Arsenal moved temporarily to the top of the Premier League table on Saturday after a comfortable 2-0 victory over London rivals West Ham United. The story of the day was Declan Rice, who capped an excellent performance by scoring the opening goal against the club he captained, though he respectfully opted not to celebrate.
The win, which came in Mikel Arteta’s 300th game in charge, was a dominant and professional display from the Gunners, though it was marred by another injury to their captain, Martin Ødegaard.
Gunners dominate but suffer Ødegaard blow
Arsenal assumed complete control of proceedings from the first whistle, stroking the ball around with ease as Declan Rice played conductor in midfield. Their dominance was almost rewarded when Rice played in Bukayo Saka to score, but the goal was correctly ruled out for offside. The disappointment was compounded moments later when captain Martin Ødegaard was forced off with a knee injury.
Despite the setback, the hosts’ pressure finally paid off in the 38th minute. After Eberechi Eze’s shot was parried by Alphonse Areola, Rice was on hand to superbly steer a controlled half-volley into the back of the net.
Saka seals the points from the spot
The one-way traffic continued after the interval, and twenty minutes into the second half, the game was put to bed. Jürrien Timber made a driving run into the box and was hauled to the ground for a clear penalty. Bukayo Saka stepped up and calmly sent Areola the wrong way to make it 2-0. From there, Arsenal saw out the game with ease, sending a clear signal of their title intentions.
Arsenal player ratings (4-3-3)
Ratings provided by FotMob
- GK: David Raya—7.1
- RB: Jürrien Timber—8.3
- CB: William Saliba—7.4
- CB: Gabriel Magalhães—7.4
- LB: Riccardo Calafiori—7.8
- CM: Martin Ødegaard (c)—6.7
- CM: Declan Rice—8.6
- CM: Eberechi Eze—7.2
- RW: Bukayo Saka—7.9
- ST: Viktor Gyökeres—6.5
- LW: Leandro Trossard—7.5