Glorious Sanchez fires hat-trick as Arsenal smash West Ham

A dazzlingly brilliant performance from Alexis Sanchez elevated a match of questionable competence, taking Arsenal back into second, three points off the top.

Severely compromised by injury, West Ham started poorly, inviting Arsenal to wade in - yet they were unable to create much in the way of serious chances. But in the 24th minute, class told, Sanchez seizing upon Angelo Ogbonna's careless clearance to beat Winston Reid and square for Mesut Ozil who tapped home.

West Ham improved slightly after the break, but just as they were getting a wriggle on, Sanchez came short, flicked Granit Xhaka's pass around Arthur Masuaku, and lashed a vicious cross-shot past Darren Randolph. The game was more or less over, but Sanchez, whose infatuation with football is a form of art in itself, was nowhere near finished.

First he slammed home another cross-shot, and then, after Andy Carroll had pulled one back and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had sent a vicious curler screeching past Randolph, he went through the middle, rinsed the keeper with a stepover, and lifted his third and Arsenal's fifth into the net. It is a pleasure to be living in his lifetime.

Can Arsenal do it without Sanchez? Contagious though Sanchez's enthusiasm is, he won't play like this every week, and Arsenal were still poor today. Against better opposition, they will need better performances, and there was little today that suggested they are capable.

Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) To bother describing his performance is basically satire, but let's have a go: expletives, noises, what a player. He led the line, he ran the line, he finished, he created, he made us gasp, he made us squeal, he is the man.

West Ham: Randolph 7, Reid 6, Ogbonna 4, Collins 5, Masuaku 5, Obiang 5, Noble 6, Lanzini 6, Fernandes 5, Payet 5, Fletcher 6. Subs: Arbeloa 6, Ayew 6, Carroll 6.

Arsenal: Cech 6, Gabriel 6, Mustafi 6, Koscielny 7, Monreal 6, Coquelin 6, Xhaka 6, Walcott 5, Ozil 6, Oxlade-Chamberlain 7, Sanchez 10. Subs: Ramsey 6, Elneny 6, Iwobi 6.

Of Arsenal's last six goals, Alexis Sanchez has scored five and created one. He is very good at football.

Alexis Sanchez has been involved in 22 goals in his last 24 Premier League appearances (16 goals, 6 assists).

Alexis Sanchez's 14 minute hat-trick was the 3rd quickest by an Arsenal player in a Premier League match, behind Ian Wright v Ipswich in 1995 (9 mins) and Jermaine Pennant v Southampton in 2003 (10 mins)

24' - GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Arsenal (Ozil) Dearie bubbles! Ogbonna gives the ball away outside his own box, picking out Sanchez, and he bursts onto it - of course he does - beating Reid, who comes across, and squaring to Ozil who taps in.

35' - Alexis Sanchez is such a boss; his joy in football is such a joy. And he's skating through the middle when Oxlade-Chamberlain plays a delightful ball into his path, but Randolph is out quickly and does enough as Sanchez tries skirting him to the left. Well done all.

48 - Oxlade-Chamberlain goes down the outside of Masuaku, who slides in to rob him ... but the ref says foul. And the free-kick is a bazzer too, whipped in by Ozil, and Walcott leaps to head well over. Miserable behaviour.

55' - West Ham have deduced that there's a game taking place and it involves them. Fletcher finds space outside the box, left of centre, shimmies away from his man and lashes a shot that pitches just wide

72' - GOAL! West Ham 0-2 Arsenal (Sanchez) What a player! What a player! He comes short and spins, rinsing Masuaku, it's beautiful! So Ogbonna comes across and is done on the outside, then a whipped finish is sent hurtling low across Randolph. This is basically a character study.

80 - GOAL! West Ham 0-3 Arsenal (Sanchez) Take your gear and go home. Alexis Sanchez is just so, so good. The ball comes across the face of the goal, bouncing out of control of the mortals, and Sanchez loses his man by raising an eyebrow, then, as it bounces away from his touch, swivels and lashes a shot across Randolph and into the far corner. What a performance.

83 - GOAL! Arsenal 3-1 West Ham (Carroll) West Ham win a free-kick outside the box and Payet is there, whipping one against the upright. And his mates are wise to it, three of them racing after the loose ball as Arsenal netflix and chill, Carroll first to it to head home.

84’ - GOAL! West Ham 1-4 Arsenal (Oxlade-Chamberlain) How good is it to see him sorting it out?! Yerman comes in off the left, no one bothers challenging, and he unleashes an absolute screecher, which curls into the far corner, spitting and hissing with venom. Personally, I'd rather it punched me in the face.

86 - GOAL! West Ham 1-5 Arsenal (Alexis Sanchez) Stand up, clap your hands, stamp your feet, bring your dinner, do something, because this is so, so good. Ozil takes the ball inside his own half and feed Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has no appreciation of the game but slides one through to Sanchez. It's not about whether but about how, and what a how, Sanchez bustling through the middle, diddling the keeper by waving his foot over the ball before lifting into the net. That's as well-deserved hat-trick as has ever been scored. Tell everyone.