By Samuel A. December 29, 2023
West Ham stunned Arsenal in the London derby for the second time this season across all English competitions to record a third successive Premier League victory, thus, handing the Gunners a blow in their title charge.
It was a ruthless display by West Ham, who converted two of just three shots on target, while Arsenal squandered a host of opportunities as they missed the chance to move top of the league. Tomas Soucek drew first blood as he converted a cutback from Jarrod Bowen which looked the ball had potentially gone out of play in the buildup, but there was not enough evidence for the VAR to overturn the goal. That gave West Ham a first half lead which was doubled when former Arsenal centre half, Konstantinos Mavropanos expertly headed home from a corner in the 55th minute.
Despite plenty of possession and pressure, Arsenal could not find a response, and their woeful night was nearly made worse when Declan Rice gave away a penalty in the final minute of injury time, luckily Benrahma’s effort was saved by David Raya.
The result leaves Mikel Arteta’s Gunners second in the table, two points behind league leaders Liverpool, while West Ham end the year with 33 points – their highest total at the halfway stage in a Premier League campaign. As the match wore on, their failure to capitalise only led to frustration, not only on the pitch, but also in the stands, as fans grew weary and the atmosphere drained at Emirates Stadium.
Opportunities were wasted by all three of Arsenal’s frontmen, with Bukayo Saka struck the post in the first half, Gabriel Martinelli fired wide, and Gabriel Jesus headed high. Ex-West Ham captain Rice also fizzed an effort over the bar, before Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola denied Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard at a point in the game. It was a stark contrast to West Ham’s fortunes and the visitors were able to brilliantly fend off countless attacks with selfless defending.
Arsenal’s lack of ruthlessness could prove costly with five teams sitting within six points of each other at the top of the Premier League, while West Ham on the other hand continued their stellar run of results in December have been a festive treat with Moyes’ side winning two of the ‘big six’ clubs with by two goals each, keeping clean sheets in both games.
The win means they sit sixth in the table, well in the mix for European qualification, following four wins, one draw and one defeat in the league this month. Despite losing England midfielder Rice in the summer, who lined up for Arsenal against his former club for the first time, West Ham have shown maturity and growth in the first part of the campaign and have been rewarded with their highest points tally, but there will be assessments to learn the extent of Lucas Paqueta’s injury – with the Brazilian midfielder being forced off in the 31st minute, having pulled up in the warm-up before being risked anyway.
