Carabao Cup
Arsenal 1-0 West Ham United 

Tuesday, 19th December 2017
by Staff Writer

An under-strength West Ham exited the Carabao Cup with barely a whimper at The Emirates tonight, going down to a first half Danny Welbeck strike.

The Hammers failed to produce a single shot on target in a dour London derby, in which neither side seemed particularly interested in progressing to the next stage. Arsenal were themselves little better, managing just the one effort on target - from which they managed to score.

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The goal that ensured David Moyes avoids having to face additional fixture congestion in what is already a busy January came just three minutes shy of the half time interval, a gift for Welbeck that dropped at his feet following a cross from the right.

Joe Hart, making his return to the first team whilst the in-form Adrian was rested could do little as his England team mate stuck out a foot and diverted the loose ball over the line.

At the other end, the recalled Javier Hernandez, back in place of the in-form Marko Arnautovic (rested) was a virtual passenger until he was replaced after 65 minutes by Diafra Sakho - who proved to be equally anonymous.

Fellow substitute Andy Carroll, thrown on alongside the Senegal international in place of right back Aaron Cresswell as West Ham sought an unlikely equaliser fared no better either, as Moyes reverted to a two-pronged front-line for the final third of the game.

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IN OR OUT? Hart 'trips' Welbeck, but referee Friend awards a free kick (and yellow card)


It was that kind of night for West Ham, who came to the Emirates with a similar game plan to that which earned them a deserved point in the two sides' previous encounter at the OS earlier this month.

Unfortunately, once United fell behind, perhaps undeservedly, there appeared to be little desire from the sidelines to adopt a more attacking approach as might perhaps be expected in a one-off tie such as this - a competition West Ham have never won, to boot.

To their credit, the 7,000-strong away support made this feel like a home game at times as they urged West Ham on, but their efforts were rarely matched on the pitch by the team as a whole - and it is Arsenal who go into tomorrow night's semi final draw as a result.

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Player Ratings

Joe Hart
Comments to follow.


Winston Reid
Comments to follow.


James Collins
Comments to follow.


Angelo Ogbonna
Comments to follow.


Aaron Cresswell
Played a commanding role in West Ham's relative success in defence cutting off the supply line to Ag? 1/4 ero.


Pedro Obiang
Kept the Man City midfield quiet and picked out some good incisive passes going forward.


Domingos Quina
Comments to follow.


Declan Rice
Comments to follow.


Arthur Masuaku
Comments to follow.


Andre Ayew
Comments to follow.


Javier Hernandez
Comments to follow.



Substitutes

Andy Carroll
(Replaced Cresswell) Comments to follow.


Marko Arnautovic
(Replaced Quina) Comments to follow.


Diafra Sakho
(Replaced Hernandez) Comments to follow.


Adrian San Miguel Del Castillo
Did not play.


Pablo Zabaleta
Did not play.


Sead Haksabanovic
Did not play.


Moses Makasi
Did not play.



Match Facts

West Ham United: Joe Hart, Winston Reid, James Collins, Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell, Pedro Obiang, Domingos Quina, Declan Rice, Arthur Masuaku, Andre Ayew, Javier Hernandez.

Goals: None.

Booked: Joe Hart 71          .

Sent off: None.

Arsenal: Ospina, Debuchy, Chambers, Holding, Kolasinac, Coquelin (Dasilva 90), Elneny, Willock (Sheaf 84), Walcott, Welbeck, Giroud (Nelson 78).

Subs not used: Macey, Reine-Adelaide, Akpom, Nketiah.

Goals: Welbeck (42).

Booked: .

Sent off: None.

Referee: Kevin Friend.

Attendance: 44,741.

Man of the Match: James Collins.