Arsenal came from behind to beat London rivals West Ham convincingly 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Boxing Day (26 December).
bukayo sakaGabriel Martinelli, and Edward Niketia Syed bin Rahma scored for the Gunners after scoring from the top half in the first half.
The Premier League leaders got off to a good start, finding each other effortlessly with crisp passes. It took them just five minutes to send ripples through the back of West Ham’s net. Martin Odgaard Pass for Saka who passes to Nketiah. The striker deftly passed the ball to Saka, who finished the move from close range. Unfortunately for Mikel Arteta’s side, the goal was ruled out for offside in the build-up.
In the 24th minute, Saka directed Thomas PattyPath into Odegaard. The Arsenal captain’s shot was well done but ended up hitting the side-netting. A few minutes later, William Saliba knock down recklessly Jarrod Bowen In the Gunner’s penalty area, prompting the referee to point to the spot. Benrahma stepped forward and fired the penalty into the middle of the goal to give West Ham the lead.
Martinelli’s shot from outside the box appeared to hit the outstretched arm of Aaron Cresswell in first-half stoppage time and the referee awarded Arsenal a penalty. After careful inspection, VAR overturned the decision and found that there was no violation as the defender had made contact with his head.
Eight minutes into the second 45 minutes, Saka leveled the hosts, intercepting Odegaard’s shot and flicking the ball past Lukasz Fabianski from close range. Five minutes later, Martinelli completed the turn and beat Fabianski at the near post.
Nketiah, start in place of the injured Gabriel Jesus, scored a safety goal in the 69th minute. Odegaard found the striker inside the penalty area and he had no problem sending the ball into the far corner.
Arsenal held on for the remainder of the game, with the visitors failing to create anything noteworthy. The win keeps Arteta’s boys top of the table on 40 points after 15 games. Newcastle United are second with 33 points from 16 games, while Manchester City are third with 32 points from 14 games.
Here are five of the Gunners going all out to propel their side to a morale-boosting victory in the return of the Premier League:
#5 Edward Nketiah
Nketiah has been Arsenal’s first-choice centre-forward in Gabriel Jesus’ absence and he has been outstanding. He showed enough initiative, cooperated well with his teammates and scored a goal in the 69th minute.
Receiving a pass from Erdegaard, Nketiah spun past an unsuspecting Thilo Correll and finished brilliantly into the bottom left corner of West Ham’s goal.
Nketiah completed 22 passes (91.7 per cent accurate), won four duels and drew a foul against West Ham. He also made a tackle and attempted two dribbles.
#4 Granit Xhaka
While Partey held the fort, Xhaka pushed forward at every opportunity and eventually set up Martinelli in the 58th minute. The left midfielder found himself in possession of the ball on the edge of the box and played a pass to Martinelli on the left wing. The Brazilian cut in and beat Fabianski at the near post.
This is a welcome and unexpected development, and I’m here for it
The Granit Xhaka Redemption Tour™️ is a welcome and unexpected development, and I’m here for it https://t.co/Nbdzy3UbBN
Xhaka played two crucial passes against West Ham. He also threw two accurate long passes, completed a dribble, won five ground duels and drew two fouls.
#3 Thomas Patty
Thomas Partey is the metronome of the Gunners’ midfield. He sets the pace of the game with his short passing, always gets himself in and is intimidating in one-on-one situations. Partey was also threatening with his long balls, keeping West Ham defenders on their toes all night.
🇬🇭 Thomas Partey vs West Ham: • 89 minutes played • 104 touches • 77 passes completed • 12 last 3 passes • 9 returns • 4 long passes completed • 4 ground duels won • 2/ 2 aerial duels • Won 2 fouls he never left ⚽️ https://t.co/nCcDOO4y89
Partey threw four accurate long balls, completed 78 passes (83 percent accuracy) and won six of eight ground duels. Additionally, he drew two fouls, one interception, and attempted two tackles.
#2 Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka was Arsenal’s sharpest striker on Monday night. He ran well, created chances for his team-mates and turned Odegaard’s shot/pass from close range in the 53rd minute. He rarely made the wrong pass, held his ground and never broke through the press.
Saka played 4 key passes, sent 3 precise long passes, and completed 27 passes (90% accuracy). Saka also created great chances, completing two crosses accurately and attempting two tackles.
#1 Martin Erdegard
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard led the way up front on Monday night, controlling the tempo of the game and providing two vital assists.
His first assist for Saka in the 53rd minute was probably not intentional as it looked more like a shot. However, the ex-Real Madrid man is unlikely to have any qualms about it. After 16 minutes, he delivered a well-weighted through ball for Nketiah, and the striker headed home without a mistake.
The front midfielder played a game-high 5 key passes, created 2 lore opportunities, completed 2 dribbles, and won 6 duels. It was a spotless performance by the captain.
