ARTETA JOY AS ARSENAL WIN UGLY
Gunners overcome their top-four nerves to edge past distracted London rivals
MIKEL ARTETA hailed his Arsenal players for ‘winning ugly’ at West Ham yesterday, saying they are handling the pressure and want to steal third place in the Premier League from Chelsea. Defender Gabriel’s headed winner at the London Stadium kept Arsenal fourth in the table, two points above rivals tottenham, who beat Leicester earlier in the day as the nerve-jangling race continues. ‘Massive win,’ said Arteta. ‘the team showed huge character not to give up, to continue trying to do the right things. the way they fought, the way they understood how to manage the game in certain moments, it was phenomenal. In England you say you “win ugly”? We won ugly.’
Asked if it was now a race for third rather than just fourth after Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat at Everton, Arteta said: ‘Mathematically, everything is open. We’re going to have to play Leeds and win again because everybody is going to put on pressure. We have a great opportunity.’
AT This stage of the season, performances count for very little. That is just as well for Arsenal. They stuttered, nervously, through much of this game at the London stadium. But they won and with four games left to play absolutely nothing else matters for the Champions League chasing Gunners.
What Mikel Arteta’s team lacked in fluency and invention they made up for in fortitude and guts and there is a lot to be said for that. The pressure is on at the Emirates — they could so easily have cracked here against West ham but they did not.
That will mean the world to Arteta as he prepares his team for three weeks that will make or break their season. They hold their destiny in their own hands.
Yet, when the euphoria from this vital victory dampens, Arteta will be under no illusions that his team risk heartbreak if they continue to perform like this.
Arsenal looked a team crippled with fear at various junctures against the hammers, understandable, perhaps, given what is at stake. Maybe news of Tottenham’s 3-1 win over
Leicester, that saw them temporarily drop to fifth earlier in the day, had them rattled.
Whatever it was, Arteta — increasingly agitated in his technical area — would have expected more from his players, particularly in the first half.
West ham have far bigger fish to fry, of course. Their Europa League semi-final second leg at Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday night is all anyone can really think about at the London stadium right now.
Credit to David Moyes, who bravely selected a strong team, minus Tomas soucek and Michail Antonio, despite his side’s date with destiny fast approaching.
Playing with the sort of freedom that was deserting Arsenal, the hammers had the better of the opening exchanges.
Manuel Lanzini saw his goalbound effort from Vladimir Coufal’s cross blocked by Rob holding in the 30th minute before Declan Rice made Aaron Ramsdale work to stop his drive from the edge of the box giving West ham the lead.
The tentativeness in Arsenal’s play was logical with so much to lose heading into the final days of the season. Champions League football is so close — even closer after this win — and to miss out now would be soul destroying.
so, then, you can imagine the eruption of emotion when holding towered above Lanzini to glance Bukayo saka’s corner beyond Lukasz Fabianski and give Arsenal a lead they really did not deserve.
The tepidness of Arsenal’s display prior to holding’s first Premier League goal for the club — at least for a few moments — was forgotten. A plume of yellow smoke bellowed out of the away end, the Arsenal fans just as relieved as Arteta was on the
touchline. But make no mistake, they were fortunate to be ahead. So when Jarrod Bowen equalised on the stroke of half-time Arsenal could have had no gripes. Rice’s floated pass out to Coufal on the right wing was played to perfection, as was the Czech defender’s cross into Bowen.
The England hopeful’s left-foot finish past Ramsdale flicked off Gabriel and into the corner. Surely it is only a matter of time before Gareth Southgate gives Bowen the nod.
Arteta could not get his players back into the confines of the away dressing room quickly enough. His team were ragged, certainly not befitting a side contesting a spot in the top four.
The Arsenal manager’s halftime address, at least for the opening minutes of the second period, appeared to have had little impact in settling his side’s anxiety. Ramsdale’s rush of blood to the head in the 52nd minute could so easily have had grave consequences as the keeper raced out to meet Bowen for an unnecessary 50-50.
Bowen was eventually booked for diving, despite reaching the ball ahead of Ramsdale, who frantically waved his arms around as he insisted no contact was made. Nevertheless, he was a lucky boy.
It was the kind of stress Arteta could have done without as his team’s display was causing the Spaniard more than enough concern already. Eventually, though, Arsenal composed themselves to keep their Champions League dream on track.
The crucial moment arrived in the 55th minute, Gabriel nodding home Gabriel Martinelli’s cross at the back post after another Saka corner created havoc in the home defence.
By the end Arsenal could have extended their lead, with Eddie Nketiah twice going close.
Moyes, even with their trip to Germany looming, was not satisfied with just rolling over, the Scot throwing on Antonio and Soucek in search of an equaliser. This was a London derby after all.
But in the end, Arsenal wanted it more. They needed it more. And they got it — just.