Declan Rice ’s first goal for West Ham United earned his side a deserved first home victory over Arsenal for 13 years on Saturday.
The youngster’s 48th minute strike secured a 1-0 win at the London Stadium.
Arsenal began brightly and then had a flurry of chances after falling behind but West Ham were good value for the three points as they put a dent in Arsenal’s top-four hopes.
Former Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri, rebuilding his career at West Ham after a doping ban, was at the heart of much of West Ham’s best work on his Premier League debut for the club.
It was the Frenchman’s neat lay-off that allowed 19-year-old midfielder Rice the space to curl a superb shot past Bernd Leno.
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Rice had headed wide in a first half in which West Ham took charge with Felipe Anderson drilling a shot fractionally wide of the post after another lay-off by Frenchman Nasri.
Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette had a double chance early on and Matteo Guendouzi’s 25-metre effort flew just wide but Arsenal struggled to exert any sustained pressure.
Alex Iwobi shaved the post with a low shot but Arsenal failed to score for the first time in 21 Premier League matches.
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