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Premier League
Apr 9, 2016 at 12.45pm UK
 
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3-3

Carroll (44', 45', 52')
FT(HT: 2-2)
Ozil (18'), Sanchez (35'), Koscielny (70')

Live Commentary: West Ham United 3-3 Arsenal - as it happened

Relive the frenetic 3-3 draw between West Ham United and Arsenal in the Premier League with Sports Mole's minute-by-minute updates.
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Matchday 33 in the Premier League kicked off at the Boleyn Ground with a battle between two of the Premier League's top six as West Ham United took on Arsenal.

What followed was a gripping contest that went to and fro before eventually finishing 3-3, with Andy Carroll scoring a 10-minute hat-trick for the home side.

Relive it all with Sports Mole's minute-by-minute updates below.


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Morning morning! We have an absolutely blinding day of sport ahead of us with the Grand National, Masters round three with Spieth and McIlroy duelling and the heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Charles Martin, BUT it all starts here at the Boleyn Ground as West Ham take on Arsenal. Wooo!

On paper this should be a cracking game between two of the Premier League's top six and the team news has just been announced. Let's get to it...

WEST HAM XI: Adrian; Tomkins, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Noble, Kouyate; Antonio, Payet, Lanzini; Carroll
Subs: Randolph, Hendrie, Oxford, Obiang, Moses, Valencia, Emenike

ARSENAL XI: Ospina; Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal; Elneny, Coquelin; Welbeck, Sanchez, Ozil; Iwobi
Subs: Cech, Gibbs, Mertesacker, Chambers, Ramsey, Walcott, Giroud

What have we got here then? Well, starting with West Ham, the home side show two changes from the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace last Saturday. James Tomkins returns at right-back, so Michail Antonio pushes forward to a wide-midfield role and takes Emmanuel Emenike's place. The other change is up front, with Andy Carroll in for Diafra Sakho, who is missing altogether today.

Arsenal have won their last two matches without conceding, so perhaps no surprise that Arsene Wenger has gone with an unchanged XI. However, Petr Cech is fit again and has been left on the bench as David Ospina keeps his place. Odd decision.

Everyone expected Cech to come back today, but Wenger has stuck with the same back five and continued with Per Mertesacker as a substitute. Perhaps Wenger remembers the opening day of the season when Cech had a bit of a shocker against West Ham, who won 2-0 at the Emirates with a couple of goals that the former Chelsea man will feel he should have stopped.

Petr Cech of Arsenal concedes the second goal against West Ham United in the Premier League on August 9, 2015© Getty Images

H2H: That win in August ended a run of nine consecutive Premier League defeats against Arsenal for West Ham. If Slaven Bilic's side win today, they will do the double for the first time since 2006-07.

Back to the two squads and Arsenal welcome back Aaron Ramsey, but he does not start as Mohamed Elneny keeps his place alongside Francis Coquelin in defensive midfield. Ramsey might have also come in for young forward Alex Iwobi, but serious questions would have been asked if Wenger had dropped the latter given his current form.

The young Nigerian has stood out in the last two wins over Everton and Watford and scored on his first two Premier League starts, something only Ian Wright and Davor Suker (scored in first three) also managed in the Premier League. The 19-year-old is reportedly in talks over a new contract, but interestingly he may miss the start of next season if he goes to the Rio Olympics with Nigeria.

Alex Iwobi scores the Gunners' second during the Premier League game between Everton and Arsenal on March 19, 2016© Getty Images

Six points out of six for Arsenal, then, and that's after a largely disappointing March which saw the club exit both the FA Cup and Champions League. The two recent wins mean that the Gunners are just about still in the title race, but the gap to Leicester is 11 points, although Wenger's side do have a game in hand.

They also have a game more to play than North London rivals Spurs above them in second, but the three sides below – Man City, Man United and West Ham – have also played 31 matches so the Gunners need to keep the pace up to ensure that they do not drop out of the top four.

West Ham are unbeaten in six in the league, but they have drawn their last two 2-2 against Chelsea and Palace after three wins in a row. That means they are sixth and three behind Man City in fourth. In both recent draws Bilic was angry with the officials after Chelsea won a dubious late penalty and Cheikhou Kouyate was sent off when leading 2-1 against Palace, a red card that was later rescinded.

