Sports
GUNNING FOR GLORY: Arsenal storm back to win against West Ham
Arsenal returned to Premier League action on Monday night with three hard-fought points as they looked to cope with the absence of Gabriel Jesus, with a Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli inspiring a second-half turnaround against West Ham United.
Midway through the first period, the hosts were behind as William Saliba was ruled to have felled Jarrod Bowen in the area and Said Benrahma made no mistake from the penalty spot. It stayed that way until half-time, but Saka eventually levelled things up after reacting quickest to a mishit Martin Odegaard shot to collect the ball and beat Lukasz Fabianski
Moments after the equaliser, the league leaders were in front as Gabriel Martinelli beat former Arsenal keeper Fabianski at his near post. Eddie Nketiah then put them out of sight with time to spare, sending Mikel Arteta’s team seven points clear of second place Newcastle and eight clear of a Manchester City team who play on Wednesday.
Arteta’s team thought they had taken the lead inside five minutes as Bukayo Saka fired high into Lukasz Fabianski’s net, only for a flag to go up for an offside earlier in the move. It was a fast start for the Gunners even before that moment, as they looked to keep up their record of never having lost at home to a David Moyes side.
Arsenal weren’t immediately fazed after going behind, and continued to threaten for the remainder of the first half, with another VAR decision ensuring the Gunners’ excitement over a penalty of their own was short-lived. West Ham had a chance for a second straight after the break, with Aaron Ramsdale producing an important stop from Michail Antonio, but that was just a blip before the hosts regained their momentum.
There was a stroke of fortune about the equaliser, with Odegaard’s wayward shot falling perfectly for Saka. The hosts always looked like they were likely to keep coming, though, and West Ham struggled to deal with the relentless attacking after the break. Here are the talking points from an energetic London derby.
The sight of Eddie Nketiah stepping in for Gabriel Jesus was no surprise. The only question surrounded how the Hale End graduate would operate.
“We have more faith in Eddie every single day,” manager Arteta said in the build-up to the game. “We see every day what he brings to the team, what he is as a human being and the way he is developing as a player.”
Runs in behind were the order of the day early on, and Arsenal almost benefited only for the 23-year-old to stray offside before teeing up Saka for what looked like being the opener. There were more impressive touches from the frontman throughout the first period, with Craig Dawson and Thilo Kehrer forced to be vigilant at the back for the visitors.
When the goal did arrive – and it was a case of when rather than if – it was the kind of movement and confidence many hoped to see from Nketiah, even if they haven’t come to expect it just yet. Arsenal might still decide they need another striker in January, but Nketiah has shown he deserves his chance.
William Saliba only had two training sessions after returning from his World Cup exploits, but was thrown back in immediately. The French international played just once in Qatar, so it was more a question of rust than one of burnout.
Less than half an hour in, the argument for easing him in grew louder. There was danger as Bowen broke into the Arsenal area, but Saliba’s challenge was wild and, some might argue, unnecessary.
In the end, though, Arsenal weren’t made to pay for the lapse. They’ll hope this was a case of one of their star performers playing himself back into form with no great loss going into a busy few weeks where plenty willbe at stake.
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