PLAYER RATINGS: Bukayo Saka keeps his cool to net a brace and Declan Rice returns to haunt former club West Ham… while Nayef Aguerd endures a torrid afternoon at the London stadium
Arsenal continued to put pressure on leaders Liverpool after a 6-0 defeat to West Ham.
Mikel Arteta’s team went into halftime 4-0 after goals from William Saliba, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel and Leandro Trossard.
Saka then scored again in the 53rd minute before Declan Rice set his former club back with a long-range strike two minutes later.
The victory at the London Stadium keeps Arsenal within striking distance of Liverpool and Manchester City, who won their respective matches on Saturday.
Mail Sport’s Kathryn Batte gives her verdict on the players in her match ratings.
Arsenal continued to put pressure on leaders Liverpool after a 6-0 defeat to West Ham
It was another one to forget for David Moyes’ side at the London Stadium on Sunday
Westham (4-2-3-1)
Alphonse Areola – 4 (BOOKED)
He gave his team a tough task when he was awarded a penalty and was put on his heels for the third goal. A few nice saves kept the score low.
Vladimir Coufal-4
He kept Saka onside for the penalty decision and rarely managed to get forward.
Kurt Zouma-3
A day to quickly forget for the West Ham captain. His attempts to defend the fourth goal were enough to convince his manager that his play had been played at half-time.
Nayef Aguerd-3
Trossard had a torrid afternoon and was exposed to Saka’s pace and skill on several occasions.
Nayef Aguerd (right) was given a torrid afternoon by Arsenal’s attackers as they dominated
Emerson 5
Came ahead in the early stages but couldn’t stop Saka from intervening and terrorizing his teammates.
Edson Alvarez – 3 (BOOKED)
Found himself chasing shadows and being second to the ball too often. Crocheted during half time.
Tomas Soucek – 4.5
Was confused by Arsenal’s midfield trio and failed to get a tackle in. Rarely came up.
Ben Johnson 5
Looked lively at the start in an unfamiliar position but failed to make a meaningful contribution.
Edson Alvarez (left) chased shadows and was often second to the ball
James Ward-Prowse-5
Anonymous for much of the game and struggled to make an impact going forward.
Mohammed Kudus – 6 (BOOKED)
Tried to make things happen when he had the ball, but often had no way to pass.
Jarrod Bowen-6
Worked hard in the sole striker role, but fed off leftovers all the time.
subtitles:
Kalvin Phillips (for Alvarez 45) – 5 (BOOKED)
Konstantinos Mavropanos (for Zouma 45) – 5
Aaron Cresswell (for Emerson 76) – 5
Mohammed Kudus (left) tried to make things happen, but often had no other choice
Arsenal (4-3-3)
David Raya-6
He had nothing to do for most of the afternoon, but he was alert when necessary.
Ben White-7
Not really tested by West Ham’s wingers. Grab an assist for the sixth goal.
Willem Saliba-7
Give his team the lead with a header from close range. He had little to do defensively.
Gabriel – 7
Follows in the footsteps of his fellow centre-back with a header before half-time.
William Saliba opened the scoring and defensive partner also got into action with a goal
Jakub Kiwior-7
Made a crucial interception as West Ham were on top in the early stages. The only real defense that was needed.
Martin Odegaard – 8.5
With a sublime pass in midfield. The match ended with two assists.
Declan Rice – 9
Booed by his old fans, but had the last laugh with two assists and a sensational goal to make it 6-0. An excellent performance on his return to East London.
Declan Rice was booed by his old fans but had the last laugh with two assists and a fine goal
Kai Havertz-7.5
Could work well with his teammates in midfield and was neat and tidy in possession.
Bukayo Saka – 8.5
Ran rings around the Hammers defence. He kept a cool head and put in a nice finish from the spot for his second.
Leandro Trossard-8.5
Involved in all of Arsenal’s best play and capped off a fantastic performance with a fantastic goal.
Gabriel Martinelli – 7
Not the striking performance of his attacking teammates, but still caused problems and fit in well with Trossard.
Bukayo Saka kept his cool and put in a nice finish from the spot for his second
SUBS:
Reiss Nelson (for Saka 67) – 6
Eddie Nketiah (for Trossard 67) – 6
Mohamed Elneny (for rice 67) – 6
Cedric Soares (for white 77) – 6
Ethan Nwaneri (for Martinelli 77) – 6
Referee: Paul Tierney – 7
I got the penalty decision and the other big decisions correct. A good afternoon for the civil servant.
David Moyes will have been furious with his players while it was a perfect day for Mikel Arteta
Managers
David Moyes-5
Must have been furious at the defense of some of his players. Cheers at half-time and full-time showed what the fans were thinking.
Mikel Arteta-8
A perfect day for the Arsenal boss, who had his tactics and game plan in perfect order.