Arsenal beat West Ham in chaotic Premier League clash

LONDON – Trailing 4-0 after just 36 minutes, there was a danger that Julen Lopetegui would be the only person associated with West Ham in the stands.

The Hammers coach, suspended for a game on the sidelines after receiving three yellow cards this season, watched from a high vantage point as fans streamed out of the London Stadium around him before half-time, in disbelief at the chaos Shaking his head Arsenal collapsed downstairs. And yet four minutes later West Ham had scored two goals out of nowhere. Hope was revived.

Just as the Hammers were putting themselves in position to mount a second-half comeback, goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski beat Gabriel Magalhães and conceded a penalty, which Bukayo Saka converted to give the Gunners a 5-2 lead at half-time.

It was, quite simply, absolute madness – a great advertisement for the brilliantly chaotic, incredibly unpredictable Premier League product that is one of the UK’s most successful global exports across the board. In the end, the seven goals in the first half represented a league record set in three other games, the last of which was between Reading and Manchester United in December 2012.

Given the relative lack of empty seats – most of the beleaguered West Ham fans returned anyway – it was amusing that just when it looked like there would be more of the same after the break, the second game was goalless and uncompetitive . It felt like the proverbial early night in bed after happy hour hedonism. With about 15 minutes left, they set off again. As always, it is hope that kills you as a sports fan and West Ham’s hope had long since been extinguished.

It’s hard to draw any meaningful conclusions from games like this, but it should still be noted that after Arsenal needed a set-piece to break the deadlock, Arsenal’s football was at times a combination of divine and deadly.

Gabriel Magalhães’ 10th-minute header was the final act of a set-piece that will earn Arsenal new plaudits despite their well-documented strength in such situations. Running from the far post to the near post, the Gunners were a blur of motion, with perhaps the most clever move being Jurriën Timber’s gentle push on Lucas Paquetá to ensure Saka’s shot hit Gabriel unmolested.

If the dark arts helped break the deadlock, Arsenal actually stepped into the light.

Crysencio Summerville’s shot in the 17th minute was correctly ruled out for offside, but West Ham were then overrun, Martin Ødegaard and Saka combining brilliantly to ensure an easy finish for Leandro Trossard. Then Saka slipped into the penalty area and Paqueta could do nothing but bring him down. Ødegaard converted. Trossard then released Kai Havertz, who passed deep past Fabianski, starting the first mini-exodus.

West Ham were the heavyweights, knowing they were losing on points, so they became hopeful haymakers. For some unknown reason they began to land. Carlos Soler had too much space in Arsenal’s defensive third, but his pass was brilliantly executed, allowing Aaron Wan-Bissaka to fire it home. Wan-Bissaka had scored two goals in 182 Premier League games, now he has scored two goals in six days. Because why not?

Perhaps even more improbably, Declan Rice conceded a dubious free-kick that was awarded after a foul on Paqueta, and Emerson Palmieri curled a stunning free-kick onto the crossbar from 25 yards. It was the left-back’s second goal in 20 months.

Just as the visitors’ sudden loss of composure brought back memories of Arsenal’s 4-4 draw at Newcastle in February 2011 – the only time a Premier League team has failed to win a game in which they were down by four in the first half Goals Lead – Fabianski Trying to take a corner, Gabriel mistakenly hit the ground and Saka converted the penalty to close the score. Luckily, the three-goal lead was enough for them.

Arteta was pleased with Arsenal’s return to flow, largely sparked by Ødegaard’s return to the starting lineup; It is no coincidence that the Norwegian playmaker’s re-integration came in a week when the Gunners scored 13 goals for the first time since 2008, including five in the Champions League.

After this game there was a warning that also proved to be prophetic. “Before and after half-time you have to get through those 10 to 15 minutes in different ways,” Arteta said after Tuesday’s 5-1 win in Lisbon. “We gave away so many balls and that doesn’t allow for results.”

There was a similar sloppy phase here, and at some point it could become a topic of conversation. But not today, not after a 45-minute period that ranks among the most turbulent in recent memory.