1. Moyesball
If David Moyes had a plan in mind when he sent his West Ham United team out to face Arsenal on Wednesday evening, it was played out to near-perfection by his players on the pitch.
The Irons were almost flawless in defence, pressed energetically and sensibily, passed the ball effectively and took their chances superbly to score a deserved 3-1 Carabao Cup fourth-round win over their local rivals.
The Hammers had just 28.3 per cent of the ball, and had just five goal attempts, but the home side were rarely threatened by the Gunners, instead picking off Mikel Arteta’s side.
The first half yielded zero goal attempts, but still the hosts went in ahead at the break as Jarrod Bowen’s wicked corner was headed into his own net by Ben White. The second period yielded more opportunities, and Mohammed Kudus and Bowen each took one, firing left-foot shots past Aaron Ramsdale.
It was a brilliant performance of the type Moyes’ teams have produced time and again over the past 30 years – and a performance which secured West Ham a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
2. Kudus Day!
When West Ham United signed Mohammed Kudus, the Ghanaian Hammers supporters’ club celebrated with a video of a fan singing ‘Kudus Day!’ that went viral.
After scoring two goals against FK TSC in the UEFA Europa League, then a late equaliser against Newcastle United in the Premier League, Kudus netted his first Carabao Cup strike against Arsenal on Wednesday evening.
It was a sensational goal, too, as he collected Nayef Aguerd’s inch-perfect diagonal pass and put it into the perfect position to finish with one touch of his left foot, then swept it low past Aaron Ramsdale with the same boot.
The Claret and Blue Army erupted, then rose as one again a minute from full-time when he was substituted and walked around the edge of the pitch back to the home dugout.
You sense this was not the last ‘Kudus Day!’ that will be celebrated at London Stadium!
3. A record attendance
For anyone who denigrates the Carabao Cup, just look at the excitement the competition brought to London Stadium on Wednesday evening.
A Club record attendance of 62,154 supporters turned out to cheer West Ham United to victory against Arsenal, beating the previous of record 59,902 who attended the fourth-round win over Manchester City in 2021.
The sellout crowd roared their approval at east of West Ham’s three goals, and again at the final whistle, as their team completed a fantastic and deserved fourth-round victory.
4. Former Gunners defy their old club
Łukasz Fabiański and Dinos Mavropanos were both selected to face their old club on Wednesday evening, and West Ham United’s two former Gunners certainly played their part in this win over Arsenal.
Captain Fabiański made two saves, from Kai Havertz and Martin Ødegaard, kept Arsenal at arm’s length, while he also dealt with a number of other high balls into his penalty area.
Mavropanos looked solid too, playing as a right centre-back alongside the equally impressive Nayef Aguerd, and also caught the eye with one marauding 60-yard run in the first half.
While Ødegaard did deny them a clean sheet late on, both could be proud of the performances they put in.
