Paul Scholes picks out the Arsenal player who ‘surprised’ him during massive win vs West Ham

Paul Scholes picked out one Arsenal player who surprised him during their massive win over West Ham United.

The Gunners arrived at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon in good spirits after their 3-1 win over Liverpool last weekend.

Against the Hammers, Arsenal were at their ruthless best as goals from William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice plus a brace from Bukayo Saka sealed a huge 6-0 win.

As a result, Mikel Arteta’s men closed the gap to leaders Liverpool to just two points.

Speaking after the match, former Manchester United man Scholes picked out Declan Rice for praise as he has been left surprised by how good the Arsenal star was from set pieces.

During the match, Rice provided two assists, one from a corner and one from a free-kick. The Englishman rounded off his stunning display with a brilliant long-range effort which made it 6-0.

Scholes said: “Saaka’s been a real threat and Trossard has been really good in midfield.

“Declan Rice’s delivery has surprised me a little bit, it’s been some fantastic balls in and that’s not something I knew he had in his locker. Set pieces have been where West Ham have really struggled.”

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Scholes’ former teammate Roy Keane said on Sky Sports: “It's all positives off the back of last weekend. They've just had to keep that momentum going. To score six goals away from home is fantastic.

“We can criticise West Ham all we want but credit to Arsenal. They were efficient, they were strong. The way they won the game with their set pieces and aerial threat.”

He added: “They could have scored a few more goals.”

Arsenal are back in Premier League action next weekend when they welcome Burnley to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Gunners will then resume their Champions League campaign with a last-16 first leg clash against Portuguese side FC Porto at the Estadio do Dragao.