Emery gets first win as Arsenal battle back against West Ham
LONDON: Unai Emery admitted Arsenal are still a work in progress as they came from behind to clinch a 3-1 victory against West Ham that ended their new manager’s wait for his fi rst Premier League points.
Emery’s side had lost the fi rst two games of the post- Arsene Wenger era against Manchester City and Chelsea in the club’s worst start to a Premier League campaign since 1992.
They were on the verge of more unwanted history after Marko Arnautovic gave West Ham a surprise lead at the Emirates Stadium.
A defeat would have made this the first Arsenal side to lose their opening three fixtures for 54 years.
But, while Emery’s team were dismal in defence, they possessed just enough attacking quality to stage a much-needed fightback.
Nacho Monreal equal ised before half- time and West Ham defender Issa Diop def lected influential substitute Alexandre Lacazette’s shot into the net after the interval.
Danny Welbeck came off the bench to wrap up the points in stoppage-time.
But Arsenal’s inconsistent performance suggests Emery still has much to work on as the Spaniard aims to restore his new club to the top four after last season’s sixth-place fi nish.
“We are happy with the first three points after two defeats, but it’s clear we need to improve,” said Emery, who dismissed reports he had fallen out with Mesut Ozil after the f lu- stricken German missed the match.
“It was a difficult match. We need to continue working to not concede many chances. We have to see the reasons why we conceded so many.
“We need the balance with the midfielders. We suffered on the transition many times.”
Accentuating the positives of Arsenal’s spirited comeback, Emery added: “We improved in the second half and controlled more like we want. We showed that in difficult periods we can win.”
West Ham’s third successive defeat under new manager Manuel Pellegrini makes it the worst start by a Hammers boss since Avram Grant lost his opening four league games of the 2010-11 season.
Pellegrini’s side sit bottom of the table and the Chilean said: “I’m not happy with the result but I’m happy with the performance.
“It was what I demanded of the players. We will win more games than we lose if we play like this.
“I don’t think Arsenal created much, we created twice as much as them.”
Pellegrini’s men snatched the lead with a 25th-minute goal that showed Emery hasn’t erased the defensive woes that ailed Arsenal in last years of Wenger’s reign. — AFP