Andy Carroll scored an eight-minute hat-trick as West Ham United’s last London derby at Upton Park ended in a barnstorming 3-3 draw with Arsenal yesterday — a result that dented both club’s respective ambitions.
Third-placed Arsenal, seeking to close an 11-point gap on Premier League leaders Leicester City, had an early let-off when Manuel Lanzini’s goal was wrongly disallowed for offside, but they took the lead shortly afterward when Mesut Ozil fired home.
Alexis Sanchez finished off a superb passing move to make it 2-0, but Carroll’s double shortly before halftime drew the Champions League-chasing hosts level, first heading in Aaron Cresswell’s cross and then volleying past David Ospina.
Photo: Reuters
The unstoppable Carroll headed West Ham in front with another towering header seven minutes after halftime, but Arsenal were not finished and another intricate passing move saw Laurent Koscielny shoot high into the net after 70 minutes.
Sixth-placed West Ham are to move to the Olympic Stadium next season after more than 100 years at Upton Park.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur are once again to grapple with historical portents today when their bid to prevent Leicester running away with the title sees them entertain Manchester United.
It is 15 years since Tottenham last won a home league game against United and they spurned one opportunity to reverse a long-standing trend last weekend when a 1-1 draw at Liverpool — where they have won just once in 22 league visits — allowed Leicester to open up a seven-point lead.
With Leicester visiting third-bottom Sunderland earlier today, Spurs could be 10 points off the pace by kick-off, but manager Mauricio Pochettino says his side will not abandon hope.
“You need to believe in football that things can change,” he said. “It’s important for us to be focused and prepared, but we can’t play when Leicester play.”
Additional reporting by AFP
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