Taking a closer look at the West Ham United and Arsenal players’ latest performances.
On Sunday West Ham United fans saw the dawning of a new era at their club, with summer signings Dimitri Payet and Angelo Ogbonna starring against Arsenal and 16-year-old midfielder Reece Oxford putting in an unbelievable shift to help his side to a 2-0 victory.
The teenager only made his West Ham debut this season but with four appearances already under his belt (three of which have come in the Europa League) it seems there is no going back for the England under-17 captain.
Oxford was brilliant against Arsenal, outperforming the Gunners’ own defensive midfielder Francis Coquelin.
The Frenchman left the field shortly before the hour-mark, by which time it was clear it was not to be his day, but how did the two players compare in terms of key statistics?
| Passing Accuracy | Outfield Blocks | Duels Won | Dispossessed | Tackle Accuracy | Interception Won | Aerials Won | Ball Recoveries | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reece Oxford | 95% | 2 | 4 | 0 | 100% | 3 | 0 | 4 | 79 |
| Francis Coquelin | 85% | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0% | 2 | 1 | 8 | 58 |
As you can see from the stats above, the West Ham player had a passing accuracy of 95 per cent, which was simply phenomenal for one so young making his top flight debut.
That was a full 10 per cent higher than the Arsenal man and Oxford also came out on top in terms of outfield blocks, duels and interceptions, while he was successful with 100 per cent of his tackles. In contrast, Coquelin did not make a tackle all afternoon.
The Arsenal player recovered the ball twice as many times as Oxford but that was about all he could take from the encounter.
In short, the future looks very bright for the West Ham teenager but if Coquelin keeps performing like this Arsenal may have to move quickly for another defensive midfielder to lighten the load.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
