Wiltord makes a case for a regular start

Sylvain Wiltord scored a timely hat-trick to erase memories of Arsenal's drubbing at Old Trafford a week earlier, but even that may not be enough to guarantee him a place in tomorrow night's Champions League encounter with Spartak Moscow.

"I don't just look at the goals you score," said Arsene Wenger enigmatically. "I haven't made up my mind for Tuesday."

The Arsenal manager is renowned for promoting competition among his strikers, but even so that was probably not the most tactful thing he could have said. Wiltord is notorious for not taking a place on the bench lying down.

But, now that he is scoring goals for fun and giving Wenger the sort of headache managers secretly enjoy, the urbane manager seems prepared to let bygones be bygones.

"I know that patience is not the biggest quality in our society any more, but it took him time to settle, because of the language, because it's the first time he left the country, and as well as that I couldn't give him a run because of the competition we have in the team, so it took him longer to adapt.

"But I like the way he plays; he's mobile and he is difficult to mark because he goes everywhere. He has found the right pace and adapted to the English game and he complements everybody."

Three goals in 33 minutes was more than enough complementary medicine to cure Arsenal of their Manchester United hangover. The first came from a mistake by Stuart Pearce, who headed the ball tamely to the feet of Robert Pires. When the right-winger put Wiltord through, he buried the ball emphatically.

Another mistake from Pearce allowed Wiltord to wriggle free for his second, and then he timed his run perfectly to collect Frederik Ljungberg's pass and slot home his hat-trick goal and his eighth this new year.

A weakened West Ham must now regroup for another London derby with Chelsea on Wednesday and their FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham on Sunday. Paolo di Canio will be back after suspension, but there are doubts about the fitness of Frederic Kanoute, Joe Cole and Michael Carrick, all absent on Saturday.

ARSENAL: Seaman, Dixon, Cole (Vivas 54), Adams, Grimandi, Ljungberg, Vieira, Lauren, Pires (Edu 66), Bergkamp, Wiltord (Henry 60). Subs Not Used: Manninger, Kanu. Booked: Vieira, Lauren. Goals: Wiltord 6, 13, 39.

WEST HAM: Hislop, Stuart Pearce (Tihinen 82), Stimac (Ian Pearce 75), Dailly, Song, Winterburn, Lampard, Soma, Schemmel, Suker, Diawara (Todorov 75). Subs Not Used: Camara, Bywater. Booked: Stuart Pearce, Dailly, Todorov.

Referee: M Riley (Leeds).