Disappointing not to beat the Eagles, but it was another match without defeat at the Boleyn Ground for the East Londoners. It is their final season here before they move to the Olympic Stadium this summer and they have not lost for 15 matches in any competition, a run stretching all the way back to August last year! Can Arsenal be the team to beat them today?

West Ham playmaker Dimitri Payet stole the show again last weekend, even though West Ham didn't end up winning. The Frenchman has been a revelation in his debut Premier League campaign and curled in another stunning free kick to put the Hammers 2-1 up. It was his third superb set piece in a month after fine efforts for his club and country France against Man United and Russia.

Slaven Bilic embraces Dimitri Payet during the FA Cup game between Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United on February 20, 2016© Getty Images

STAT: Payet has netted four direct free-kick goals for West Ham this season in all competitions, a haul only Chelsea's Willian can better (six).

Arsenal boss Wenger was asked about Payet in his pre-match press conference and admitted that he had watched him on several occasions before deciding against making a move for the former Marseille man because he had enough creative players. I bet Arsenal fans would like to have him!

Speaking of Wenger, he has won nine and lost just two of his 16 Premier League visits to the Boleyn Ground (W9 D5 L2). The only away grounds he's won more often at in the league are Goodison Park and Villa Park (both 10 wins).

Arsene Wenger watches the cat do a whoopsie on his beret during the Premier League game between Bournemouth and Arsenal on February 7, 2016© Getty Images

REFEREE WATCH: The man with the whistle today is Craig Pawson. Bilic will be hoping that he doesn't have to talk about the officiating again at the final whistle.

Almost time for kickoff!


PREDICTION: So it's about time I made my prediction then! West Ham have not lost at home for so long, but they might just be thinking about Wednesday's FA Cup quarter-final replay against Man United, with a place in the semi-finals against Everton at Wembley at stake. Because of that, I think Arsenal will prove too strong today – 3-1 to the visitors.

Here come the two teams out of the tunnel. Cracking atmosphere for what is the last meeting between these two at this stadium. Bring it on!



KICKOFF! West Ham get us underway on a nice spring day in the capital.

Great start from West Ham! Payet and Antonio link up down the right before the latter picks out Cresswell at the back post. The left-back's volley is dragged a little, but Lanzini is there and somehow heads wide from close range. However, the offside flag was rightly up so it wouldn't have counted anyway.

I said beforehand that Antonio would push forward to his usual winger's role, but it looks like Bilic has gone with two wing-backs and put Tomkins in a three-man central defence.

BOOKING! Pawson has a yellow card out straight away and rightly so after a nasty lunge from Carroll on Koscielny. The latter has stayed down. This does not look good for Arsenal.

Koscielny is up on his feet after over a minute stricken on the turf. Replays show that he and Carroll had an earlier clash in the air, so maybe Carroll had that in his mind when he rashly went in. Nasty tackle, but a red card would have been very harsh.

After a long passage of West Ham passing, Arsenal streak forward with Elneny. He finds Ozil on the left wing and his cutback is put behind for the game's first corner by Reid. Arsenal take it short but mess it up badly. Good start here.

Arsenal aren't tracking West Ham's wing-backs, especially Cresswell, all too well but it does mean that they look very dangerous on the counter-attack.

Sanchez beats the offside trap down the right and crosses deep to the back post where Elneny waits. The Egyptian takes it on first time on the volley and hits it well, but it's blocked instantly.

DISALLOWED! This time Lanzini doesn't miss from close range after Carroll's ambitious overhead kick, but once again he is flagged offside. HOWEVER, this time it should have counted as Bellerin was playing him onside. Tough spot for the official as Bellerin was sprinting out the other way, but West Ham should be leading!

Up the other end, Bellerin looks for Welbeck with a through-ball but it's just too strong and Tomkins does well to get across and clear. Can't see this one being 0-0!

