Arsenal 2-0 West Ham United
Premier League, Emirates Stadium, Saturday 4 October 2025, 3pm BST
There was once a time when West Ham United supporters cheered every time Declan Rice hit the back of the net.
On Saturday, though, it was Arsenal fans who roared after Rice, who swapped east London for north in the summer of 2023, put the Gunners on their way to a 2-0 Premier League win over his former side at Emirates Stadium.
On the balance of play, Arsenal deserved all three points, having dominated possession and created far more opportunities to score than their visitors.
On a windy afternoon, Mikel Arteta’s side blew hard and only the brilliance of Alphonse Areola prevented them from blowing Nuno Espírito Santo’s newly inherited house down before half-time.
That came after the Hammers had created two very early half-chances, Niclas Füllkrug heading a first-minute corner over and Lucas Paquetá slicing a left-foot shot high and wide from Jarrod Bowen’s knockdown.
Arsenal then took charge for the remainder of the game.
Areola saved from Jurriën Timber and Viktor Gyökeres inside the opening quarter-hour, with Eberechi Eze somehow clearing the crossbar after the Swede’s initial effort had been scrambled off the line.
Bukayo Saka was next to be denied, this time by the offside flag after he netted when Rice’s lofted pass bounced into his path off El Hadji Malick Diouf’s head.
Arsenal lost captain Martin Ødegaard to a left knee injury, but still the hosts pushed. Wan-Bissaka and Diouf blocked shots from Riccardo Calafiori and Saka, before finally the pressure told on 38 minutes.
Saka and Martin Zubimendi – on for Ødegaard – combined to play in Eze. His shot was parried by a diving Areola and Rice followed in to convert high into the net from 12 yards.
There was still time for Calafiori, who impressed in a free role, to drill against the inside of the post in added time, as West Ham went in at the break relieved to be just one goal down.
After a quietish opening to the second half, Nuno sent on Academy graduates Freddie Potts and Northern Ireland international striker Callum Marshall for his Premier League debut on the hour-mark in an attempt to inject new energy into his side.
Their task doubled in difficulty seven minutes later, though, as Diouf was penalised for a foul on Timber that referee John Brooks deemed had continued into the West Ham penalty area, and Saka sent Areola the wrong way from the spot.
The Irons stuck to their task in the closing stages but did not seriously threaten a consolation goal - Marshall's added-time header aside - and Arsenal completed a comfortable victory.
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori (Lewis-Skelly 75), Rice (Merino 79), Saka, Trossard (Nwaneri 75), Ødegaard © (Zubimendi 30), Eze (Martinelli 79), Gyökeres
Subs not used: Kepa (GK), White, Mosquera, Nørgaard
Goals: Rice 38, Saka 67 (pen)
West Ham United: Areola, Wan-Bissaka (Walker-Peters 79), Mavropanos, Kilman, Diouf, Magassa (Potts 60), Fernandes, Paquetá, Bowen ©, Summerville, Füllkrug (Marshall 60)
Subs not used: Hermansen (GK), Scarles, Igor, Rodríguez, Luis Guilherme, Wilson
Booked: Summerville, Paquetá
Referee: John Brooks
Attendance: 60,181
