Mauro Zarate (C) and West Ham got off to a dream start with a 2-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday. (Getty)
Final Score
Arsenal 0-0 — 0
West Ham 1-1 — 2
Reece Oxford made his Premier League debut and West Ham scored a goal on either side of halftime to secure a shock 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates to start the 2015/2016 season on the highest possible note.
The win ended a string of 14 straight Premier League matches (15 overall) without a win against their London rivals. Cheikhou Kouyate and Mauro Zarate got the goals for the Hammers, and goalie Adrian made six saves for the clean sheet.
Alexis Sanchez came on a substitute in the 67th minute despite being doubtful for the match due to rest from this summer’s Copa America tournament. He made an impact by creating chances for the Gunners, but they were unable to get back into the match.
Check below for all the stats and highlights of the match.
Stats
Goals: West Ham: Kouyate (43′), Zarate (57′)
Shots (On Goal): Arsenal: 22 (6 on goal); West Ham 8 (4 on goal)
Tackles: Arsenal 12, West Ham 21
Fouls: Arsenal 12, West Ham 9
Possession: Arsenal 62%, West Ham 38%
Cards: Arsenal: Nacho Monreal (69′); West Ham: Mark Noble (5′), Angelo Obinze Ogbonna (8′), James Tomkins (37′)
Attendance: 59996
Lineups
Arsenal: Cech; Debuchy, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Ramsey; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Cazorla; Giroud.
West Ham: Adrian; Tomkins, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Oxford, Noble, Kouyate; Payet, Zarate, Sakho.
Oxlade-Chamberlin Dizzied the West Ham Defense With This Weaving Run
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s brilliant run, Cazorla nearly scores. http://t.co/k8n2bY3qDd
Chances were few and far between early in the match, but this run by Oxlade-Chamberlin made the West Ham defense look silly. Santi Cazorla had a half chance from the cross, but he put the ball onto the roof of the net.
West Ham Grabbed a 1-0 Lead Right Before Halftime
A simple free kick lofted into the box by Dimitri Payet was met by the head of Cheikhou Kouyate, who got ahead of an onrushing Petr Cech and headed it into the empty net. The 6-foot-4 Senegalese midfielder scored his sixth goal for the club.
A Fine Strike By Zarate Gave West Ham a 2-0 Lead in the 57th Minute
Cech was beaten again when Mauro Zarate chased down a ball on the edge of the box, made a quick turn and fired a shot that went right in off the post to give West Ham a shock 2-0 lead with 30 minutes to play. Cech appeared screened by his own defender; Zarate is making only his eighth appearance for West Ham after being loaned out to QPR last year.
Preview: London Rivals Meet to Open Premier League Season
Will Mauro Zarate improve in his second season with the Hammers? (Getty)
Though Arsenal enter Sunday’s Premier League opener with plenty of momentum, manager Arsene Wenger already has an injury headache. Jack Wilshere suffered a fracture in his ankle before the Charity Shield and will miss a month, while forward Alexis Sanchez will miss the opener, as will Tomas Rosicky and Danny Welbeck.
Wenger still has plenty of firepower in the form of Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlin and Santi Cazorla to create goal-scoring opportunities.
The Hammers will be led onto the pitch by new manager Slaven Bilic, who spent the last two seasons at Beşiktaş. Bilic spent two seasons as a player with West Ham in the mid 1990s, and also played with Everton. Bilic became a manager in 2001, and led the Croatian national team to the quarterfinals in Euro 2008.
West Ham will still be without forward Andy Carroll, who was injured in February but is close to returning.
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