Result: West Ham 3 – 3 Arsenal
Competition: Premier League
Date: 21 March 2021
Venue: London Stadium
Arsenal: Leno, Chambers, Luiz, Mari, Tierney, Xhaka, Partey, Odegaard, Saka, Aubameyang, Lacazette
Subs: Ryan, Cedric, Holding, Gabriel, Elneny, Ceballos, Smith Rowe, Pepe, Martinelli
Arsenal came back from three goals down to claw back a draw at the London Stadium. The Gunners were punished for a sluggish start that saw them concede three goals within the first half. They scored a consolation goal within the half to go into half time with some breathing space.
The Gunners went full pelt for goals in the second half and were awarded with a West Ham own goal and a header by Lacazette to draw the game. Despite the dramatic comeback to tie the game, Arsenal should have counted themselves lucky as the home side could have scored at least two more goals to have the result out of sight.
Pre-Game
Chambers made another start at right back to add physical presence to that back line while Mari also returned to the line up. Arsenal started with the first choice midfield trio of Partey, Xhaka and Odegaard. Surprisingly, Saka took up a spot on the left wing while Aubameyang was shunted to the right to accommodate Lacazette up top.
First Half
Arteta’s decision with his back line selection hinted that he was worried about West Ham’s physicality. His fears came through as the home side dominated during the opening minutes with an aggressive and direct approach. They put Arsenal under pressure with diagonal balls and teasing crosses. The Gunners held firm by staying compact and organised but couldn’t find a way to keep the ball for long when they came into possession.
West Ham’s dominance almost bore fruit on the 8th minute with Soucek ghosting into the box and rose above the Arsenal defence to head just wide off the goal – a warning shot to Arsenal who were struggling to keep possession.
Arsenal didn’t heed the warning signs and were made to pay by conceding two quick fire goals. The first, was a well-hit half volley by Lingard from the outside of the box which flew into the top corner. 1-0 West Ham.
Just minutes later, Arsenal were caught on their heels as Lingard took a quick free kick to free Bowen down the right. Bowen had acres of space as he slotted the ball past Leno’s near post. The goal was representative of the entire team’s malaise as everyone was slow to react – from the outfield plyers getting caught out to poor goalkeeping by Leno. Really horrible stuff by the Gunners. 2-0 West Ham.
It got from bad to worse ten minutes later as Arsenal were punished again for their tepid play. West Ham won the ball quickly in Arsenal’s half and crossed for Antonio. The forward jumped high and beat David Luiz to power a header past Leno. 3-0 West Ham.
The sight of that scoreline must have shook Arsenal into finally waking up as they immediately responded and pulled a goal back. Chambers teased in a cross from the right which was expertly controlled by Lacazette. The Frenchman swivelled and hit a wicked shot on goal to keep Arsenal in the game. Replays later showed that it was a Soucek own goal as the ball deflected off him as he looked to block Lacazette’s effort. 3-1 Arsenal.
Saka had two more chances towards the end of the half with a disappointing shot right at Fabianski and a deflected effort in a crowded West Ham box displaying some semblance of fighting spirit by Arsenal. The Gunners were down but not out though they have made it really tough for themselves with their sluggish start.
Second Half
After what we can assume was a tongue-lashing by Arteta in the dressing room, Arsenal started with renewed urgency and could have halved the deficit within a minute. It was Chambers again who created a chance for Lacazette. The defender moved into the middle of the pitch and floated in a pass for Lacazette who evaded his defenders. He lobbed the ball over Fabianski but Diop was able to clear the ball off the line.
As Arsenal cranked up the pressure, it was Chambers again who was creator in chief with a cutback whipped in with pace. Any touch by an onrushing defender would have resulted in an own goal and it was Craig Dawson who made contact to inadvertently score for Arsenal. 3-2 Arsenal.
The game remained open as West Ham almost hit back with a double effort by Bowen who was kept out by Tierney’s last ditch defending. By this point, West Ham started crafting more chances on the counter. Chambers had to come to the rescue during a penalty box scramble and West Ham were unlucky not to add another goal when Antonio could only turn a low cross against the post.
Arsenal soon found their groove by the 81st minute. Lacazette, so industrious all game, was finally rewarded with a headed goal after converting an accurate cross from Pepe. 3-3 Arsenal.
The insane nature of the game saw two good chances for Pepe saved by Fabianski and a great save by Leno to deny Rice who made a scintillating run from deep into the edge of Arsenal’s penalty box.
Eventually, both teams had to settle for a draw in what was a frenetic game that displayed Arsenal’s inconsistencies that has plagued them all season.
Crazy match. Can’t believe we were so sloppy to be that far behind. Still in 9th with Villa having 2 games in hand. West Hame likely to finish above us for the first time in 35 years..
Excited game for a netural. While it’s a point after a bad start, Arteta really has to figure out and rectify why we only play when our backs are to the wall.
This makes our European route through the league nearly impossible.
Hopefully this comeback will give this team confidence like no other. Could have ended up winning but I’m pleased with the spirit and the fightback.
And Oddegaard…what a player! Just refused to give up…
Odegaard needs a 20 on rankings… Dude is running back to cover right back spot in the 90th minute. He had at least 10 key passes. He looked like he thought this was the champions league final. So much heart.
Odegarrd man of match for me. He was superb in second half. Close control and precision passing was top top class.
Technically, he played on another planet than everyone else. His control and close dribbling was really good. I did not like the lineup personally. THe first half just fitted so well into our season. It is nice to come back to draw but it is unaccaptable to fall so hard behind.
