Fifth place West Ham United welcome sixth placed Arsenal to the Boleyn Ground in a battle where both teams are hoping to break into the top four. Join us on The Roar from 0200 AEDT for live scores and commentary.
Coming off a disappointing loss against league leaders Chelsea, the Hammers will be looking to get back to their winning ways when they face an Arsenal side that will desperate for the three points.
West Ham have a poor record against the Gunners, having failed to beat Arsene Wenger’s men in their last twelve Premier League fixtures, losing the last seven in a row.
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce will be hoping his team can return to their impressive from the beginning of the season when they host Arsenal, and put an end to the poor run against the Gunners once and for all.
Having lost only one of their past five Premier League fixtures, and that loss coming against top of the table Chelsea, the Hammers will be confident that they can nail down an inconsistent Arsenal side.
Despite an early penalty miss from Alexis Sanchez and a red card to striker Olivier Giroud, who was sent off for headbutting, Arsenal managed to salvage the three points in a hard fought victory against Queens Park Rangers at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been put under intense pressure as of late, with many Gunners fans believing that his time as the top man at Arsenal has come to an end.
Wenger still has faith in his, and his teams ability, however Arsenal now have to remain consistent for the rest of what has been a mediocre season if they wish to finish in a Champions League position and put the criticism against Wenger to rest.
Arsenal will be forced to head to the Boleyn Ground without striker Giroud, however Wenger will have plenty of fire power up front to replace the Frenchman.
The Gunners will be confident that they can remain unbeaten against West Ham for the thirteenth time in a row, however this time around it will not come easy. A win plus some good fortune in other fixtures will see Arsenal find their way back into the top four.
The last time these two sides faced off was back in April at the Emirates stadium, when the Gunners ran through the Hammers in an impressive 3-1 win at home.
This time around both teams look different, and West Ham look much more dangerous than they did last season, a win for the Gunners won’t come easy.
My Prediction: West Ham United 1 – 1 Arsenal
Can West Ham United return to their winning ways, or will Arsenal go thirteen games unbeaten against the Hammers? Join us on The Roar from 0200 AEDT to find out.
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
Here are the results from the other fixtures: FT: Southampton 1 - 1 Chelsea FT: Aston Villa 0 - 0 Sunderland FT: Hull City 0 - 1 Leicester City FT: Manchester City 2 - 2 Burnley FT: Queens Park Rangers 0 - 0 Crystal Palace FT: Stoke City 2 - 0 West Bromwich Albion HT: Newcastle United 1 - 1 Everton Once again, the final score for this game was WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL.
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
MATCH REPORT: Despite a controversial first half, it was quite an entertaining contest, and a great game of football to watch. Song's brilliant volley was denied early on due to an offside ruling, and Cazorla may consider himself lucky that he got a penalty the way he did. Two minutes after Cazorla slotted the penalty however, Welbeck found net through a great ball from Oxlade-Chamberlain who had a phenomenal game and was unlucky to find the net himself. Despite a dominant first half, West Ham somehow found themselves trailing two goals to nil at the break. Kouyate opened the game up to make it 2-1 in the second half, and from then on it was an incredible back-and-forth game of football. Both teams deserve to get something out of it, but at the end of the day its the Gunners that come away with the three points, and just miss out of the top four by goal difference. The final score at the Boleyn Ground in Upton Park is WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL. Thank you for joining us on The Roar for this live blog, we hope to see you again soon.
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
Amidst all that chaos, there was a yellow card for Coquelin. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL the full time score.
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
90+5' - Last kick of the game finds another scramble in the box and the ball has gone over for a goal kick- and that is full time WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
90+4' - Adrian has come out trying to force his men out. It's a free kick for West Ham and Adrian has come up for it. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
90+3' - More scrambling the box from Arsenal as West Ham appeal for a penalty but don't get it. Panic from both sides and this has turned out to be an amazing game of football. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
90+1' - Arsenal scrambling in the box, and they give away a corner. Exciting stuff, four minutes to and everyone is on their feet. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
90' - Kevin Nolan with a rocket that Szczeny does well to hold on to. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
90' - There will be five minutes of stoppage time added on. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
89' - SUBSTITUTION for ARSENAL Arsene Wenger opts to bring on yet another fullback, Callum Chambers coming on for Oxlade-Chamberlain. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
88' - Yet another ball in by Arsenal, who have no interest in sitting back and absorbing pressure it seems. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
87' - YELLOW CARD Reid has been given a yellow card for a late challenge on Alexis Sanchez. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
86'- Oxlade-Chamberlain goes down in the box but gets no penalty. A real end-to-end game. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
85' - West Ham could be about to enter desperation mode. It's looking more and more likely they are going to just resort to high balls to Carroll. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
84' - SUBSTITUTION for ARSENAL Danny Welbeck has been taken off for Gibbs, as Wenger looks to add strength to the defense. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
83' - YELLOW CARD James Tomkins gets himself a yellow card for a body check, and he will miss the Hammers next match against West Brom. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
82' - The game is starting to get more aggressive now, both teams pushing forward with little regard of whats in front of them. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
80' - YELLOW CARD Debuchy has received a yellow card for a foul on Valencia, who has been giving him trouble since he came on. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
78' - Arsenal can't that elusive third goal, this time Santi Cazorla hits it over the bar after a barrage of shots from the Gunners. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
77' - SUBSTITUTION for WEST HAM UNITED Kouyate is taken off for Nolan and O'Brien is taken off for Demel in a double change. WEST HAM UNITED 1 – 2 ARSENAL