It’s as easy as 1-2-3 for Sanchez in derby rout
FOR the briefest of moments in the second half, West Ham stirred. They were a goal down but they were going at Arsenal, Dimitri Payet was in the game for the first time and the home crowd were out of their seats, urging them on.
At Upton Park this would have been a test of bottle for any visiting team. Here in this spacious Olympic home, Arsene Wenger simply reorganised a little, made a change and watched his team score four in 12 minutes as Arsenal ran riot.
Alexis Sanchez scored a hat-trick and Alex OxladeChamberlain curled in a delicious goal to cap his fine display in the London derby.
Mesut Ozil had opened the scoring in the first half.
Andy Carroll came off the bench to peg the score back to 3-1 but to no avail. The pattern was set and the stadium of course is not to blame.
West Ham were outplayed on the pitch regardless of their surroundings and the remoteness of their supporters, but it doesn’t help on these days when the best teams in the country are in town.
Wenger hailed ‘exceptional’ Sanchez after his 14-minute treble in the second half.
‘For me, it took him a while to get mentally into the game but he’s a fighter. He’s a winner,’ the Gunners boss said of the Chilean international.
‘He always can give you something special. He has a short backlift, he’s quick and is quick to close down and he’s been exceptional.’
Victory for Arsenal, unbeaten in 13 matches in the Premier League, hoists them to second behind Chelsea. Defeat leaves West Ham and manager Slaven Bilic in trouble, just a point above the relegation places, with injuries piling up and a trip to Liverpool next.
Bilic pulled no punches afterwards in his assessment of his team.
‘We’re not good enough and it’s a big disappointment,’ he said. ‘I feel sorry for the fans and the club.
‘We played some good games this season and we had some good moments here as well, but I have to be honest and say we don’t have the intensity.
‘First of all, you only have quality from intensity and dedication. We don’t have it enough even in training — that’s why we have it so occasionally in games.’