weapon recover from a target down to defeat West Ham United 3-1 at Emirates Stadium and 7 points away from the top of the Premier League.
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Benrahma said put the Hammers ahead with a penalty in the 26th minute William Saliba Foul Jarrod Bowen in the box before the second half strikes from Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah marks an important victory.
JUMP TO: Player Rating | Best/worst performer | Highlights and remarkable moments | Quotes after the game | main statistics | upcoming match schedule
rapid response
1. Arsenal continues to flourish after the World Cup break
In the end, it’s like they’ve never been apart. Arsenal got off to a slow start on Monday as they fell behind even though Benrahma’s goal came from the game. Saliba’s sloppiness seems to be wrapped up in fear that the timing of the World Cup could affect Arsenal more than most Premier League sides as they have exceeded all expectations to top the table in the second half. the first of the campaign.
However, they completed the task admirably with passion and energy in their attacking play, which was rewarded with an emotional comeback in the second half that ensured a relaxed atmosphere. The roof around the Emirates Stadium continues. As if to aid the distinction between the World Cup and domestic competitions, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger – now FIFA’s head of global football development – attended for the first time. since leaving the club in 2018. Wenger may have left amid deep divisions in the fan base over his latter-day management, but he has received a welcome welcome. hero here.
The Gunners have never looked stronger in the 4 and a half years since he left. Time will tell whether Arsenal can maintain the pace to win their first league title since 2004 (under Wenger) but a seven-point lead at this stage is encouraging.
2. Arsenal’s attack increased three steps when Jesus was absent
The biggest unknown here is how Arsenal will cope without Gabriel Jesus. The 25-year-old striker had to miss three months after knee surgery, leaving Nketiah to start in his absence along with Saka and Martinelli. It feels particularly poignant that on a night when questions were raised about the Gunners’ potential without their star, all three attacking players scored.
Saka’s goal depended on a moment of luck when Martin Odegaard made a shot straight into his path, but England the winger’s composure to drive a low shot through Lukasz Fabianski is exemplary. Martinelli showed great determination and speed with Fabianski’s shot into the near corner, although the West Ham goalkeeper was defeated too easily. And then Nketiah had his moment, turning Thilo Kehrer with embarrassing ease before slamming a shot into the net.
Need more reinforcements — they submitted bids up to 65 million euros Because Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk‘s transfer – but this is proof that losing Jesus until the spring wasn’t necessarily the devastating blow it appeared at that time.
3. Moyes’ miserable streak continues
David Moyes is currently winless in 71 Premier League away games as manager against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United, lost his 50th such game on Monday. To be fair, the majority of those games take place when in charge of teams that start such matches as second-priority teams, but this is the typical conservative approach of Moyes and never really crossed the line, even when West Ham took the lead.
They were happy to defend at the edge of their box and find ways to organize the counter-attack – a scheme of play that allowed Arsenal time to set the rhythm and ultimately overwhelm their opponents in the second half. They never wanted to return to it after falling behind, and although Moyes did well in his second term at the club, criticism will only mount after a result that left They are only one point away from the relegation zone.
“Sometimes you have a hard time and in times like that, you need the leadership and everyone to come together,” Moyes said before the game. He needs that a little more now.
Player Rating
Arsenal: Aaron Ramsdale 6, White Wharf 6, Gabriel Magalhaes 6, William Saliba 6, Kieran Tierney 6, Martin Odegaard 9, Thomas Partey 7, Granite Xhaka 7, Bukayo Saka 8, Eddie Nketiah 7, Gabriel Martinelli 8.
Prep: Oleksandr Zinchenko 6, Fabio Vieira 6, Mohamed Elneny 6.
Tay Ham: Lukasz Fabiansky 5, Vladimir Coufal 5, Craig Dawson 7, Thilo Kehrer 5, Aaron Creswell 6, Tomas Soucek 6, rice 6, Jarrod Bowen 7, Lucas Paqueta 6, Benrahma said 7, Michael Antonio 6.
Prep: Pablo Fornals 6, God Mubama 6.
Best and worst performers
Player of the Year: Martin Odegaard, Arsenal.
At the heart of Arsenal’s smartest and most dynamic play.
Worst Player: Lukasz Fabianski, West Ham.
Beaten in the post was too easy for Gabriel Martinelli’s crucial second goal.
Highlights and remarkable moments
Arsenal legends at Emirates for Boxing Day match pic.twitter.com/fkj7B4dro8
– FC GAME (@ESPNFC) December 26, 2022
A couple of Gunners greats in attendance on Monday. Thierry Henry strolls across the pitch while on broadcast duty while Arsene Wenger returns to the Emirates for the first time since he left the club as manager in 2018.
After the game: What the player/manager said
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, on Match of the Day: “I’m very happy with the result and the performance because I think we deserved to win the game.”
Arteta, on the wounded Gabriel Jesus: “Gabriel is still around the team… and he has an impact on the pitch even though he’s not playing. He’s helping Eddie and I’m glad he does. [for his goal]. He also showed last season that when we needed him, he was always there.”
Arteta, on Arsene Wenger’s attendance: “The players don’t know [about it]. We want to keep quiet and give that space to Arsene. [Club owners] Stan and Josh [Kroenke] also here and it was a really special day… Thank you so much for coming. Hopefully, as he walks through the building, he gets a feel for everything people think of him, the legacy he left here. In addition, his presence must be very, very attached to this football club. Also, thank you for everything he has done at the club.
“Hopefully he will leave here and be ready to spend more time with us and be with us more because he has had a huge influence on me personally in my career, the way I look at it. accept the match, as it does for this football club.”
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, to Amazon: “The second half was much better than the first, the first half you’re picking up the pace. We had a lot of possession in the first half but then we were more efficient.”
West Ham’s Declan Rice, to Amazon: “It was a tough game. In the first half we didn’t have much of the ball but stopped them and had a plan. It was like City of Manchester, one of their chances will eventually be to create something with their freestyle football. They strangled us all over the pitch.”
Key stats (powered by ESPN Stats & Information research)
– Bukayo Saka’s 22nd goal of his Premier League career helped him surpass Nicolas Anelka for the most Premier League goals for Arsenal before turning 22 years old.
– Eddie Nketiah has scored 11 goals in his last 11 starts for Arsenal in all competitions at the Emirates, scoring 11 goals from just 16 shots on target.
– This is the second time Martin Odegaard has provided multiple assists in a single game for Arsenal – and both games came on Gift Day (2 assists against Norwich City in 2021).
Next
Arsenal: Next up for the Gunners is a New Year’s Eve trip to come Brighton & Hove Albion.
Tay Ham: Back to East London for the event brentford on December 30.
