West Ham United may have put in their best performance of the season thus far, but they failed to take even a point from their trip to Emirates today, as they fell to a 1-3 defeat, which is already their third of the new campaign. Marko Arnautovic scored the first goal of the game but the Hammers were in the lead for less than five minutes, when Nacho Monreal equalised on the half-hour mark.
Alexandre Lacazette’s industry in the second half gave Arsenal the lead after his cross deflected off Issa Diop to breach Lukas Fabianski, who was West Ham’s best player on the night. He made a number of saves in the last 20 minutes but repeated defensive lapses kept the visitors under pressure, before Danny Welbeck scored the simplest of goals, after being left unmarked six yards off the line in stoppage time. Here are the player ratings for the Hammers in this loss:
Lukas Fabianski (7.5):
With nine saves in total in the game, most of them pretty crucial, the former Arsenal man was the only reason West Ham were not embarrassed on the night.
Ryan Fredericks (6):
Found himself in decent positions in the first half but spent more time at the back as Arsenal began to step up their game after the break.
Fabián Balbuena (5):
Kept the likes of Lacazette and Aubameyang relatively quiet but had far too many mistakes in his game to take the pressure off the West Ham backline.
Issa Diop (3):
With an own goal, and error leading to a goal and lack of composure with the ball at his feet, Diop had a game to forget as Arsenal ran rings around him for long periods in the second half.
Arthur Masuaku (6):
Put in a decent shift on the left flank, constantly asking questions of Bellerin and pushing Mkhitaryan back but gave too much space away at the back at times, that came back to haunt his side late in the game.
Robert Snodgrass (5):
Missed a glorious chance just before halftime and was often wasteful in the final third. Was the first player subbed off by Pellegrini.
Carlos Sanchez (6):
Did well to hurry the Arsenal midfield and stood strong, confidently carrying the ball forward. This was his first start of the season and he showed enough promise for the immediate future.
Jack Wilshere (7):
He completed five dribbles, three tackles and three interceptions and was the driving force in the midfield on a decent night back at Emirates.
Michail Antonio (6):
Occupied the left side of the West Ham midfield and was a constant threat to the likes of Bellerin but did not create enough for his side to win the game.
Felipe Anderson (7.5):
The best outfield player for West Ham on the night, Anderson picked up the assist for Arnautovic’s goal, and also completed four dribbles and made three tackles, as his pace and direct approach were too hot to handle at times for the Arsenal backline.
Marko Arnautovic (7):
Picked up a goal and came close to scoring twice with his five shots as he repaid the faith shown in him by the manager. Was subbed off early after picking up a knock.
Subs:
Andriy Yarmolenko (4):
With just nine touches of the ball all game, the Ukrainian international was often idle in the midfield and did not provide enough steel or width to the West Ham midfield.
Javier Hernandez (5):
Added some fresh legs to the attack but never looked like breaching Arsenal’s defence.
Lucas Perez (5):
Should have done better late in the game after being set up by Anderson but that was his biggest involvement, coming off the bench.
Stat Credit: Whoscored.com