Arsenal vs. West Ham United: Winners and Losers from London Derby
Arsenal beat West Ham United 3-0 to tighten their grip on third place in the Premier League.
The Gunners are now firm favourites to secure qualification for next season's Champions League. Sam Allardyce's West Ham, who at one stage spoke of similar ambitions, are now in free fall.
In this piece, we look at the winners and losers from this encounter at the Emirates Stadium.
Winner: Aaron Ramsey
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On his first start since recovering from his latest hamstring injury, Aaron Ramsey produced the sort of all-action display that made him Arsenal’s Player of the Season in 2013/14.
He capped it off with a goal, combining well with Olivier Giroud before planting a neat side-footed finish beyond Adrian.
Moving forward, Ramsey’s return will allow Arsenal to play with a more physical central midfield when required.
Loser: Theo Walcott
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Given a rare opportunity to play from start, Theo Walcott will be disappointed with his performance.
Not only did he miss a succession of presentable opportunities, but he also left his full-back Calum Chambers exposed all too frequently.
This display showed exactly why Walcott has been left on the bench of late.
Winner: Olivier Giroud
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Olivier Giroud’s spectacular form in 2014/15 continues. The Frenchman now has 11 goals in 18 Premier League games, and his strike against West Ham was one of his most eye-catching of the campaign thus far. After an electric passing move, Giroud thumped a shot which swerved spectacularly into the far corner.
However, this performance was about more than just the goal. Giroud gave a masterclass in centre-forward play, creating a goal for Aaron Ramsey and generally providing a focal point for Arsenal’s impressive attack.
Loser: Alex Song
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On his first return to the Emirates Stadium since returning to the Premier League, former Arsenal man Alex Song would have been desperate for a positive result.
However, although he put in a competent individual display, he could not help the Hammers grind out a point against Arsenal.
At the start of the season, many Arsenal fans openly queried Arsene Wenger’s decision to let Song join West Ham. However, the subsequent emergence of Francis Coquelin has put an emphatic end to that particular complaint.
Winner: Adrian
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Despite dislocating a finger in the warm-up, Spanish shot-stopper Adrian produced a magnificent performance to keep the final score within the bounds of respectability.
In the course of the game, he made six saves. Were it not for his acrobatic heroics, the Hammers would surely have found themselves on the end of an even more resounding thumping.
Loser: Calum Chambers
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Although Calum Chambers had a good game going forward, his vulnerability at right-back was regularly exposed by the pace of Matt Jarvis.
Chambers is a tidy footballer but not the quickest, and that can make him a target for nippy wingers. He increasingly looks like a player who will end up as a centre-half or holding midfielder.
It’s worth pointing out that he wasn’t helped by having Theo Walcott in front of him. Although ostensibly a winger, Walcott is often guilty of drifting infield and leaving his full-back without sufficient protection.
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