West Ham vs Arsenal: 3 reasons why Gunners won the game | Premier League 2019-20
It seems Arsenal have done the impossible by winning a football game! A run of 9 winless matches in all competitions came to an end last night as the Gunners hit back after going a goal down before half time against West Ham United at the London Stadium to win the game by three goals to one.
7 points behind 4th-placed Chelsea, Arsenal have finally hit the right gear in their pursuit for a top-four finish this term and they will have to build on this big win when they host Pep Guardiola's Manchester City at the Emirates in a week's time.
This win could not have come at a better time for Arsenal. It is the first time since 2011 that Arsenal has won an away game after being a goal down at half-time, which suggests they might have got that "fight" back in them. A 10-min talk from Freddie Ljungberg was enough to get Arsenal the three points, but it will all go in vain if they cannot outperform Man City next week.
#3 Robust defensive performance from Calum Chambers and Sokratis
Arsenal have been ridiculed all season for their terrible defence, however, it was not the case last night. An uncalled goal in the first half did not stop Arsenal from losing their focus, as Calum Chambers and Sokratis held the fort, allowing just 4 relatively easy shots on target for Bernd Leno to save.
Arsenal named Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney as their fullback pair for the game, but by the 30th-minute mark, it was Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Sead Kolasinac working down the flanks. An early injury for Bellerin whilst Tierney suffered a blow on his shoulder forced Ljungberg to make two early changes, but it did not change the complexion of the match as Kolasinac and Maitland Niles came out flying with their brilliant performances.
It was, overall, a very convincing defensive performance from the Gunners, and you do not hear that quite often nowadays. A 43rd-minute set-piece goal did have a mental impact on the players, but they outgrew it, something they will have to do consistently in the games to come.
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