West Ham 2-5 Arsenal: Five-star visitors run rampant in first-half goal fest

Arsenal moved up to second in the Premier League after a rampant first-half performance propelled them to a 5-2 victory over West Ham.

All of the goals came in a remarkable opening 45 minutes at London Stadium, with Arsenal racing into a 4-0 lead after just 36 minutes.

Gabriel Magalhaes opened the scoring just 10 minutes in before Leandro Trossard tucked home their second just before the half-hour mark.

Martin Odegaard then drilled it in from the spot, while Kai Havertz punished some slack defending to beat Lukasz Fabianski one-on-one.

Yet quickfire strikes from Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson, who picked out the top corner with a stunning free-kick, gave West Ham hope, though their chances of a comeback were quashed shortly before the break.

Bukayo Saka, who also provided two assists, added Arsenal’s fifth from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time after Fabianski clattered Gabriel while attempting to clear a corner.

It is only the fourth time in Premier League history that there have been seven goals scored in a single half, but the Gunners put in a more measured display after the interval to ensure there was no hint of drama.

Arsenal now sit six points behind leaders Liverpool, who face a heavyweight clash with Manchester City on Sunday, while West Ham remain in 14th.

A dominant London derby win pic.twitter.com/Kufu1PjMbO

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 30, 2024

Data Debrief: Away day joy

Arsenal were without a win in four on the road in the Premier League, but they put that right in style on Saturday as they cruised past West Ham in the first half.

The Gunners have now scored 5+ goals in five different away games in all competitions in 2024, the joint-most in a single calendar year by an English top-flight side since Sunderland (1892) and Man City (1937).

Saka ran the show for them, registering his 10th assist in 13 Premier League games this season, while he has been involved in 15 goals in the competition overall this season (five goals).

Any positivity from West Ham’s win over Newcastle United on Monday looks to have already vanished – they have conceded more goals than any other side in the Premier League this calendar year (68), shipping 5+ goals on four occasions.