West Ham 0-6 Arsenal: Mikel Arteta’s side dismantle the Hammers, with thousands of home fans leaving the London Stadium at HALF-TIME as the Gunners cancel out City’s goal difference advantage

The smell of redemption here at the London Stadium was powerful.

For those in burgundy and blue, it was a disgusting stench that will linger for a while.

For those with Arsenal connections, on the other hand, the smell was a lot more pleasant. The sweet smell of success. And revenge.

West Ham have beaten the Gunners twice this season; first in the Carabao Cup in November, followed by a 2-0 win in the Premier League just after Christmas.

Two out of three isn’t bad; at least that’s what David Moyes will tell himself after a cathartic afternoon.

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But taken in isolation this was as bad as it gets for West Ham, who were sent to the cleaners by an irresistible display of attacking football from Arsenal.

Four goals before half-time made for a fairly comfortable day’s work for Mikel Arteta as he watched his side emphatically avenge their previous two defeats.

It was here in East London last season when Arsenal’s title challenge began to take off.

Bukayo Saka infamously missed a penalty that afternoon, with West Ham holding their London rivals to a 2-2 draw. Saka then took to social media to apologize for his inability to repent.

There was no need to say sorry this time. It only added to the atmosphere of reconciliation that Saka ruthlessly converted from the spot to fuel Arsenal’s current Championship charge and banish any demons he had harbored during the season.

Then came the piece de resistance – or what will become known as THAT Declan Rice goal.

Laughed by sections of the home fans in the stadium he had called home for so long, Rice responded categorically with a long-distance lightning bolt, causing those with short memories to applaud in admiration.

Typically, Rice was respectful, refusing the opportunity to celebrate and rub previous hatred down the throats of supporters.

Of course, you wouldn’t expect anything less from the midfielder. A class act on and off the field.

With his team leading 6-0, it was easy for Rice to finish on the moral high ground. The fact that he was cheered off the pitch when he was substituted is symbolic of the true feelings of the West Ham supporters towards their former captain.

Yet Rice’s contribution here was an afterthought. The real story was the revival of Arsenal’s title charge.

Arsenal have followed up their mid-winter slump of one win in seven games, leaving their trophy credentials under a cloud with a thunderous response.

It’s four wins out of four. They scored fifteen goals in that period. That’s an ominous shape.

Time will tell if they can continue to compete against Liverpool and Manchester City. But they are there, bubbling dangerously away from their furry tails.

Whether or not Arsenal win their first Premier League title since 2004 will mean little to West Ham.

But the embarrassment of a blistering 90 minutes will be hard to shake as Arsenal scored six goals on the field for the first time since 2009 – coincidentally against Moyes’ Everton.

Thousands could not bear the shame of it all; throngs of supporters were heading for the exit before Craig Pawson had even blown the whistle for half-time.

Those who stayed booed their team vigorously at half-time; Ironic perhaps, considering they spent much of the opening period laughing at Rice.

It took both sides 22 minutes to muster what looked like a clear chance: 6-foot-1 Leandro Trossard – deployed as a false nine when Gabriel Jesus missed his final game through injury – jumped highest to head Bukayo’s cross Saka over the bar.

It was a sign of things to come. West Ham were compact and sturdy; Arsenal stuttered in finding a solution in the early part of the first half.

They finally resolved it with great emphasis.

William Saliba opened the floodgates in the 32nd minute, nodding to the back post to score an easy goal from Saka’s corner.

Saka sent Alphonse Areola the wrong way from the spot after being felled by the Hammers goalkeeper in the penalty area in the 38th minute before Gabriel Magalhaes scored Arsenal’s third with Rice’s simple header from a swinging corner.

Trossard’s sublime curling effort after an unfortunate Areola in stoppage time in the first half was Arsenal’s 8,000th ever league goal.

At that point the stands were half empty, much to the delight of the Arsenal supporters.

Those who remained were dealt two more Arsenal goals, Saka leaving Areola rooted with a fierce low drive before Rice capped his return to east London with an unstoppable drive from 35 yards.

Thanks to the West Ham supporters who stayed until the end. They may be gluttons for punishment, but at least they tried to stay with their team.

Moyes and West Ham remain in discussions over a new contract and this outcome should not prejudge knee-jerk reactions about how those discussions develop.

But those who believe Moyes should be replaced by a younger visionary have even more ammunition to back up their arguments.

Arsenal’s ammunition was their biggest problem on Sunday.

More to follow…