Bilic: We are in a relegation fight

Alexis Sanchez produced a magnificent individual display at the London Stadium on Saturday, with the Chilean bagging a super hat-trick as Arsenal hammered West Ham 5-1.

The Hammers were desperately looking a positive result to kickstart their season, and will have been hoping that a London derby with rivals Arsenal was the ideal game to jolt them into life.

Key Stat: The Gunners are unbeaten in eight league visits to West Ham (W6, D2).

The Frenchman explained: “He likes playing in that position”. People like to play as a striker.

Hector Bellerin is the Gunners’ first choice in the right full back position, but the Spaniard is now injured. “If it comes off, they want to stay there”, said Wenger. Sanchez was played in and rounded the goalkeeper, but he took his run too wide and ran out of space to finish.

“He has all the ingredients to be a top class striker”. He has short back lift, he’s quick, he’s quick to close down. And you have to acknowledge that.

Arsenal started the match brightly, working especially well down the left with one Nacho Monreal cross just being intercepted at the far post with Sanchez waiting to pounce.

“Overall it was a very strong team performance for 90 minutes today. Yes we had injuries and mistakes, but we were not good enough”, Bilic said on BT Sport. I still have not decided for West Ham completely, although Gabriel is a bit in front because of the experience, what we might face in the air as well.

“We were always risky and maintained the pressure in the final third – we were pacy and patient and that made the difference”. We score more goals away from home than at home. You don’t find many players like him.

The hosts, who drew 1-1 at Manchester United last weekend, will be hoping midfielder Dimitri Payet can rediscover the lethal form he displayed last term against the Gunners. Just 1 point separates them and 3rd bottom Hull.

“If you look at spells of the game, until the last twenty minutes we were very alive in the game”.

Inevitably a run of form as bad as West Ham have endured since the start of the season will see pressure mounting on Bilic, who led the club to an impressive seventh-placed finish in his debut campaign past year. We have gone through that, it’s not completely comfortable, especially if it’s added with a lack of confidence. Of course the players know that.

“It’s about time for us – not for them – to realise what position we are, the situation we’re in at the moment and the only thing we have to do to get us out of this zone”.