match report – player ratings – arteta reaction – Video
It wasn’t exactly a tale of two halves, because I think for the most part Arsenal were the team on top, but there’s no doubt that the second 45 minutes saw us shake off some of the rust that was evident in the first coming up. from behind and beat West Ham 3-1.
The team went more or less as expected, a bit of a surprise to see William Saliba back, but also an understandable decision. We almost had the brightest start possible, Bukayo Saka put the ball into the net, but the slightest touch of the ball with his heel in the build-up put him out of play.
The rust manifested itself in a slight lack of fluidity in our build, and I thought both center halves seemed a bit heavy on the legs or something. Gabriel must have misjudged 4 or 5 high balls over the course of the 90 minutes, and Saliba, usually so light on his feet for such a big man, looked heavy on his feet. Under normal circumstances (without a World Cup break), I think he would have handled the ball over the top with authority and ease, but he faltered and then slid to make even the slightest contact with Jarrod Bowen. I think that’s a pretty generous penalty, even if the contact is obvious, but the referee signaled the point and West Ham went 1-0 up.
In first-half stoppage time, we were awarded a penalty of our own, but replays showed the ball hit Aaron Creswell in the face, not the hands. His hands, by the way, were too busy trying to pull Bukayo Saka’s shirt off his back at every opportunity, but without any censure from the referees. Go figure.
Being behind isn’t something we’ve experienced a lot this season, so in these very specific circumstances, as we look to get things going again, it would be interesting to see how we responded. Perhaps there was a touch of fortune in the first goal, unless Martin Odegaard has perfected the art of the assist disguised as a throw of the dice. And look, based on the rest of his performance, I wouldn’t rule it out 100%. The ball came to a very onside Saka, his first touch was superb, and he put it past Lukasz Fabianski to make it 1-1.
Five minutes later and it was 2-1. West Ham sat deep, Arsenal moved around them, in front of them, then through them through Odegaard and Granit Xhaka, who fed Gabriel Martinelli. It always looks bad for a goalkeeper to get beaten at the near post by him, but I would attribute a good part of this goal to power and accuracy of the shot rather than poor goalkeeping. Fabianski won’t be happy, but the way Martinelli shoots with so little back movement deserves more credit than the criticism the former Arsenal keeper deserves (at least in my opinion, I’m sure West Ham fans wouldn’t agree). agreement).
The two wides scoring continues a theme that has run throughout this season, but the third goal was perhaps the most pleasurable of the night. Not only because he removed what little padding was left at West Ham and gave us a cushion to control the game, but because Eddie Nketiah came on the scoreboard. I think he played well up to that point, some shortcomings between him and Jesus were obvious at times, but if everything he does is compared to the Brazilian then I think we will go crazy.
The reality is that we were going to need this player for a few months. Pre-match footage of Jesus with his leg in a brace suggests it will be a while before he plays again, so for Eddie scoring his first Premier League start of the season with a goal will be a huge boost for the trust. It was a beautiful goal too. Ben White’s buildup was cheeky, Odegaard’s pass perfectly weighted, but the spin behind the defender and finishing into the bottom corner was first class. Forwards always need goals, but I think with everything that’s going on at the moment and the pressure on him to step up, that was very important for Eddie Nketiah.
He basically sealed the game and the three points, after which we enjoyed a showcase from Odegaard. This was the very definition of a captain’s performance, leading by example and leading with quality. Some of his passes were out of this world, as a player criticized at times for not shooting enough took more than any other Arsenal player on the night, and this was all done with hard work and efficient organisation, and no small amount. of panache. . The way this player has developed at Arsenal and with Arteta over the last 18 months has been a joy to watch. He was sensational last night.
Subsequently, Mikel Arteta said:
You see the reaction of this crowd building confidence and giving a lot of energy to the team. And the team showed, I think, in my opinion, a lot of composure, some real quality, as well as a lot of clarity in understanding what the game demanded, and they executed it very well.
The win leaves us 7 points clear of second place Newcastle, who beat Leicester yesterday looking the most pathetic I’ve ever seen. Eddie Howe’s side are receiving praise, and I understand that, but no one should be in any doubt about how poor Leicester were too. It also means we have 8 points on Man City for now, they play Leeds on Wednesday night.
So it’s great to win again so quickly and show that even in some adversity, this is a team that can step up, respond and get the right result.
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The match was also notable for Arsene Wenger’s return to the stadium for the first time. Mikel Arteta said that the players did not know beforehand, they did not want to build it, but then came the second goal and a resounding “An Arsene Wenger!” It rang around the stadium, you would have to have a heart of stone not to feel how special it was.
I was way overdue and I’m glad it finally happened. I’m glad you saw us win too. On a night when the owners were present in front of the director’s box, perhaps this means there has been a thaw in relations. Time goes by, it doesn’t mean they’ll be best friends forever or anything, but after everything he did during his time here, it would have been tragic if he never felt like he could come back.
Mikel Arteta got:
His presence is something that has to be very attached to this football club. So thank you for doing that because it means a lot to everyone at the club.
Hopefully he’ll live here and be willing to spend more time with us and be around us because he’s such a big influence. For me personally, my career and my way of seeing the game, but also for this football club.
Welcome back, Arsenio. And how fitting it was that a young and dynamic Arsenal celebrated the occasion with the kind of winning and performance we saw so many times during his tenure.
Right, that’s all for now. James and I are recording the Arsecast Extra for you later this morning. Keep an eye out for calls for questions on Twitter @gunnerblog and @arseblog on Twitter with the hashtag #arsecastextra, or if you’re a member of Arseblog on Patreon, leave your question in the #arsecast-extra-questions channel on our Discord. server.
Enjoy the game later, and we should have the podcast for you around noon. Until then.
