West Ham vs. Arsenal: Winners and Losers from Premier League London Derby
West Ham United and Arsenal drew 3-3 on Saturday in a thrilling Premier League match that saw the visitors' slim title hopes dim even further.
Arsenal took a two-goal lead by the 35th minute via Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, but Andy Carroll netted twice before the break to pull West Ham level. Carroll completed his hat-trick early in the second half before Laurent Koscielny rescued a draw for the visitors with a 70th-minute strike.
With the result, Arsenal could only move 10 points behind leaders Leicester City with six matches to go. West Ham climbed within two points of Manchester City in the race for the Premier League's fourth and final UEFA Champions League spot.
Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Andy Carroll
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Should he have been sent off at some point? Probably. Was his hair an absolute affront to all of humanity? No doubt.
But make no mistake: Andy Carroll was the star performer of this game.
Slaven Bilic handed Carroll a rare start at the top of West Ham's formation, and it turned out to be an inspired decision as the big man powered in a stunning hat-trick that nearly earned the Hammers all three points.
Carroll proved a handful for Arsenal's back line throughout the match, and for an eight-minute run that bridged the first and second halves, he was unstoppable. His first goal, a firm header, brought West Ham back into the game. His second, a well-taken volley, leveled the score at halftime.
The third, another towering header, set the Hammers on course for an unlikely comeback victory. It didn't end up that way, but Carroll's contribution was obviously that of a match-winner.
All the while, the big striker walked the disciplinary tightrope effectively, tormenting Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel Paulista with his physicality and aggressive approach. Arsenal simply had no answer for Carroll, and his massive day has all but ended any lingering title hopes the Gunners might have been clinging to.
“Three goals I think gives it away," Carroll told BT Sport (h/t BBC Sport) when asked if this was his best game for West Ham. “We’ve been practising crosses all week. They’ve conceded from crosses and it paid off."
So, then. After this showing, should Carroll be in the picture for England's UEFA Euro 2016 squad? Such talk might be a bit premature after only one game, but if Roy Hodgson is looking for a certain sort of player, why not?
"I know @stevenwyeth among many who disagree but Carroll should go to Euros. Different option - and sometimes refs let him get away with it," tweeted BBC Sport's Simon Stone.
Loser: Gabriel Paulista
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None of Arsenal's back four wrapped themselves in glory on this day, but the worst offender of the bunch might have been Brazilian center back Gabriel Paulista.
As noted in the previous slide, Gabriel (and Laurent Koscielny, for that matter), had no answer for Andy Carroll's physicality. Whenever the ball flew into the box, it seemed only one outcome was possible.
For Carroll's second strike, Gabriel stood way too far off the ball, giving the Hammers' striker loads of time and space inside the box. And on the third, he could only redirect the ball into his own net as goalkeeper David Ospina attempted to save.
All of this is very bad news for Arsenal, who surely must go into the transfer market to find a central defender this summer. Age and a lack of pace have caught up to Per Mertesacker, whose place in Arsenal's starting XI is no longer certain. But Gabriel has some way to go if he wants to claim that spot as his own.
Winner: Slaven Bilic
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Four points from two games against Arsenal. Two points away from the top four (albeit with Manchester City set to play later Saturday). Slaven Bilic has West Ham United playing great football and challenging the big boys in the upper reaches of the table.
If you watched this game, you'll have no doubts as to why that is. Carroll was the battering ram, but Dimitri Payet was brilliant again, making many of Arsenal's players look silly with flicks and tricks and all manner of flair.
While the back line has clear issues, the attack is stout. The Hammers are fully capable of matching a top-four opponent for skill, pace and power.
Give full credit for that to Bilic, who also made a key change at halftime, shifting his back three to a back four. It didn't result in a win, but it did stabilize the side, and on another day, West Ham might have held on for the full three points.
Especially if a few key refereeing decisions had gone their way.
Loser: Arsene Wenger
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What now, Arsene?
If Arsenal had been clinging to any desperate hopes of overtaking Leicester City with an unlikely title run, that belief must now be gone. At 2-0 up, the Gunners might have been justified in dreaming of a miracle, but that can no longer be the case.
With six games to go, Arsenal sit 10 points behind Leicester. Winning the league wouldn't just be a wonder, it would probably require supernatural intervention.
"I’m not here after the game to blame the players. We are disappointed to concede three goals. Particularly after 2-1. Overall it’s a shame," Wenger said, per BBC Sport. "Do we still have an opportunity to win the title? I don’t know. We made it more difficult today."
Obviously. And although he didn't want to assign blame, Wenger should know that he and his players can only blame themselves. Not just for today, but for the whole season.
In other seasons, when the riches of Chelsea or Manchester City have proved decisive, the Frenchman could almost make excuses. But what of Leicester? This is no mega-club with mega money. This is an unheralded side with a wage bill that amounts to a fraction of Arsenal's.
And yet Arsenal are still so far away.
Some of the same old issues remain, especially the team's difficulty playing against a big, physical center forward. If Wenger is going to stick around for yet another season—and there's no reason to believe Arsenal will rid themselves of him—the Frenchman must solve some of them.
But at this point, do you really believe he will?
Winner: Alex Iwobi
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For 35 minutes, almost everything was going well for Arsenal. West Ham saw a goal ruled out controversially, and the visitors scored twice to take what appeared to be complete control of the match.
The final 55 minutes made a mockery of that notion, but let's not overlook the role Alex Iwobi played in the early stages. Selected again in midfield, the 19-year-old Nigerian showed the same skills, pace and confidence that have marked all of his displays thus far for Arsenal.
Iwobi's 18th-minute pass set up Mesut Ozil for the opener, and he then assisted Alexis Sanchez with an outstanding 35th-minute chip. To that point, the teenager was perhaps the standout performer on the pitch.
"2 goals & 2 assists in 3 PL starts for Iwobi," tweeted OptaJean's David Wall. "Technique, vision, pace. Early days but he's already earned a starting role."
There's no denying the disappointment this season has produced for Arsenal, but Iwobi's emergence has been a welcome surprise.
