West Ham United 0-6 Arsenal
Premier League, London Stadium, Sunday 11 February 2024, 2pm GMT
The stormy weather that battered the country in the week may have abated, but West Ham United were blown away by Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, suffering the Club’s heaviest-ever home Premier League defeat.
The Irons’ winless start to 2024 extended to five Premier League matches – and seven in all competitions – as the Gunners netted four goals in 15 first-half minutes at London Stadium, then added two more after the break.
As they had been the previous weekend in defeating Liverpool, Mikel Arteta’s side were far superior to their opponents and scored a decisive victory.
As an attacking force, Arsenal were rampant, and West Ham could not cope. At the other end, the team with the Premier League’s best defensive record rarely looked troubled.
Even before they went ahead, the visitors had created at least half-a-dozen chances, most notably when Leandro Trossard’s volley was turned aside by Alphonse Areola, while Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard saw shots diverted wide by Nayef Aguerd and Tomáš Souček.
The floodgates opened on 32 minutes when Declan Rice’s left-wing corner found William Saliba, who outjumped his marker to head in from six yards.
Saka then missed two further opportunities before racing away, being brought down by Areola, then beating the Frenchman from the penalty spot.
West Ham were all at sea and they were overwhelmed again moments later when another Rice delivery from the left, this time a free-kick, was headed in at the near post by Gabriel. And a miserable opening half was completed in added-time when Ødegaard found Trossard and the Belgian rifled a shot into the top right-hand corner.
Kalvin Phillips and Konstantinos Mavropanos were sent on from the bench at the break, but Arsenal kept coming and it was five when Saka was given time and space to collect another Ødegaard pass and smash into the bottom right-hand corner.
Rice completed the rout, and an impressive personal performance on his return to east London, by curling in an unstoppable strike from 30 yards out. Despite the spectacular nature of his goal, the former Irons captain declined to celebrate.
West Ham finally mustered their first shots on target after 82 minutes, but David Raya was equal to shots from Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus.
They were too little, too late, and the Hammers will need to perform far better if they are to earn their first win of 2024 at Nottingham Forest next weekend.
West Ham United: Areola, Coufal, Johnson, Zouma © (Mavropanos 46), Aguerd, Emerson (Cresswell 76), Álvarez (Phillips 46), Souček, Ward-Prowse, Kudus, Bowen
Subs not used: Fabiański (GK), Ogbonna, Scarles, Cornet, Ings, Mubama
Booked: Álvarez, Areola, Kudus, Phillips
Arsenal: Raya, White (Cédric 77), Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior, Rice (Elneny 67), Ødegaard ©, Trossard (Nketiah 67), Saka, Martinelli (Nwaneri 77), Havertz
Subs not used: Ramsdale (GK), Jorginho, Nelson, Bandeira, Walters
Goals: Saliba 32, Saka 41 (pen), 63, Gabriel 44, Trossard 45+2, Rice 66
Referee: Craig Pawson
Attendance: 62,474
