9:00 PM: A valiant effort from West Ham, but in the end, the Gunners will head back to North London with the three points for the first time this season thanks to an Eddie Nketiah double and a strike from captain Julio Pleguezuelo, sandwiched in between.
In-form Xande Silva pulled one back for the hosts at 1-2, while Reece Oxford later made it 2-3, but it wasn’t enough for Liam Manning and Steve Potts’ side, who have now lost their last two matches in succession.
The victory for Freddie Ljungberg’s Arsenal means that they are now fifth in the Premier League 2 Division 1 table, moving up from ninth, while the Young Hammers have fallen four places as a result of the narrow defeat, dropping from fourth to eighth.
That concludes our live coverage from London Stadium this evening, thank you very much for joining us, especially to those who have been with us for the full three or so hours, we hope that you have enjoyed it and will keep an eye out on all of our platforms for reaction. We also hope to be back live-blogging in eight days’ time when West Ham’s first-team welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to London Stadium, until then, I’ve been your Host Reporter Luke Glanville live from London Stadium, thank you and goodnight.
8:56 PM: Full-time: West Ham United U23s 2-3 Arsenal U23s.
90+4: Too close to the ‘keeper, that should be it.
90+4: Late, late Hammers free-kick!
90+4: Arsenal free-kick in the final third.
90+3: Great Pask block to deny Nketiah.
90+3: They then give away one, now or never for West Ham!
90+2: The visitors now have an advanced throw.
90+1: A Gunners offside means West Ham can pump one long, they are pulled up for a foul from the free-kick.
90: Four minutes to be added on here.
90: The Irons now win a well-positioned throw-in.
90: It’s rifled at goal, just wide!
89: Arsenal free-kick as Coventry is shown a yellow card.
88: The delivery was strong but cleared and the Gunners can’t make anything of a counter-attack.
88: Holland’s work wins West Ham a corner!
87: It’s whipped in but sails over the crossbar.
86: Hector-Ingram nods the corner away, as the Gunners win themselves a free-kick on the far side, a dangerous one.
85: Nketiah’s shot is blocked, moments later, Trott saves once more, keeping out Smith-Rowe.
84: The Gunners pass up a decent chance to put the game to bed, before Trott keeps them out again, later in the move.
83: Time is running out for the Hammers!
83: Afolayan gets the ball on the left, looses it, before Holland’s cross is caught.
81: Holland thinks he’s away, although the ball went out of play, in the eyes of the officials.
81: Into the final 10, 2-3.
80: Powell gives away a dangerous free-kick, but the Gunners pass it short and lose the ball.
80: London Stadium is still in shock after those close-calls.
79: Hector-Ingram is now on for Cullen for the Hammers, also.
79: How have West Ham not equalised?? First, they fail to convert an open goal before Afolayan has an effort blocked off the line!!
78: Lewis is cautioned for a late tackle in the Gunners half.
77: Just 13 minutes remain for the Hammers to level things up.
76: Holland looks to break on the left, a strong tackle stops him dead in his tracks, while the Gunners can’t make the most of a break.
75: Silva has a shooting chance but his effort is blocked before Arsenal rid the danger.
74: Great work Trott! He manages to get down to push away a Nelson effort!
73: Amaechi is replaced by Saka for the Gunners.
72: Arsenal are inches from going 2-4 up! Nketiah’s faint touch on a cross just eludes the far corner.
71: The hosts then counter, though unable to find a final ball.
70: Wonderful West Ham defending to recover from Trott’s error.
69: The first action sees Iliev claim a long ball, 2-3.
69: We are now back underway.
68: A bit of a stoppage here as Olowu goes down away from the play, he is now hobbling off.
67: Big chance for the Hammers from a great short free-kick, they fail to test the goalkeeper before Holland is flagged offside, however.
66: You feel the rain might be slowing the tempo down a little as the surface becomes a bit soggy and sticky.
65: From here, this match could really go either way as the rain continues to thunder down.
63: Diangana is replaced by Afolayan for the hosts.
63: The Irons are threatening, can they find a leveller?
62: What a finish we now have on our hands!!
61: They almost no longer were, wonderful Trott and Oxford defending keeps it 2-3!!
60: The save won’t matter as Oxford nods home from the resulting corner, once more, West Ham are back in it!!
