Declan Rice scored against his former club as Arsenal moved top of the Premier League with a comfortable 2-0 win over West Ham.
2025/2026 Premier League
2-0
Match Report
Rice guided home a first-half opener after Eberechi Eze's shot had been parried but declined to celebrate despite having been jeered by the travelling fans inside the Emirates Stadium.
Bukayo Saka made the result safe on his 200th Arsenal appearance when he converted from the penalty spot after Malick Diouf had fouled Jurrien Timber in the second period.
The victory puts Arsenal a point ahead of Liverpool ahead of their game against Chelsea, live on Sky Sports in Saturday's late kick-off, but also featured a fresh injury blow to Martin Odegaard.
The Arsenal captain, who had only just returned from a shoulder problem, became the first player in Premier League history to be substituted before half-time in three consecutive starts when he was withdrawn for Martin Zubimendi after hurting his knee in a collision with West Ham's Crysencio Summerville.
Odegaard was able to walk off but his injury is just the latest to affect Arsenal this term, with Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, Piero Hincapie and Gabriel Jesus already sidelined, and Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Ben White and Christian Norgaard having also had spells out.
Odegaard's early withdrawal meant Arsenal fans only had half an hour to watch him and Eze start in midfield together for the first time. The latter missed a glorious chance to open the scoring when he ballooned a shot over in the first half.
Viktor Gyokeres also had chances but couldn't convert a string of cut-backs, while Riccardo Calafiori saw a low shot cleared off the line after it had come back off the post and struck Alphonse Areola.
The host dominated throughout, with West Ham's only meaningful chance coming in the first couple of minutes, when Niclas Fullkrug headed wide from a corner, as new boss Nuno Espirito Santo was given a reminder of the size of his task at the club.
West Ham had won their last two visits to the Emirates Stadium but couldn't muster a shot on target this time as their fifth defeat of the campaign left them 19th.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
1' Fullkrug's header from close range goes high over the bar
6' Timber beats the defender and lashes a shot but the keeper denies him
13' Eze misses a rebound from close range as his effort flies narrowly over the bar
21' Odegaard is clearly asking for some medical attention with his painful gestures
24' Saka has the ball into the net but it's been ruled out for offside
29' Odegaard suffers an injury and Zubimendi comes on
32' Saka delivers a cross into the box but Trossard's effort is blocked
35' West Ham player seems to have a hand-ball in the box but the ref takes no action
38' GOAL! Rice unleashes a quick shot into the top of the net! Arsenal 1-0 West Ham
49' Calafiori gets to a rebound and strikes but he hits the right post
51' Saka latches onto a rebound and fires the ball into the stands
67' GOAL! Saka makes no mistake and scores the penalty! Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
74' Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly have come on for Trossard and Calafiori
81' Merino gets to the ball from the resulting corner but his effort is blocked
84' Merino latches onto the free kick but pushes his header high over the bar
87' Paqueta is brought down by Merino
92' Highlight from Arsenal vs West Ham
Line-ups
Arsenal XI: Trossard, David Raya, Ødegaard, Rice, Viktor Gyökeres, Gabriel, Eberechi Eze, Saliba, Saka, Timber, Calafiori
Subs: Christian Nørgaard, Kepa, Merino, Ben White, Martín Zubimendi, Martinelli, Cristhian Mosquera, Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly
West Ham XI: Areola, Füllkrug, Bowen, Mavropanos, Paqueta, Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Soungoutou Magassa, Mateus Fernandes, El Hadji Malick Diouf
Subs: Callum Wilson, G. Rodriguez, Walker-Peters, Igor, Mads Hermansen, Freddie Potts, Callum Marshall, Luis Guilherme, Oliver Scarles