NKETIAH POUNCES MOYES’ EMIRATES
SUB Eddie Nketiah spared Arsenal’s blushes – and left West Ham cursing their misfortune at The Emirates. The Gunners youngster (below) had only been on the pitch seven minutes when he pounced with a close-range 85th-minute effort to grab victory.
That was enough to keep Mikel Areta’s men flying high at the top end of the table but do not be fooled – they were second best pretty much from start to finish.
Poor David Moyes could scarcely believe his bad luck as for the second time in six months his West Ham side left here without anything to show for a superb display.
In March the Irons lost 1-0 here in a clash that Gunners boss Arteta admitted they should have lost.
And while he was once more celebrating at the final whistle last night, the Spaniard will know his north Londoners were way below their best.
The Hammers arrived in crisis, with no new faces and their long-suffering supporters positively fuming at their owners. The picture could scarcely have been more different with their opponents.
Their superb FA Cup success in August – barely six months into Mikel Arteta’s reign – had provided genuine momentum.
And with skipper
Pierre-emerick
Aubameyang signing that new deal last week, they kicked off in buoyant mood, looking for back-to-back wins at the start of a season for only the second time since 2009.
The visitors, on the other hand, so soundly beaten by Newcastle seven days earlier, were trying to avoid starting a fourth campaign in a row with successive defeats.
But having lost 10 of their previous 11 visits here – and manager Moyes never having tasted victory at Arsenal in 19 attempts – the odds on an upset were truly mountainous.
There was one setback for the Gunners before a ball was kicked as consistently impressive Kieran Tierney suffered a hip injury in the warm-up.
Maybe that was behind their sloppy start because they kept conceding possession and stupid free-kicks to boot.
One of which
almost produced a breakthrough for the Hammers after four minutes when Angelo Ogbanna headed straight at relieved Bernd Leno.
Twenty minutes later Arsenal found the net with their first attack.
Bukayo Saka fed Aubameyang who, onside by an inch, crossed for Lacazette to power in a header.
The Hammers were equally dismayed when Gunners defender Gabriel escaped a VAR penalty review after the ball hit his arm.
But on the stroke of half-time, the visitors were celebrating. Ryan Fredericks tore past Tierney’s replacement Sead Kolasinac before delivering a killer centre that Antonio smashed in.
STEADY EDDIE: Nketiah prods home the winner