Hammers let three-goal lead slip in thrilling derby

West Ham 3 Arsenal 3

Quite an afternoon at the London Stadium. Moyes has picked a much more attacking line-up with Benrahma and Lingard recalled and the first 30 minutes is thrilling. It's the perfect start after 15 minutes. With Arsenal off the pace. Antonio races down the left to pull back for Lingard on the edge of the box. Jesse controls with one deft touch and then fires a sumptuous half-volley into the top corner. A great goal from a player now exuding confidence. 

Two minutes later a quick free kick from Lingard finds the Arsenal defence sleeping and Bowen fires home through Leno. Unbelievably it's three after 32 minutes as Coufal crosses and Antonio rises above the Arsenal defence to head for goal. It takes a nick off Soucek and after a strange non-celebration as the players wait for VAR to adjudicate it emerges that Soucek is onside and we're three goals up. Daughter Lola and myself can't believe the TV screen.

NO DOUBTING TOMAS

Where the game turns is Arsenal pulling a goal back before half-time. Lacazette turns well to shoot but his shot is going wide until it takes a deflection off Soucek's block. There are further warnings as Fabianski saves well from Saka and then the Arsenal man has a shot deflected just wide. But we'll take 3-1 at the break.

Ominously Arsenal almost score at the start of the second half as Diop has to make an acrobatic clearance off the line from Lacazette. Soon it's 3-2. With Bowen claiming a free-kick, Match of the Day 2 highlights the fact that Benrahma doesn't track Chambers' run and the right-back crosses hard and low, forcing Dawson to shoot into his own net. On other days it might have gone past the post, but here Craig has got his angles all wrong.

ANTONIO WOE

At 3-2 the Hammers are unlucky not get a fourth. Antonio flicks on to Bowen who has a goalbound shot blocked by Tierney and Lingard opts to try and find Benrahma when he could surely have gone for goal. There's also frustration as the ref hauls back play for a free kick when Lingard is through on goal. 

The key moment comes when Benrahma makes a brilliant dash though the area to pull back across goal for Antonio to hit the post when he should have scored. Antonio pounds his fists in frustration. Great play from Benrahma though, at his best he can do stuff other players can't.

At the other end Odegaard is finding pockets of space behind the strikers and orchestrating the Arsenal pressure. The problems are coming from West Ham's left flank, though bringing on Noble and Fredericks doesn't address this. In contrast Arsenal are able to bring on the £70m Pepe and the promising Smith-Rowe.

KICKED UP THE ARSENAL

Sure enough, on 82 minutes Pepe manages to get in a great cross and Lacazette heads home having got between Dawson and Diop. 

We'd be grateful for a point at this stage as Fabianski has to tip away another dangerous Chambers cross and save from Pepe. But then Declan Rice makes a sensational run from outside his own to box to race through the Arsenal midfield and shoot against Leno. That would have been a fantastic winner. Finally it ends 3-3.

"Hugely enjoyable for neutrals, horrible for us," sums ups The Gav on Whats App. It's deeply disappointing, but perhaps Moyes is right when he says it's still a good point against a good side who normally beat WHU. We're still fifth in the league with nine games to go despite working with one striker and a very thin squad. 

The international break has come at a good time. With Ogbonna and Masuaku close to fitness that would certainly give Moyes more options at the back and the hard-working Fornals should also return. It's still progress to be really upset at not beating Arsenal and if nothing else it was a massively entertaining game. 

PLAYER RATINGS: Fabianski 7; Coufal 7, Diop 6, Dawson 5, Cresswell 6; Lingard 8, Rice 7, Soucek 7, Benrahma 6 (Fredericks 5); Bowen 6 (Noble 5), Antonio 7.