Arsenal vs West Ham: Arsenal on Wednesday crashed out of the EFL losing to fellow London club West Ham 3-0. A first half own goal from Ben White and two great goals in the second half by Mohamed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen sealed the tie for David Moyes’ side. West Ham advanced to the quarter-finals of the EFL cup courtesy of the victory.
David Moyes made five changes to his team which lost 1-0 to Everton at the weekend. Fabianski got a rare start in goal, while Mavropanos took on his former side. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta made six changes to the team that beat Sheffield United 5-0, with Ramsdale back in goal for the first time since September. He was also joined in the starting XI by Gabriel, Vieira, Jorginho, Nelson and Trossard.
In all competitions, Arsenal had lost just two of their last 32 matches against West Ham United (W24 D6), although they squandered a 2-0 lead in their most recent meeting in April to draw 2-2.
Arsenal started the game strongly, with Nketiah looking especially lively. However, the Gunners conceded a freak goal when Arsenal right back Ben White turned a Bowen corner into his own goal. The former Brighton ace met the delivery at the near post, but he glanced the ball back towards his own goal, giving Ramsdale no chance between the sticks. Arsenal tried hard but failed to restore parity as the first half drew to a close.
West Ham doubled their lead right after the beginning of second half. A moment of magic from Kudus doubled West Ham’s lead at the London Stadium. Aguerd’s long-ball picked out his team-mate at the far post, but he made everything happen. Kudus’ first touch was a sight to behold, and his second was just as good. After trapping the ball with his right foot, the forward smashed his shot across the goal and past Ramsdale. Bowen added the third for the Hammers as Arsenal looked down and out. Substitute Martin Odegaard scored at the death for Gunners.
Arsenal vs West Ham XI
Arsenal XI – Aaron Ramsdale; Ben White, Jakub Kiwior, Gabriel, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Kai Havertz, Jorginho, Fabio Vieira; Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, Leandro Trossard.
West Ham XI – Lukasz Fabianski; Vladimir Coufal, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Nayef Aguerd, Emerson; Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez; Mohammed Kudus, Said Benrahma, Lucas Paqueta; Jarrod Bowen.
