A thrilling Premier League fixture saw West Ham and Arsenal play out an exciting 3-3 draw before the international break. Here are our talking points from the clash at the London Stadium.
Hammers score two own goals: West Ham became the first top flight side since Swansea in 2017 to score two own goals in the same game. The first one was from Tomas Soucek, who had himself found the back of the net at the other end just minutes before, and the second came from Craig Dawson.
So, in a rather bizarre turn of events, the Hammers actually scored five goals in the game, but didn’t end up on the winning side!
Michail Antonio’s vital miss: At 3-2, Said Benrahma fashioned an excellent chance for Michail Antonio, only for the forward to hit the post from virtually point-blank range. Antonio had to stretch a bit to reach it, but this was a chance he should’ve put away 9 times out of 10, and his reaction after the miss said it all. If 3-2 had become 4-2, it would’ve probably ended the Gunners’ hopes.
Arsenal stage fantastic comeback: They may currently be +45000 outsiders for the league as per the odds here, but there is no doubting that Mikel Arteta has a talented team at his disposal. The Gunners were poor in the first half- Alexandre Lacazette even said they paid the price for not following the manager’s tactics, but were excellent after the interval, dominating both possession and chances. West Ham tried to keep them at bay, but it was only a matter of time, and in the end, it was the visitors who looked more likely to finish winners.
Rice solo run: Another West Ham moment to remember from a difficult second half came from skipper Declan Rice, who embarked on a stunning solo run that started near his own box and ended near the Gunners one. He couldn’t quite apply the finishing touches, but it was a sparkling little run.
A decent set of results from a tough run of games: West Ham’s last five in the league weren’t easy on paper- Spurs, Leeds, Man City, United and now Arsenal. They picked up a haul of 7 points from those five games- not bad given the quality of opposition. Both the City and United losses were narrow ones- by a goal each, and if they had not squandered a three-goal advantage against Arsenal, it would’ve been an absolutely fantastic set of results, and one that would’ve stood them in good stead ahead of the remaining fixtures.
Victory against Arsenal would’ve had West Ham level on points with Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea, who currently occupy the final Champions League spot. They are 5th currently with 49 points, but the chasing pack isn’t too far behind- Spurs have 48, and Liverpool & Everton are both on 46, but the Toffees also have a game in hand.
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