"Wow" - Darren Bent amazed by what he saw at half-time during Arsenal's 6-0 thrashing of West Ham
Darren Bent was amazed by the number of people who left the stadium before hal-time during Arsenal's 6-0 win over West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday, February 11.
The Gunners ran riot against the Hammers upon Declan Rice's return to West Ham following his reported €116.6 million move to the Emirates Stadium last summer.
William Saliba opened the scoring from a corner in the 32nd minute, after which Bukayo Saka converted from the spot to double his side's lead (41'). Gabriel headed home another set piece just three minutes later, while Leandro Trossard grabbed a fourth in first-half injury time (45+2').
With David Moyes' side four goals down before the half-time whistle, the cameras panned towards several West Ham fans who seemingly exited the ground.
At the time, Bent wrote on his X account:
"I've never seen so many people leave before half time wow."
Arsenal would continue to dominate proceedings after the interval, with Saka bagging his second in the 63rd minute. The night was capped off in fine fashion as Rice struck home a shot from outside the box to score the game's final goal (65').
Mikel Arteta's side kept 71 percent possession, took 25 shots compared to West Ham's five, and found the target 12 times. Following the win, the Gunners are third in the league, level on points with second-placed Manchester City and two behind league leaders Liverpool.
Meanwhile, the Hammers are eighth, level on points with seventh-placed Newcastle United and 11 behind the top four.
Mikel Arteta reacts to Bukayo Saka's substitution in Arsenal's 6-0 win against West Ham
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was asked if he could've left Bukayo Saka on the pitch to complete a hat-trick against West Ham United on Sunday. The English winger grabbed a brace and was withdrawn in the 67th minute.
Responding to the question, Arteta said (via the club's official website):
"No, I thought that it was time [to take him off] as well because he played so many minutes so we had to give him a rest and to give an opportunity to someone else to step in."
Saka has nearly played 2000 minutes in the Premier League this season, scoring 10 goals and assisting eight. He has started every single league match for the Gunners this season, barring the 1-0 win against Manchester City (October 8) due to an injury.
Saka's substitution allowed Reiss Nelson to get some minutes. The latter has played just 136 minutes of Premier League football this season and is yet to register a goal contribution.