mins: Arsenal already causing problems in the final third, with Monreal getting to the byline and cutting the ball back. Masuaku is forced to hack it clear, while James Collins is replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa.
6 mins: Collins still hobbling, with Bilic deep in conversation with his captain, Mark Noble. Sánchez doesn’t look entirely comfortable either, stretching his legs out at every break in play.
5 mins: Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott are pressing the West Ham defence, with the former penalised after tussling with Fernandes. Meanwhile, James Collins has pulled up, and may have to go off already.
4 mins: Sánchez crosses to Walcott, who backheels into the box – but nobody’s there to take advantage.
3 mins: Walcott moves down the right again, cut off this time by Masuaku, playing as a left wing-back. Edimilson Fernandes is on the other side, with a back three behind.
1 min: Walcott makes in-roads on the right, but Mark Noble is on hand to hoof the ball away from danger.
Peep!
Craig Pawson gets it started. West Ham in claret and blue, Arsenal in yellow and navy.
Before kick off, a minute’s silence for the victims of the plane crash in Colombia.
The players are out on the pitch for another tea-time London derby. We’ve already seen Spurs v West Ham, Chelsea v Spurs, Palace v West Ham and Arsenal v Chelsea in this time slot.
First time here since the Olympic javelin final. Wondering which is further - that winning throw or the distance between me and the pitch pic.twitter.com/emWZpLMuOf
— Michael Cox (@Zonal_Marking) December 3, 2016
‘member Trevor Brooking?
Here’s Slaven Bilic, talking about injuries, once again.
“We paid the price for the midweek game against Manchester United. They’re not big injuries, but enough to force them out of this game. I’m talking about Cresswell, Antonio and Kouyaté. [Carroll] is not fit for a whole game, but he can play a part today.”
In Spain, the season’s first clásico has finished 1-1, with goals from everyone’s favourite guys, Luis Suárez and Sergio Ramos.
Arsène Wenger speaks, confirming Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud weren’t quite fit enough for today’s match – although Ramsey is on the bench. He adds the Gabriel is at right back – “he has done well when he came on in this position, and I thought we’ll need some good headers here”.
Results elsewhere have turned up the heat on both teams. Spurs’ big win over Swansea edges them to within a point of Arsenal in fourth, while Sunderland’s victory over Leicester moves them to within a point of West Ham, who sit 17th.
Updated
Marlon Harewood, who scored the winner last time West Ham beat Arsenal at home, is predicting a 2-2 draw. What about you?
Mighty @Mazer_9 is predicting a four-goal thriller!#COYI #WHUARS pic.twitter.com/Eo5TWeCzfC
— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) December 3, 2016
Premier League results:
Crystal Palace 3-0 Southampton
Stoke City 2-0 Burnley
Sunderland 2-1 Leicester (yikes)
Tottenham 5-0 Swansea
West Brom 3-1 Watford (West Brom go SIXTH)
Get all the deets, and FA Cup latest, from Lawrence Ostlere:
The 3pm kick-offs are coming to a frenzied conclusion. Is it me, or does BT Sport’s Mark Pougatch look a little like Jeremy Kyle? Feel like I’m waiting for him to give Robbie Savage the lie detector results.
Pre-game reading
Jacob Steinberg talks to West Ham’s Pedro Obiang...
...while Richard Foster looks at what West Ham and Arsenal can tell us about changing grounds:
Bilic makes four changes from the team that lost 4-1 at Old Trafford in the League Cup, with Mark Noble, James Collins, Manuel Lanzini and Arthur Masuaku coming in. Carroll is only fit enough for a place on the bench, with Ashley Fletcher staying at centre-forward.
By contrast, only one Arsenal player that started the defeat to Southampton starts today: Francis Coquelin, who partners Granit Xhaka in midfield. Otherwise, Arsène Wenger reverts to the team that beat Bournemouth last Sunday, save for the injured Mathieu Debuchy, who is replaced by Gabriel.
West Ham: Randolph; Collins, Reid, Ogbonna; Fernandes, Noble, Obiang, Masuaku; Lanzini, Payet, Fletcher.
Subs: Nordtveit, Arbeloa, Feghouli, Carroll, Zaza, Adrian, Ayew.
Arsenal: Cech; Gabriel, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Xhaka; Walcott, Özil, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Sánchez.
Subs: Gibbs, Ramsey, Pérez, Ospina, Holding, Iwobi, Elneny.
Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)
Preamble
Arsenal are fourth in the table, second in their Champions League group and with injuries piling up; it’s been a very Arsenal start to the season. That said, there are hints of a new-found solidity – they are unbeaten in the league since the opening weekend, and can climb to second with another win today.
The traditional November slump hasn’t come to pass, their copy book only blotted by EFL Cup defeat to Southampton, but a December run of games against Stoke, Everton, Man City and West Brom, and a trip to Basel next week, will stretch their depleted squad.
West Ham have injury problems of their own, with Diafra Sakho back on the sidelines and top scorer Michail Antonio still out injured. Andy Carroll could return to lead the line; he scored a hat-trick at Upton Park in a 3-3 draw that was somehow only eight months ago.
It’s been a long year, not least for the Hammers, who began it with hopes of Champions League football, and end it facing a relegation battle. For once, fans might not miss their old ground too much today. Arsenal were unbeaten at Upton Park since 2006, when Alan Pardew memorably put Wenger’s nose out of joint.
Today would be a fine time for West Ham to cast off a couple of albatrosses, and feel much better about what 2017 has in store. Against a newly battle-hardened Arsenal, that might be easier said than done. Kick off is at 5.30pm, GMT.
Updated
