Arsenal eased to a 2-0 win over West Ham courtesy of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, avenging the 1-0 loss they suffered at the Emirates last February.
There was plenty to dissect from Saturday’s performance. Here is what stood out for me.
Complete control from start to finish
Arsenal dominated from start to finish. They enjoyed 68% possession compared to West Ham’s 32%, registered a 2.73 xG against the visitors’ 0.49, fired 21 shots to West Ham’s 4, and landed five on target while the Hammers failed to test David Raya once.
West Ham offered nothing. Arsenal were in total control, complete dominance, exactly what the Gunners demand.
According to WhoScored, the stats reflected Arsenal’s authority on the day.
Rice leads, Saka celebrates a milestone
Despite Martin Odegaard’s injury and Martin Zubimendi’s introduction, Arsenal’s rhythm remained intact thanks largely to Rice.
Facing his former club, Rice shrugged off early boos from the travelling West Ham fans and delivered a midfield masterclass.
He was the Rice Gooners love to watch, disruptive, relentless, and utterly unplayable. His drive into the box in search of scraps paid off, as he reacted quickest to a ricochet off the West Ham goalie and calmly slotted home.
On Saturday evening, Rice was the heartbeat of the side, the best player on the pitch.
Bukayo Saka’s penalty to double Arsenal’s lead marked a landmark moment. He now joins elite Premier League company, reaching 100 goal involvements.
With 55 goals and 45 assists, the Arsenal No.7 becomes only the eighth Gunner to hit the century mark, doing so in his 200th league appearance.
With Liverpool falling 2-1 to Chelsea, Arsenal leapfrog them to claim top spot, one point clear.
The Gunners are now setting the pace.
The question is: can they stay there? If this is to be their year, they will need to cement their spot at the top.
Your thoughts welcome in the comments.
Daniel O
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I still couldn’t get the point why Saka took the pen when Gyo had been chosen the designated pen taker. Is it in relation to Saka’s 200 and 100 goals involvement? Hereafter is it Saka or Gyo as the primary taker? I prefer Gyo in consideration of his lack of goals. My observation is Eze was instrumental in the Rice goal and yet always Eze’s shot is straight at the goalie as you can prove it multiple times v Newcastle and even this one against West Ham. Eze’s shots are mostly speculative without seeing the position of the goalie. Hope this situation improves as he should promote from assister to scorer by finding his target far from the reach of the goalie.
Ambachew,
If I’m not mistaken Gyokeres only took the penalty he did because both Odegaard and Saka were out injured. Apologies if I’m incorrect.