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Arsenal's Premier League title hopes were left in tatters by an eight-minute hat-trick from Andy Carroll in a thrilling 3-3 draw at West Ham.
Laurent Koscielny's equaliser rescued a point for the Gunners after they had blown a two-goal lead during an extraordinary spell either side of half-time.
But Arsene Wenger's side, who realistically needed to win every remaining game to stand a chance of catching leaders Leicester, could find themselves 13 points adrift with just 18 to play for by Sunday evening.
They were 2-0 up and seemingly cruising to a third straight victory thanks to goals from Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.
But Carroll, making a rare start in what has been another injury-hit season for the Hammers, turned the game upside down with his first treble since August 2010 for Newcastle, staking a late claim for a place in Roy Hodgson's England squad for Euro 2016.
Suddenly West Ham were right back in the race for the Champions League places, only for Koscielny to secure a draw which does little for either side's ambitions this season.
But who starred in the 3-3 thriller? Scroll through our gallery:
West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratingsShow all 23 1 /23West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings WEST HAM UNITED: Adrian - 5 out of 10 Though he could do little about Arsenal’s goals he never seemed to be entirely confident when Welbeck pressed him in possession and was lucky to avoid a disastrous error in the first half.
2016 The Arsenal Football Club Plc
West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings James Tomkins - 5 out of 10 It was perhaps no surprise that the converted centre-back was hooked off at half-time after a poor 45 minutes when he dropped too close to the defenders, giving Monreal too much space to cross.
2016 The Arsenal Football Club Plc
West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings WInston Reid - 5 out of 10 All too often looked nervy on the ball, with Arsenal smartly targeting and pressing him. He was lucky his mistakes did not cost him all that often.
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West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Angelo Ogbonna - 7 out of 10 Calm and composed for most of the game, he seemed to have his head in the right place whenever Arsenal put a cross into the area.
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West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Michail Antonio - 7 out of 10 Time and time again left Monreal sprawled on the floor with direct running whilst he gave the Arsenal left-back plenty of difficulties coming forward. Adapted swiftly and effectively when deployed at right back.
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West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Aaron Cresswell - 7 out of 10 Provided a gorgeous cross for Carroll’s first and you certainly wished to see more of his attacking game. Whenever he got forward he was dangerous.
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West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Mark Noble - 7 out of 10 The calmest man on the pitch in this tempestuous clash, he was not always at the centre of proceedings but when he was, as in a crucial tackle on Sanchez at 3-2, he never let anyone down.
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West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Cheikhou Kouyate - 7 out of 10 In the game’s early stages he was overpowered too often but he soon came roaring back, winning the ball in deep areas and bursting forward to spring another West Ham attack.
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West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Dmitri Payet - 7 out of 10 A strange display from the Hammers star man, who at times was guilty of overcomplicating matters when the best tactic might have been just to cross it to the big guy. Still he oozed confidence whenever he had the ball and that transferred to West Ham.
West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Manuel Lanzini - 7 out of 10 Neat and tidy in possession whilst contributing to the attack with late surges into the box, his display deserved the early goal incorrectly ruled out.
West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Andy Carroll - 9 out of 10 For 43 minutes he was a liability at best and could have seen red for a foul on Koscielny but then he exploded into life with a display even the best defenders would struggle to deal with.
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West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings FROM THE BENCH: Emmanuel Emenike - 6 out of 10 Did not quite offer the support that Carroll needed from the second half substitute, Bilic would have wanted to see more from him after West Ham claimed the lead.
West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings ARSENAL: David Ospina - 7 out of 10 For all the pre-match nerves about the undersized Ospina against Carroll he could have done little with any of the goals and made a string of solid saves either side of half-time.
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West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Hector Bellerin - 5 out of 10 Fell asleep from an early cross and played Lanzini on – he was fortuitous the goal was ruled offside. That was typical of a day when Bellerin was not really at his best, often left looking leaden footed by Payet.
West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Gabriel Paulista - 4 out of 10 A cataclysmic display from the Brazilian – for 45 minutes he was perfectly adequate but switched off for Carroll’s first two goals. That was better than the second half, where he seemed to go into hiding.
West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Laurent Koscielny - 5 out of 10 Meek and tame are not the sort of words usually associated with an Arsenal captain but they are only right today as the Frenchman allowed himself to be constantly outmuscled by Carroll.
2016 The Arsenal Football Club Plc
West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Nacho Monreal - 5 out of 10 Really struggled with the direct nature of Antonio in defence though the Spaniard was perhaps more attacking than he has been in recent months, allowing Iwobi to drift infield to great effect.
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West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Mohamed Elneny - 7 out of 10 No matter the pressure Elneny always wants the ball and in a match like today that was crucial for Arsenal when they were playing well. He could do nothing when they were struggling.
2016 The Arsenal Football Club Plc
West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Francis Coquelin - 7 out of 10 Sacrificed as Arsenal chased the win but he had brought crucial balance to their midfield and relished the physical encounters of the London derby.
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West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Alex Iwobi - 7 out of 10 With the likes of Payet and Ozil on the pitch the 19-year-old Nigerian looked at least the equal, with his assist for Sanchez worthy of either of that pair.
2016 The Arsenal Football Club Plc
West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Mesut Ozil - 6 out of 10 When Arsenal were playing well he thrived, scoring a quite excellent opener, but did he ever take the game by the scruff of its neck and look to change the momentum? If he did it didn’t work.
2016 The Arsenal Football Club Plc
West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Alexis Sanchez - 6 out of 10 Still not at his very best but he took his goal superbly and might have had a penalty when he burst into the area late on. He still looks tired .
2016 The Arsenal Football Club Plc
West Ham vs Arsenal - player ratings Danny Welbeck - 7 out of 10 Exactly what Arsenal need in a striker, more than just a Giroud-Walcott hybrid he is a pacey, direct runner who never let West Ham’s backline settle for a second. Needs to get into goalscoring positions more though.
2016 The Arsenal Football Club Plc
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