Back on track

West Ham 1-3 Arsenal

Arsenal responded to the league defeat at home to Chelsea in perfect fashion on Sunday, imposing their own style on proceedings as they overcame West Ham by three goals to one. Having succumbed to two crosses against Chelsea, the Gunners knew they would be in for a real aerial bombardment against a side managed by Sam “Long Ball” Allardyce. Yet the Arsenal defence impressively stood tall and the whole team were able to dominate the game through their superior passing ability.

 

From the very first minute, the Gunners had West Ham pinned back, deep in their own half, as Arsenal dominated the midfield, passing the ball amongst themselves, outmanoeuvring the opposition to create chance after chance. Unfortunately, the ball just wouldn’t go into the back of the net as time after time a West Ham player would manage to get in the way of a goal bound effort and deflect it wide. Both Cazorla and on numerous occasions, Giroud, were denied by one of these last ditch blocks. With all their outfield players stuck in their own half, the home side just could not get the ball up the field, as every attempted clearance was an agricultural hoof up the field which would invariably be collected by an Arsenal defender to start yet another attack. As a result, it was no surprise to see that after 15 minutes the away side had enjoyed a whopping 80% possession.

 

However, as Arsenal have repeatedly found to their detriment, impressive possession statistics mean absolutely nothing if you are unable to convert these into goals. Saturday was no different as in the 21^st minute the Gunners were made to pay thanks to West Ham’s very first attack and attempt on goal. Mohamed Diame appeared to be well shackled by Aaron Ramsey on the edge of the box, but then the Welshman lost concentration and allowed Diame to get clear and surge forward into the box. The Senegalese midfielder unleashed an excellent strike to beat Mannone from an acute angle to give the Hammers the lead. Although praised for his execution, Diame really shouldn’t have been allowed to score from such a position, especially with no other West Ham player in the box, supporting the attack.

 

The goal roused the home side from their lethargy. All of a sudden, the Gunners were involved in a real game and could have even been two down as Andy Carroll was able to find far too much space in the penalty area, but luckily his headed effort was weak and straight at Mannone as the zonal marking Wenger prefers, came under scrutiny oncr more. Arsenal continued to persevere yet the tactic of getting the ball wide to cross it into the box, against a West Ham side designed to take advantage of their aerial prowess, seemed strange, as cross after cross was easily headed clear.

 

Nevertheless, the Gunners were rewarded in the 41^st minute as Olivier Giroud scored his first Arsenal league goal. Lukas Podolski strode purposely towards the by-line, yet it appeared virtually impossible for him to get the ball into the box, as the Hammers defence seemed to have all angles covered. The German international however managed to produce a fantastic inch-perfect cross, curling the ball around the defender, keeping it in play for Giroud to steal in unnoticed and poke the ball home. It was nothing less than Arsenal deserved for their endeavour in the first half, but for Giroud in particular it was a huge relief. The Frenchman may not have been getting his name on the score sheet but his excellent link up play, ability to hold the ball and his general movement upfront have been most impressive. As a result, he has been presented with numerous opportunities and will continue to do so. Hopefully this goal will relieve some of the pressure and enable him to become calmer in front of goal.

 

Arsenal were not able to dominate the second period in the same masterful way they had the first, as West Ham grew into the game. The home side were more industrious and were able to start launching sustained attacks as they gained a foothold further up the field. Carroll squandered the best chance of the early exchanges, heading wide; having beaten Mannone to a high ball and from that point on Arsenal took control once more.

 

The Gunners began to exert more and more pressure on the West Ham goal and the chances began to flow as Corroll’s influence on the game waned. Giroud, Podolski and Cazorla all had chances to give Arsenal the lead, but just could not steer the ball home. In the 77^th minute the pressure finally told with Theo Walcott racing onto Giroud’s perfect though ball before slotting his shot past Jaaskelainen into the bottom corner. The Englishman’s cool, controlled and calm finish adding more weight to his aspirations of occupying the lone striker role at the club.

 

Although Arsenal were now in the lead, the home side would not accept defeat lightly and almost immediately West Ham had a golden opportunity to equalise as Kevin Nolan blazed his effort over the bar when he should have at least tested Mannone. The Gunners saved the best till last however, as the magnificent Santi Cazorla created space for himself 25 yards out and unleashed a wonderful, unstoppable shot to secure all three points for the away side.

 

Arsene Wenger can take great satisfaction from both the result and the performance against an opponent in Sam Allardyce who has so often proved to be the thorn in Wenger’s side. Far too often Allardyce’s sides have bullied Arsenal, completely dominating them with their strength and power. Yet on this occasion, the Gunners showed a new side to their game. They are no longer frightened by a physical contest and simply meet such a challenge head on. The fact they were able to rebuff the aerial bombardment and were astute enough not to allow themselves to be pinned back in their own box defending cross after cross, was most impressive and highlighted once more the improvements made this year in the defensive side of Arsenal’s game. But the Gunners did so much more than this on Saturday. They imposed their passing game and dictated the play for long periods and yet did not succumb to panic when they fell behind, completely against the run of play. Arsenal now have a maturity which means they can be more than a match for any side in this league and in the mercurial Cazorla, have a football magician who can make the seemingly impossible happen. Exciting times surely lie ahead for Wenger’s improving side.