In a thrilling encounter at the London Stadium, West Ham and Arsenal played out a 2-2 draw. Arsenal got off to a flying start, with two quickfire goals inside the first 10 minutes.
The first goal came in the 7th minute, with a beautiful piece of team play. Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard combined to set up Ben White, who delivered a low cross across the six-yard box for Gabriel Jesus to tap home from close range.
Just three minutes later, Arsenal doubled their lead. Gabriel Martinelli showed great determination to recover from what looked like a nasty injury, before crossing for Odegaard to score at the far post.
West Ham responded well and pulled one back in the 33rd minute, with Said Benrahma converting from the penalty spot after being fouled by Gabriel. The home side continued to press for an equalizer and were rewarded early in the second half.
Arsenal were given a lifeline to restore their two-goal lead when Bukayo Saka was awarded a penalty, but he failed to convert from the spot. And West Ham capitalized on the let-off, with Jarod Bowen leveling the score in the 54th minute with a well-taken finish.
Both sides had chances to win it late on, with Michail Antonio and Nicolas Pepe going close, but the game ultimately ended in a draw.
The result is a blow for Arsenal’s hopes of challenging for the Premier League title, with Manchester City now just four points behind with a game in hand. West Ham, on the other hand, will be pleased to have earned a point against one of their top-six rivals.
🔴 Live Blog
Goal! West Ham 2-2 Arsenal
BOWEN TURNS IT AROUND! A looping ball into the box by Kehrer is finished off with a fine volley.
Penalty Miss
Saka to take… OVER!
A penalty for Arsenal!
A HUGE chance! Antonio handles Martinelli’s effort.
Half-time
A game that was very much over is now very much on! The Hammers have halved their deficit after falling two goals down only ten minutes into this London derby.
Goal! West Ham 1-2 Arsenal
West Ham have been gifted a way back into it and suddenly the crowd are back in the game. They’ve got to capitalise now on this period before half-time.
Penalty
Gabriel brings down Paqueta after sloppy play from Partey!
Goal! West Ham 0-2 Arsenal
There were momentary injury fears for Martinelli but he picks himself up to dink a delightful cross from the left, which Odegaard spots perfectly to net at the far post!
Goal! West Ham 0-1 Arsenal
Lovely, lovely football from Arsenal as Partey and Odegaard combine to find White on the overlap. A cool ball across the six-yard box finds Jesus for a tap-in!
Kick Off!
And so it begins!
Starting XI
A tight groin injury for the left-back has been confirmed by the Gunners, meaning Kieran Tierney gets his start. It’s otherwise unchanged for Arsenal with Eddie Nketiah back on the bench.
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