West Ham United 3-3 Arsenal: Player ratings
The race for the Premier League title was left with only two sides realistically now in contention as Arsenal were held to a 3-3 draw by West Ham United at the Boleyn Ground. The game saw the Hammers falling 2-0 behind to goals from Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez but Andy Carroll rose from the dead to make it 2-2 at the break.
The striker got his hat-trick after the break and gave West Ham a 3-2 lead but Laurent Koscielny popped up for Arsenal with an equaliser which made it 3-3 to leave the Gunners 10 points off leaders Leicester City with 6 games to go.
Let’s analyse how the players from both the sides fared:
West Ham United
Adrian – 5
The Spanish goalkeeper was good with his handling throughout the game but he could have played a part in the first two goals to deny Ozil and Sanchez in order to deny them space to shoot on goal.
He took a lot of time to clear the ball on several occasions, and almost paid the price once when Danny Welbeck got the ball off his feet but only behind for a goal-kick.
Winston Reid – 7
The New Zealander was very good for the hosts. He did well to restrict Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez early on and did not give them any space to create many opportunities through the middle of the pitch.
He was there to make key interceptions, tackles and blocks on numerous occasions and covered well for his fellow defenders.
Angelo Ogbonna – 5
The former Juventus man was anonymous on many occasions during the game. Ogbonna struggled to keep out the Arsenal attackers and was almost caught regularly by the clever through and over-the-top balls from the likes of Ozil and Iwobi.
James Tomkins – 4
The English defender was troubled in the first half with both the goals conceded from his side of the pitch. He did not have to deal with Monreal early on, but the likes of Iwobi, Ozil and Sanchez got behind him on a couple of occasions. He was taken off at half-time by his manager.
Aaron Cresswell – 7
The wingback was key to Andy Carroll’s hat-trick. Cresswell got forward regularly and curled in some wonderful crosses for the striker, who made the most of the opportunities.
However, his defensive play was exposed on a couple of occasions as Iwobi got on the ball. He did manage to break up the play to deny Arsenal.
Michail Antonio – 7
Antonio was very impressive for the Hammers as he broke up play regularly for the opposition and tracked back on the counter attacks as well. He did not allow Bellerin much space and was always there to defend when the Arsenal had the ball. He was very good and supportive in attack as well.
Cheikhou Kouyate – 5
The defensive midfielder was unable to make the right passes to his front three. He struggled to win the ball from his opponents and could not keep possession. The Senegalese failed to make any real impact on the game.
Mark Noble – 6
The midfielder was a key player for his side throughout the game. He dealt with the likes of Iwobi and Mesut Ozil well and did not give them enough space to work out their passes. He was there to provide crosses to Carroll and it reaped his side a crucial goal.
Manuel Lanzini – 7
The Argentine midfielder was very good throughout the game as he provided key passes for his teammates on the counter. He linked up well with Payet and the pair made it difficult for Arsenal in defending their lines. He scored a headed goal early in the game which was falsely adjudged offside.
Dimitri Payet – 6
The Frenchman was very energetic but lacked the killer instinct. He went close with several opportunities, testing Ospina with his free-kicks and corner deliveries. He was an attacking threat for the opposition throughout the game.
Andy Carroll – 9
The English striker scored all the three goals for his side to give them the lead in the game. He showed why is considered a threat in the air by converting most of the crosses into goal scoring chances. He was clinical in his forward play and made sure he did what was required of him to help his side.
Substitutes
Emmanuel Emenike – 6
He was introduced on the right side of the pitch by Slaven Bilic and replaced Tomkins. He was able to keep Monreal on the defence for most of the game.