It’s been awhile, but have hopefully put their recent run of poor displays behind them.
Arsenal managed a decent start, but were wasteful and unable to break down the Hammers. Then, about five minutes before the break, disaster struck and West Ham scored a scrappy goal and took the lead.
The Gunners responded instantly and within three minutes, Lukas Podolski managed to fire the equalizer after collecting a Cazorla pass.
The second half was totally one-sided, with West Ham unable to muster any kind of challenge to the Arsenal goal, whereas Arsenal kept West Ham under constant pressure.
Olivier Giroud put the Gunners ahead, calmly controlling a long pass in the box and smashing it between the goalkeeper’s legs.
Podolski made the game safe, when he collected Aaron Ramsey’s header and smashed the ball into the roof of the net.
Hopefully this victory will lift the team and allow them to finish the season strongly.
Player Ratings:
Szczesny 6. He hardly had a thing to do. The goal came out of the blue, but it wasn’t his fault.
Sagna 7. Another strong game for Sagna, who shows us week after week what we’ll be missing next season. Kept the wing quiet, helping to keep Carroll quiet.
Mertesacker 7. A strong game against Carroll and a strong game overall. He took a blow to his cheek as well.
Koscielny 7. Good to see him back. Unable to stop the goal, but it really wasn’t his fault.
Vermaelen 7. A good match from Vermaelen. He was solid for the most part defensively and he managed to get forward a number of times.
Arteta 7. A solid game from Mikel, who was able to dictate play and dominate the middle of the field.
Kallstrom 7. A very good game from Kim on his full debut. I felt he was somewhat at fault for the goal we conceded, but otherwise he was strong throughout and he was very comfortable in the Arsenal midfield.
Rosicky 7. Tomas, I believe, was the reason why we played so well tonight compared to our performance against Wigan, where we missed his drive and determination to push forward. He danced around and kept the tempo of our movement and passing high.
Cazorla 8. An excellent game from Santi, the best he’s produced in quite awhile. His first half was not that good, but he sparkled in the second half. He came close to scoring with an excellent shot midway in the half. Historically, he plays very well against West Ham.
Giroud 8. Yes, he missed a good chance in the first half, but he scored an excellent winning goal in the second. He played with energy and vim and looked motivated out there.
Podolski 8. Man of the match. Two excellent goals and a good all around performance.
Substitutes:
Jenkinson 6. Bombed forward once or twice in the short time he was on the field.
Ramsey 7. An excellent outing for Ramsey, who looked dangerous when out there. Was a little selfish as well.