60: Goal: West Ham United U23s 2-3 Arsenal U23s!!
59: Incredible save from Iliev! Somehow, he keeps Silva out from a one-on-one.
59: At the opposite end, Nelson shoots from distance! Just wide, in the end.
58: Lewis looks for Silva but there is too much on his pass.
57: Close! Coventry tries his luck from range and the ball whistles past the post.
56: Sloppy from Diangana, who ends his team’s own attack by committing a foul.
56: Strong Johnson defending thwarts an away attack.
54: Nicely saved Trott! The Gunners break and shoot but he gets down to stop it.
53: If West Ham can’t reply quickly to that strike, it could well be game over.
52: Nketiah nets his second of the evening, fighting for the ball in the box before slotting past Trott, that will be a real blow for Manning and Potts’ men.
52: Goal: West Ham United U23s 1-3 Arsenal U23s.
51: The delivery is overhit, but it’s another corner.
51: Great defending from Powell on the near side, Gunners corner.
50: Trott is forced to clear and he does so very well.
50: The home team have been the better side since the goal.
49: What a start to the second period for the Hammers, 1-2 it is.
48: Silva scores his fifth of the season, nodding home neatly from a left-sided delivery, game on!!
48: Goal: West Ham United U23s 1-2 Arsenal U23s!!
47: West Ham have started brighter and now have their reward.
46: Thunder rumbles above as the second 45 begins.
8:06 PM: Silva kick-off and here we go in this second period!!
8:00 PM: It is really hammering it down as we return to bring you this second half live and boy, it’s chilly, Ljungberg’s Gunners lead comfortably at half-time, will the Hammers be able to mount a comeback after the break?
7:50 PM: Half-time: West Ham United U23s 0-2 Arsenal U23s.
45+3: A good clearance from Trott under pressure from Nketiah.
45+2: The rain has started to fall again here in East London.
45+1: Trott catches a long-range effort, rather easily, 0-2 it remains.
45: Three minutes will be added on here at London Stadium, to this half.
45: Play has now resumed.
44: Jonhson goes down in the book for a very strong tackle on Nelson, the Gunners man is still down.
43: The Irons come forward and win a throw on the far side.
42: A theme is developing here, at the other end, Coventry overhits his pass and the ball goes out.
41: A second overhit pass in succession spoils an Arsenal attack.
40: The Hammers make more of the second one, however, still find themselves warding off a swift counter-attack, an overhit pass saves them.
39: The cross is poor but it warrants one more set-piece.
39: Better from West Ham! Lewis wins it and feeds Holland who gets his team a corner.
37: It’s drilled in low and the home side clear.
37: Just a delay here due to an injury for Arsenal.
36: The Gunners will now take another corner, from the left, this time.
35: Holland looks to reply but sees his long-range shot deflected into the ‘keeper’s arms.
34: The away skipper doubles his team’s advantage with a looping effort from a corner, Pleguezuelo on the scoresheet, the Hammers two down!!
34: Goal: West Ham United U23s 0-2 Arsenal U23s.
33: Right now, the Gunners have their tails up with a corner.
32: The Hammers have responded fairly well to going behind, but then again, they haven’t really threatened.
31: A Hammers attack is ended by a Jonson foul, he is going to get a warning from Dan Middleton.
30: Cullen gets a let-off, he loses the ball on the edge but the referee pulls play back for a foul.
29: The home skipper returns to the field as the game is restarted.
28: More worries for the hosts with Oxford down now, off the ball.
27: Silva threatens to level from a similar punt but just can’t get there.
26: Nketiah is the man with it as he edges in front of a defender from a long ball and pokes past Trott, harsh for West Ham.
26: Goal: West Ham United U23s 0-1 Arsenal U23s.
25: Promising move from Manning and Potts’ team, but Holland’s threatening cross just goes out of play.
24: West Ham are happy to clear after a goalmouth scramble and penalty appeal, close!
23: Hard work from Silva cuts out a pass from the back, but the Gunners win it back and now break.
23: This game is very much turning into a midfield battle, little goalmouth action to report.
21: The away team deliver a cross in from the left, a free-kick, strong defending meets it, once again.
20: Good defending from Johnson keeps the defending PL2 champions at bay, for now.
