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.
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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.
Arsenal
David Ospina – 5
The Colombian shot-stopper was not totally protected by his defence and had to deal with most of the crosses that came into the box. He was not commanding at all but made sure the Hammers did not score more than three.
Ospina could have done better with the first goal but the rest were difficult to stop. He made some great saves to deny Payet and Cresswell in the second half.
Hector Bellerin – 5
The Spaniard struggled with the height of Carroll and was caught under him for the third and final goal. He played the attackers on when Lanzini scored but was saved by the linesman. He did not provide much going forward to his side and struggled to keep the crosses out from Payet and Cresswell.
Gabriel Paulista – 5
The Brazilian must be disappointed with his performance as he was always present near Carroll but could not manage to stop him from scoring. He should have stopped the second goal from Carroll as it rebounded off him and went to the striker.
Gabriel was also there in front of Ospina, stopping his vision, for the third goal.
Laurent Koscielny – 6
The Frenchman was well tested throughout the game by the likes of Payet and Carroll. He was there to make crucial interceptions and covered well for Gabriel and Monreal but was caught unaware when Carroll got behind him for the first goal. He did equalise for the Gunners late into the game for a share of the points.
Nacho Monreal – 5
The left-back struggled against the likes of Antonio and Cresswell but made several clearances in the second half and shot at the West Ham goal from long range which was cleared off the line by Lanzini.
The Spanish defender could not match the pace and strength of Antonio or stop Carroll for the first goal.
Francis Coquelin – 5
The Frenchman did not have the best of games after the 40th-minute mark. He did well early on to break up the play and retain possession but as the game went on, he struggled to impose himself in the midfield.
He should have pressed Cresswell when the West Ham man crossed for Carroll to make it 2-1 and was brought off to provide a more attacking option to the Gunners.
Mohamed Elneny – 7
The Egyptian was one of the better players for Arsenal and did well in the middle to win back possession. He widened the play on many occasions for his side but lost the battle in the latter stages of the game to Noble and Cresswell.
Mesut Ozil – 7
The German magician was very good during the first half but went missing in the second which affected his team’s performance. His vision and passing got him through early on for the first goal of the game as he finished well but he seemed to tire as the game progressed.
Alexis Sanchez – 7
The Chilean was good throughout the game for the Gunners. He scored the second goal of the game as Iwobi found him with a chipped pass.
The energetic forward should have given his side the lead when he had the chance to shoot on his left foot but decided to shift it to his right, only for the opportunity to be denied by the West Ham defenders.
Alex Iwobi – 8
It was a typical Alex Iwobi performance again, starting the game brightly and linking up well with Ozil and Alexis. He was always in control and contributed with his two assists. His first was an exquisite through ball for Ozil and the second was a wonderful chipped pass to Alexis.
Danny Welbeck – 5
Just like against Watford, the English striker was good throughout, showing sharpness and helping in the attacks. He had a good partnership with Iwobi and had plenty of chances throughout the game. Ozil’s cut-back for Koscielny’s goal was deflected off him.
Substitutes
Olivier Giroud – 7
The French striker replaced Elneny in the 68th minute. He linked up well with Ozil for Koscielny’s goal. His contribution included directing Monreal’s difficult crosses towards Adrian. He did make an impact on the game as the attacks from West Ham were stopped after he came on.
Theo Walcott – NA
Walcott came on to replace Welbeck in the 81st minute and had a very good chance to drive in a cross as the last action of the game, but instead had a tame shot at goal which was saved comfortably by Adrian.
Aaron Ramsey – 6
The Welshman came on for Coquelin after the hour mark and was good on the ball. He was a good change as he had the attacking intent.
