Arsenal beat West Ham United 5-2 at the London Stadium on Saturday evening thanks to a stunning 26-minute first-half attacking display.
The Gunners started off brilliantly, with a Gabriel header opening the scoring before a sublime team move put them 2-0 up.
And it only got better, with Martin Odegaard’s penalty and a Kai Havertz strike meaning they were 4-0 up on 36 minutes.
Miraculously, West Ham were soon back in it after Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson struck twice in as many minutes, though Bukayo Saka converted another penalty to make it 5-2 at half-time.
There was plenty of expectation ahead of the second half but it turned out to be a drab affair, with neither side having any chances of note as the visitors closed out the match to return to second in the Premier League table.
Meanwhile, Arsenal were dealt a fresh double injury blow before their Premier League London derby with West Ham United, as Thomas Partey and Mikel Merino were both forced out of the squad.
The Gunners were only expected to travel to the London Stadium without the services of Ben Whiteand Takehiro Tomiyasu, both of whom are on the long road back from knee injuries.
Gabriel Magalhaes was also a fresh doubt after suffering an unspecified issue against Sporting Lisbon in Tuesday’s 5-1 Champions League win, and Arteta only offered a vague three-word update on his condition on Friday.
However, Gabriel was fit to take his place in the middle of the Gunners’ backline in the capital, although there was no space for either Merino or Partey in Arteta’s matchday squad.
The Gunners subsequently confirmed on X that summer signing Merino was nursing a knee injury, while Partey missed out due to a muscle problem, but there is no indication how severe their respective problems are.
By Agencies
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