ARSENAL
Upton Park
7 - 0 (Watson 3, Johnson, Ruffell, John [og], Parker [og])
7 March 1927
Att; 11,764

Baillie

Hebden

Horler

Collins

Barrett

Cadwell

Yews

Earle

Watson

Johnson

Ruffell

A crowd of 11,764 had hardly settled themselves before the Hammers' took the lead in the second minute. Jimmy Ruffell rescued the ball from going over the bye-line, he passed to Joe Johnson who centred and, as the Arsenal 'keeper Dan Lewis came out to collect Vic Watson, the Hammers' centre-forward, nipped in and netted via the outside of his right foot, flicking the ball home.
A quarter-of-an-hour later, Watson got the ball in the inside right position. As there was no one to pass to he tried a speculative screw-shot towards goal. The Gunners' right back Tom Parker endeavoured to trap the ball but only succeeded in diverting it past his ' keeper.
The third goal came following a Ruffell corner which centre-half Butler could only clear as far as the Hammers' international winger who, on receiving the ball back, promptly shot at goal. Lewis failed to hold the fierce drive and Watson was on hand once again to net the rebound.
The 6 feet tall Watson who was to score a remarkable total of 34 League goals that season in 42 appearances had a hand in the fourth goal just before half-time.  Surprising the Arsenal left-back Bob John with a sudden turn, Vic shot and the Gunners' player deflected the ball off his legs past the helplessly stranded Lewis.
The match had been played at a furious pace with the Hammers' playing the better football on a "sloshy" surface. Soon after the start of the second half, Johnson who had only been signed that season following spells with Crystal Palace and Barnsley. made it 5-0. Slipping the ball between two opponents. he then wriggled through the gap himself and shot home.
The pitch was becoming heavier by the minute but this did not stop the elegant yet powerful Watson completing his hat-trick. Following a perfect pass from Ruffell, the Cambridgeshire born Hammers' leading scorer netted the sixth goal of the game with what one reporter of the match described as a "calm, judicious kick" of the ball.
With almost the last kick of the match, Jimmy Ruffell got in another of his fierce strikes on goal. Although Lewis managed to get his fingers to the shot, the ball was travelling at such a pace that his hands were knocked backwards and the ball continued to its objective.
Arsenal might have claimed in their defence that they had fielded a weaker side to that which had beaten Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Cup tie as three of their "regulars" were missing. Joe Hulme was ill with influenza whilst inside forward Buchan was suffering from an ankle injury and wing half Baker had an injured shoulder.
West Ham could claim, however, that their half-backs and forwards were better on the day than their opposite numbers with centre-half, Jim Barrett, dominating in defence with his tackling which was as subtle as it was strong. In the Hammers' goal was David Baillie who was playing in his first, and was subsequently proved to be, his only game of the campaign. The young deputy to regular "keeper Ted Hufton distinguished himself with one particularly fine save diving full-length and stopping the ball with his outstretched right hand, clinging onto it, and then clearing up-field.
Half-backs Jimmy Collins and Albert Cadwell used the bail with precision and subtlety doing all that was expected of them with the minimum amount of fuss.
At the end of the season, the Hammers' finished in sixth position in the Division and were London's top team. Arsenal, on the other hand, who the previous season had finished runners-up in the Championship advanced to the F. A. Cup Final where the unfortunate Dan Lewis was to face further misery. His fateful tumble at Wembley allowed Cardiff City to take the trophy out of England for the first and only time with a 1-0 victory. Three years later, the Gunners were to return to the "twin towers" venue and lift the Cup for the first time in their history.