GOAL! WEST HAM 0-1 ARSENAL (MESUT OZIL)

Nope, no goalless draw here! Ozil coolly finishes across Adrian after being found with a nice through-ball by Iwobi. West Ham wanted offside, but Ozil was level with Ogbonna and went on to finish well. Bit harsh on West Ham given that they scored a goal that was more onside than that!

Here you can see just how onside Lanzini was:


The West Ham crowd are getting agitated here. They feel that they been hard done by Pawson on several occasions and are really getting on the ref's back.

And another assist for Iwobi. What a time he's having at the moment!


Arsenal free kick floated in by Ozil and it has to be saved on the line by Adrian after the ball went all the way through the six-yard box.

Every free kick Pawson gives West Ham is greeted with huge jeers. The hosts have one here about 30 yards out, left of centre. Maybe a bit too wide for Payet, but you wouldn't put it past him shooting...

He does cross and it's a bit behind Carroll, whose header is blocked and Arsenal clear.

SHOT! Cresswell is beaten to the ball by Sanchez. Ozil then picks it up and he returns it to the Chilean, who cuts inside and shoots too close to Adrian.

Payet and Lanzini try a Beckham-Scholes corner routine, but the latter's volley is dragged well, well wide.

Into the final quarter of an hour in the first half and still this goal from Ozil separates the two teams.

Mesut Ozil celebrates scoring with Hector Bellerin during the Premier League game between West Ham United and Arsenal on April 9, 2016© Getty Images

WEST HAM 0-2 ARSENAL (ALEXIS SANCHEZ)

So clinical from Arsenal! Iwobi collects the ball in the middle and although his first touch is a little loose, he lofts the bouncing ball over the top for Sanchez, who controls and then calmly slots past Adrian.

Make that two assists and two goals for Iwobi in his first two Premier League starts!

Plenty on Twitter pointing to the fact that Arsenal always turn it on when the title is out of reach!


CLOSE! West Ham almost get one back. Carroll spins cleverly on the edge of the box and then unleashes a shot that Ospina spills before collecting at the second time of asking.

It looks like Welbeck could be in for number three, but Antonio shows electric pace to get back and does really well to shepherd the ball out of play. Even Welbeck helps him up and acknowledges the good defending.

GOAL! WEST HAM 1-2 ARSENAL (ANDY CARROLL)

Proper centre-forward's goal this as Cresswell curls over an excellent cross from the left that Carroll thunders home with a trademark header. Game on!

CLOSE! Bad time for Arsenal to concede, but they go close straight away as Monreal is found on the left of the box. Adrian stands tall and saves well. Two minutes added on.

Corner to West Ham. What an end to the half this is...

GOAL! WEST HAM 2-2 ARSENAL (ANDY CARROLL)

Get him to Euro 2016! The initial corner is half-cleared to Noble, who gets past Ozil far too easily and dinks to the back post for Carroll. He brings it down on his chest and although his initial shot is blocked, he's there for the loose ball and volleys home via a slight deflection. What a comeback from the Hammers!

HALF-TIME: WEST HAM 2-2 ARSENAL

Good grief, what a half! It was a feisty contest throughout but Arsenal's clinical finishing had them 2-0 up until just before the break when Carroll netted twice in quick succession to restore parity. The second half can't come quick enough and we'll be back shortly for it. Don't you dare go anywhere!

WEST HAM SUB: Back out for the second half and Bilic has made a change, taking off Tomkins and replacing him with Emenike. That will see the hosts' return to a four-man backline.

KICKOFF! It's Arsenal who get us back underway and the sun is shining at the start of the second half.

Superb end to the half for West Ham and Carroll, but he's just hit Gabriel in the face with an arm while challenging for the ball and he needs to be careful being on a yellow card.

Andy Bloody Carroll scores his side's second during the Premier League game between West Ham United and Arsenal on April 9, 2016© Getty Images

Payet feeds the ball in to Lanzini and he goes down under Bellerin's challenge. "Penalty!" cry the West Ham fans, but Pawson says no and I agree with the ref. Not much in that.

DISALLOWED! Payet sweeps the ball into an empty net, but Pawson has blown for a free kick as Carroll hauled over Koscielny as the two jostled in the box. The supporters are livid, but it was the correct decision.