20: Holland searches for Silva in the area, well claimed by Iliev.
18: Good work from Diangana wins West Ham a throw, they keep the ball from it and look more likely at the moment!
17: Those very starlets are flagged offside in their latest attack.
17: A number of Manuel Pellegrini’s staff are seated just below me in the executive seating, keeping an eye of the club’s youngsters.
16: Bola puts a strong tackle on in Diangana, he’s struggling after that one, fair though.
15: Johnson nods away for the Irons as they win it back.
15: Well saved! Trott denies Nketiah from a tight angle, corner.
14: West Ham corner! Johnson’s cross is tucked behind, while Diangana can’t convert from the set-piece, close!
13: Holland tries to burst forward but is stopped, frustration for the Hammers, so far.
12: Little to report in the last couple of minutes, a rather slow start to this match, by PL2 standards.
9: Great play from the Gunners but Oxford is there to clear, the skipper.
8: They can create nothing from it, however.
7: Sloppy from Iliev as his kick out gives the Irons a dangerous throw.
6: Fantastic play from Holland allows Diangana to cross, it is cleared and Arsenal break, to no avail.
5: The Irons have responded well to early opposition pressure and are now on top.
4: Lewis gets an opening but just can’t play Silva, eventually losing the ball.
3: It has just died down a little after the fast start here.
2: They have an early corner and work it into the box, just wide from Smith-Rowe.
1: The Gunners look a danger from the off!
7:02 PM: A slightly delayed kick-off here at London Stadium but Nketiah finally gets us underway, here we go!!
6:59 PM: The players have made their way out onto the pitch to the sound of “Bubbles,” sung by the modest crowd of 500 or so directly below us and it’s almost that time!! A reminder to expect live text commentary for the next 90 or so minutes.
6:50 PM: West Ham have enjoyed the better start to the season than Arsenal, picking up three points thus far, having defeated Tottenham Hotspur and been edged out 4-6 by Manchester City.
Meanwhile, Ljungberg’s side lost their opening match to the Citizens, 6-5 and then most recently drew with Brighton & Hove Albion.
6:45 PM: As the London Stadium clock ticks down to kick-off, it’s worth looking back at the last meeting between these two teams, which was played out here, back in April.
It was the final league game of the 2017/2018 campaign in the PL2 and the Gunners came away with a 1-3 victory, securing them the title. Will it be revenge for the Irons, tonight?
6:40 PM: With just 20 minutes until we get underway here in East London, why not head over to our Twitter page, and vote in our score predictions poll?
6:35 PM: The stunning London Stadium scene is set for this evening, with both teams going through their pre-match warm-ups.
6:25 PM: And here we go, just as I was typing, I have been delivered one, a strong-looking starting team from the away side, including the eye-catching front three of Nketiah, Smith-Rowe and Nelson.
6:20 PM: We will have the full teamsheet, including how Freddie Ljungberg’s Gunners line up, as soon as possible.
6:15 PM: West Ham United U23s starting Xl to face Arsenal U23s: Trott (GK), Johnson, Oxford (C), Pask, Powell, Coventry, Cullen, Lewis, Diangana, Silva, Holland.
Substitutes: Anang (GK), Barrett, Hector-Ingram, Alese, Afolayan.
6:10 PM: West Ham striker Oladapo Afolayan is the cover star of tonight’s mini programme, will he be on target for the Hammers tonight?
6:05 PM: Here is what tonight’s Match Accreditation looks like, along with a rather quiet Press Working Room here at London Stadium, this place is usually manic on first-team matchdays!
6:01 PM: Good evening from a very wet, windy and cold London Stadium where we have arrived to bring you live and exclusive build-up, text commentary and reaction from this evening’s Premier League 2 Division 1 meeting of West Ham United U23s and Arsenal U23s. I’m Luke Glanville and I will be your Host Reporter tonight, and you can follow me on Twitter @Glanville_Luke and the site @WestHamMatters_.
It promises to be a very exciting evening here in Stratford as the Young Hammers and the defending PL2 Division 1 champions go head-to-head with kick-off at 7 PM, in just under an hour’s time. Between now and then, we will have team news for you, from the hosts and the visitors, as well as plenty of exclusive build-up, so be sure to stick with us and thank you very much for joining us!
