West Ham United vs Arsenal: Saka, Rice run riot in capital derby as Gunners continue title hunt
West Ham United had a day to forget at the office after they lost 6-0 in their Premier League encounter against Arsenal on Sunday (Feb 11) at the London Stadium. A London derby, Arsenal exacted revenge on their city rivals having lost the reverse fixture 2-0 at Emirates Stadium in December. Goals from Bukayo Saka and four other scorers including former West Ham captain Declan Rice saw Arsenal reach 52 points, two behind league leaders Liverpool in the Premier League.
West Ham vs Arsenal Match Analysis
Having beaten Liverpool 3-1 last week, confidence was high in the Gunners camp and they showed their will in the first half of the match having led 4-0 at the break on away territory. William Saliba opened the scoring in the 32nd minute when he converted Rice’s header. Nine minutes later, West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola brought down Saka inside the area which saw the Gunners awarded a penalty. Saka who missed a spot kick last April at the London Stadium made no mistakes and scored the second goal of the match.
The goal was also Saka’s 50th in the Premier League as the Arsenal man continues his fine form in front of the goal. With a minute to go for half time, Arsenal took the string out of the game with Gabriel Magalhaes scoring to make it 3-0. However, the North London side were hungry for more and scored again before going into the break. Leandro Trossard scoring in the second minute of added time saw the fans empty the stadium before the half had ended.
To pile more misery on the hosts, Saka scored his second goal of the match with a neatly taken shot in the 63rd minute before Rice got his goal on the return. Rice scored in the 65th minute and did not celebrate to show respect to the Hammers.
Arsenal next take on Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday (Feb 17) before returning to Champions League action with a trip to Porto. West Ham next take on relegation strugglers Nottingham Forest on Saturday as well.
Also Read: West Ham vs Arsenal Player Ratings as Saka and Rice Scores in six-goals thriller win
West Ham United vs Arsenal Top Players
Bukayo Saka (8.5/10)
A brace against West Ham coupled with his 50th goal in the Premier League, Saka was the top performer in the match. His presence unsettled the opposition despite them playing on home turf.
Declan Rice (8/10)
After a solid performance on the road, Rice returned to the side with most completed passes and scored the last goal of the match. Rice was also good with duels won and challenges as he replays the faith shown by Arsenal while signing him in the summer transfer window.