Barclays Premier League Match Review: West Ham United 1 - 3 Arsenal

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 06: Santi Cazorla of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his team

Arsenal registered a 3-1 victory over fellow Londoners West Ham United at Upton Park last night. It was a closer game than the scoreline suggests, but in the end the Gunners were deserving victors.

Arsenal made three changes to the team that played Olympiakos in the middle of the week. Per Mertesacker and Aaron Ramsey regained their places in the starting eleven at the expense of Laurent Koscielny, who was on the bench, and Francis Coquelin respectively. Olivier Giroud also started as the spearhead of the Arsenal attack, with Gervinho operating on the flanks, while Oxlade-Chamberlain was named amongst the substitutes.

The away side started the more positive of the two teams with the midfield trio of Santi Cazorla, Mikel Arteta and Ramsey controlling play in the middle of the park. However, despite the high percentage of possession, there were no clear-cut chances being created by the Gunners. The first notable attempt on goal came in the 18th minute when Giroud’s strike from the edge of the 18-yard box was headed clear by Andy Carroll for a corner.

The opening goal of the match came as a surprise in the 21st minute; it was not at the end where it was expected. The move started off with Hammers vice captain Mark Noble. He switched play to the left to the advancing George McCartney who had a lot of room to run in front of him. The Irishman found Mohamed Diame just outside the Arsenal penalty area, who got past Ramsey like he wasn’t there, and finished smartly with his right foot, bending it around the Arsenal custodian, Vito Mannone. Diame couldn’t keep his celebrations in check though, and ended up being booked by referee Phil Dowd. From an Arsenal point of view, the fact that Diame was able to waltz in with such ease was further proof of the work that was going to be needed to tighten their defense.

In the 28th minute, Diame nearly went from hero to villain when he clumsily tackled Arteta. Luckily for him, the referee only offered words of caution. Chances then came way of both sides when, of a corner, an unmarked Carroll headed powerfully but straight at Mannone, while at the other end Giroud couldn’t get enough purchase on his header after Mertesacker’s flick-on.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 06: Olivier Giroud (C) of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his first league goal during the Barclays Premier League match between West Ham United and Arsenal at the Boleyn Ground on October 6, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Arsenal continued pushing though, and were rewarded in the 41st minute with the equalizing goal. Giroud found Podolski open on the left flank and continued his run up the pitch. The German sent in a low fizzing cross that the Frenchman showed great desire to reach and divert into the net with an outstretched foot. It was Giroud’s first goal of the Premier League and his elation mixed with relief was plain to see.

As the game approached half time, Arsenal’s weakness against set plays almost cost them again when Kevin Nolan was found unmarked on the far post, but his attempt at turning  the ball in was a poor one and the teams went in level at the break.

West Ham started very brightly in the second half and being egged on by their home support, were harrying the Arsenal players all over the pitch. Arsenal were reduced to counter-attacking and in the 54th minute had a decent opportunity when Podolski went again on one of his customary driving runs up the left hand side before laying the ball off for Gibbs, but the left back’s cross was way off. It proved to be Gibbs’ last action of the match as he was replaced by Andre Santos in the 56th minute. Another substitution followed when Gervinho made way for Theo Walcott in the 61st minute. For the Hammers, Ricardo Vaz Te had to be taken off, dislocating his shoulder after what had initially seemed an innocuous collision with Mannone, and was replaced by Matthew Taylor.

Walcott’s introduction almost had an immediate impact. Podolski’s cut back from the left found Cazorla, but Walcott inadvertently came in the way of the Spaniard’s strike. He did manage to back heel the ball across goal with Giroud prowling, but keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen had closed in sufficiently for the Frenchman to only manage to hit the side netting.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 06: Theo Walcott of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his team

It was end to end now and Andy Carroll, who had a very good game for the Hammers, went close in the 67th minute, when he beat Mannone to a cross but his header flashed just wide of goal. In the 70th minute, Kevin Nolan found himself on side and through on goal, but a last ditch tackle by Mertesacker denied him a shot. Meanwhile, Arsenal had penalty claims waved off, after it looked like Ramsey was fouled by Taylor. Then Podolski went close when his fierce shot was barely kept out by the West Ham keeper.

The Gunners were not to be denied for too long though and in the 77th minute, they got their lead. The move was a counter attack with Giroud taking Cazorla’s pass and advancing down the middle of the pitch before finding Walcott with a precise through ball that cut through the Hammers backline. Walcott’s pace got him easily clear of the defenders and he beautifully bent the ball to the right of Jaaskelainen and into the goal, to the joy of the travelling support.

West Ham immediately went searching for an equalizer and almost had it when Nolan received the ball from a miscontrol by Diame on the edge of the Arsenal penalty area, but his left footed strike went just over. In the 82nd minute, Carlton Cole came on for Diame as the Hammers went all out to try and snatch a second.

But the game was put to bed in the 83rd minute, when the little magician from Spain, Cazorla, after being setup by Walcott, unleashed a splendid left footed strike from a few yards outside the West Ham penalty area which Jaaskelainen could only watch as it bulged the net. It was a fitting way to top off a fabulous peformance from the Spaniard.

Wenger was taking no chances and introduced Koscielny for Podolski in the 85th minute to ensure there was more cover at the back to see out the game. Barring the one shot from Matthew Taylor from around 25 yards that was well saved by Mannone, there weren’t too many other chances for the home side as Arsenal negotiated the remaining minutes successfully to celebrate their second away win of this Premier League campaign.