Alexis Sanchez was the catalyst, scoring three goals in fifteen minutes.
The first half saw Arsenal dominate, yet they squandered chance after chance when their final balls were poor. However they did score, courtesy of a poor clearance which Coquelin blocked with his body, Sanchez beat out the slow Reid to the ball and squared the ball to Ozil for the tap in.
The second half showed signs of being similar to the first and the television commentators were salivating every time the camera showed Andy Carroll warming up, intimating that the return of the big guy would ruin Arsenal’s day.
Alexis, though, had other ideas. He burst into the box and hit a sublime drive from an acute angle and scored.
In came Carroll. Before he had a chance to touch the ball Alexis made the game safe with another goal, this time scoring from the edge of the box.
West Ham hit back from a free-kick. Payet, who had done nothing the entire game, hit a powerful drive which rebounded off the crossbar onto the head of …Andy Carroll, who scored.
Hammer fans, who had been making their exit, scrambled back to their seats only to see the Ox hit a sublime drive and score Arsenal’s fourth.
Minutes later, Alexis scored his third, courtesy of a fine pass from the Ox. It was probably offside, but Alexis broke through, feinted a dummy kick, causing the keeper to flinch, and then he poked it the other way into the net.
Player Ratings:
Cech 6: He made a good save at the near post in the first half, but largely had little to do. He appeared flat-footed on the West Ham goal.
Gabriel 6: A decent performance with no real mistakes and the confidence to attack. One or two of his crosses were overcooked, but he looks adequate to fill in until Bellerin returns. He did take a beating though. He landed awkwardly on his knee and then took a blow on the back of the head which bled.
Mustafi 7: He played well and kept the backline quiet for the most part. He had a header off a corner which almost found Koscielny.
Koscielny 7: He just missed Mustafi’s header. He made a key interception in the second half when the Hammers threatened. He also left with a bruise or two.
Monreal 8: Arguably his best attacking game of the year. He had at least three chances to cross, but none of them found the mark. He had a quiet game on defence.
Coquelin 7: His deflection set up the opening goal. He was effective for the most part, but he picked up a stupid yellow card when he thumped the ball into the stands after a free-kick had been awarded in the first half. It could’ve cost us.
Xhaka 7: Effective and dominant in the middle. Largely did the dirty work that not everyone notices.
Ozil 8: His goal was one of the easiest he’ll ever score, but he was at the right place. He was influential throughout, but not always spectacular. As the legs tire and space becomes more available, he becomes more dangerous.
Walcott 6: The game kind of passed him by. He didn’t play poorly, but he didn’t get a lot of the ball (as Arsenal were dominating the other side). He had his chances though. The first was a header off a corner that he couldn’t keep down. He had a couple of shots, one deflected and one he hit poorly.
Sanchez 10: Easily man of the match. He almost latched onto a Monreal cross, but Reid’s slight touch took the ball away from him. He also had a breakaway, beat the keeper, but his move allowed the defender behind to recover. He assisted on the first goal, thanks to a fine burst of speed. He scored three times and the first and third were both fabulous goals.
Oxlade-Chamberlain 8: The Ox looked dangerous the entire day as his pace unsettled the Hammers. In the first half his final ball was often awful, in the second half he settled down and made a number of fine plays, especially the assist on Sanchez’s third goal. He scored a fine goal as well, curling the ball past the keeper. Probably his best game of the season.
Substitutes:
Ramsey 6: Almost scored in overtime, but the keeper managed to get a hand to his breakaway chance.
Elneny n/a: Not on long enough to make an impact.
Iwobi n/a: Not on long enough either.