GOAL! WEST HAM 3-2 ARSENAL (ANDY CARROLL, HAT-TRICK)

Incredible! Carroll has three goals in 10 minutes either side of half time! Antonio beats his man down the right and dinks to the back post where Carroll has pulled away brilliantly and thumps home a header. Gabriel tried to get back and divert it away but could only help it on its way in. What a decision from Bilic to start Carroll today.

My word, what a turnaround at the Boleyn Ground. Bilic said before the match that he thought Carroll would cause Arsenal more problems than either Sakho or Valencia and my word how he has been proved right.

Payet crosses from the right and Carroll's closing in, but this time there's no goal for the big man.

ARSENAL SUB: First Gunners' change and it's a return after about a month out for Ramsey, who takes Coquelin's place.

So stupid from Elneny as he grabs Payet when the ball was rolling out of play. Free kick on the right wing...

West Ham have done pretty well since going in front for the first time. Noble just made an excellent tackle to deny Sanchez a shooting opportunity in the box.

It was actually about 10 minutes if you include first-half stoppage time, but still!


ARSENAL SUB: Attacking change by Wenger as he takes off Elneny for Olivier Giroud.

OFF THE LINE! How did that stay out! An Arsenal corner is only cleared to Monreal on the edge of the box and his low shot is firmly struck and destined for the net, only for Lanzini to make a brilliant goalline clearance. Superb stuff.

GOAL! WEST HAM 3-3 ARSENAL (LAURENT KOSCIELNY)

We're level again and you have to say that goal had been coming the last couple of minutes. Ozil is in down the right and his cutback is helped on by Welbeck before Koscielny, who was up for a corner, fires home. Top finish from the centre-back and we've got 20 minutes left to settle this!

Gabriel is a lucky not to be at least booked here. Carroll fouls him initially, but then the Brazilian aims his studs towards the striker's knee as he rolled over on the turf. Pawson lets him off.

SHOT! Payet is given time and space about 25 yards out and tries to sneak a cheeky effort inside the near post, but Ospina is alert and makes the save.

It's so open as both teams chase a winner here. West Ham get in behind but make a mess of a good situation as Payet, Lanzini and Carroll fail to take advantage.

Down the other end it's Monreal who crosses for Giroud. The Frenchman tries to loop a header over Adrian but it drops wide.

SHOT! Arsenal give Cresswell space and he likes a shot, dipping one towards the far corner that Ospina can only parry out for a corner.

Carroll meets Payet's floated delivery and loops a header up into the air. Reid is there to try to divert it on target, but the defender can only find the side-netting.

CHANCE! Sanchez waits and waits to get off his shot before West Ham get the ball away. He should have shot earlier, but tried to be too clever. Payet tries to find Carroll at the other end, but it's overhit. Will we get a seventh goal?!

ARSENAL SUB: Third and final change as Theo Walcott replaces Welbeck. West Ham still have two changes to make, by the way.

It's still very much end-to-end but you'd probably say that Arsenal look the fresher of the two teams.

SHOT! The ball breaks Payet's way out on the left and he takes on an audacious first-time shot, ballooning it over the bar. THREE minutes added on.

Not sure how Reid hasn't been booked here after stopping an Arsenal counter-attack by wiping out Sanchez. Pawson has been very lenient today.

BOOKING! Antonio is booked for a similarly cynical foul on Ozil, though.

FULL-TIME: WEST HAM 3-3 ARSENAL

Andy Carroll celebrates during the Premier League game between West Ham United and Arsenal on April 9, 2016© Getty Images

What an enthralling game that was! As has been the case in many Premier League matches this season, defending from both was questionable, but it was fantastic viewing for the neutral. Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead as Andy Carroll netted three in 10 minutes either side of half time, but the Gunners fought back to earn a point. It's probably not enough for them, though, and Leicester could go 13 clear if they win against Sunderland.

West Ham are still in the top-four race, as you can see here, but they'll be disappointed as well. I'm afraid that's all we've got time for, but head back to the homepage for plenty more LIVE Premier League action. Enjoy!

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