I just want to ask: Is playing the same backline atleast twice in a row a thing of the past? Yes there needs to be rest, but are partnerships not worth anything?
What kick do you get from heing so blooming negative. Liteeally moan moan moan. I just enjoyed an immense game of football. That west ham team is very good and many other teams are not getting back into that match. Could Arsenal have done better, yes, but they have had twice as many matches of late as their opposition today and so why not just relish that they took part iin such a spectacle and came away from it still standing. I Hope a number of players can get a break over the inrerlull and go into April with the… Read more »
Problem with the spectacle is, that we lost 2 points due to to atleast one avoidable goal. It’s nice to have a nice football game, but it is better to win, to gain confidence, to play like West Ham in the first Half.
We have lost to West Ham before, and its never a bad result to get a draw there. However, with the first 35 min performance in mind, let’s accept this Arsenal team is closer to relegation than top 4. It was a great comeback, though –
Mathmatically we are closer to top four then relegation….not by much
No, let’s NOT accept that Arsenal is closer to relegation than the top 4, because you are wrong about this. Your claim is false.
Arsenal (40 pts) is currently just 4 points behind Chelsea (44 pts) in 4th place.
While Arsenal is now 17 points ahead of Fulham (23 pts) in 18th place.
Correction, I was looking at the Goals For column of the Pl table instead of the Points column.
But my main point is still true, and Arsenal is in fact closer to the Top 4 than to relegation.
However, it’s actually 9 pints behind 4th, and 16 points ahead of 18th.
Sorry for the mix-up.
When did a team last score 5 goals and not win?
Try asking that of a certain Reading FC!
Great comment. Wondered the same thing
Auba doesn’t look really good out there
I said it before the game. It is poor squad management from Arteta. We’ve just found some consistency in attack with a central striker and 3 playmakers in behind and then he reverts to this brain-dead pre-xmas formation that shoehorns both strikers in. It does not work. Be it Laca or Auba he needs to have the balls to drop one of his high-earning CFs for the sake of team balance.
He missed some sitters in the EL and looked out of it today. If I were suspicious I’d think that he was not putting in the effort after being dropped at Spurs. He’s a class player usually.
Anyone think this?
I think he is well passed his best sadly.
He actually said the lack of fans in the stadium is affecting him is some interview
Absolutely crazy game. To go from 3-0 down within 35 minutes to a point where you feel like we could, and probably even should, have won the game is mad. Some ridiculous performances today – Lacazette’s flicks and goals, Odegaard’s through balls and dribbles, and of course Chambers with his crosses. It is truly amazing to see what kind of football this team is capable of playing if they put their minds to it.
If we can focus for a whole 90 minutes one day we could be frightening.
Not even angry today, I’m choosing to put the slow start down to a big week.
Great spirit to come back into this game. Some big performances.
This is why I love this game. The things that can happen if you keep on believing!
Feels great to see that we’re building a strong mentality and won’t bow down easily even after being 3 goals down.
Just got to figure out a way to be switched on and assertive from the get go, instead of waiting to go behind to shift gears.
yeh I don’t get how people are negative after that. I get the frustration, but we saw something big in that second half performance.
What an excellent player Odegaard is
Agreed. Like a hard working version of Ozil.
Exactly this.
A talking version of Ozil….and his body language transmts more urgency to the rest of the team
Needs to try out his right foot once in a while tho
Sadly, if he carries on like that, I’d be shocked if Madrid let him Leave.
He was brilliant too on his last loan in spain. Still didn’t get a look in, in the Madrid team
Given their financial situation i think they would still sell him for the right price…. the damn fool keeps surging that price upwards though
I was going to cruelly hope he has a terrible Euros but…. how is it Norway with these players didnt make it??
Norway’s about the same population as Scotland. And their most athletic kids ski and do the biathalon. In Norway, not Scotland.
They don’t have any top class defenders and were also in a tough qualifying group with Spain and Sweden.
The guy completely ran the game for 60 minutes. Skilful, energetic and a real leader too – almost the perfect player for this midfield. The one things that’s missing; he’s not ours – yet.
Fight back was amazing. Fact it was needed was ridiculous. We give away cheap goals game after game
No it wasn’t. The fact that we went three goals down against a team of farmers coached by a clown of a manager is amazing
Rice is no farmer.
They aren’t doing too badly for a team of farmers.
Serious question. We’ve had a good week with the NLD result and Europa League progression. I want to mention it in context of a disappointing showing today.
Is Arteta making this team better?
Vote up for yes and down for no.
In context since Boxing Day, we’re 4th in terms of league form, so there’s a clear improvement in the past 3 months anyway. Fair to say much of that can be attributed to Odegaard and ESR being introduced into the team.
We must do everything we can to keep Odegaard!
Yes, I hope so too. However, the better he plays almost certainly the more he’ll cost (should RM decide to sell, of course). His fine performances will, no doubt, attract interest from other clubs – unfortunately.
Absolutely….What a player.
Very entertaining game and a spirited comeback. Pity we thought KO was at 3.20 🙄
Best summary of the match👍. Very underwhelming for our season’s prospects.
Those noises Carragher made at the end! Almost on par with the signature Gary Neville ‘oooooh’. State of it
What the hell was that?! I thought Martin Tyler must’ve been giving him a hand job
Very good made me laugh out loud. Mrs said what you laughing at, I didn’t tell her.
Let’s pretend the opening 20 never happened and enjoy the rest of the match
When will Arteta give Martinelli a start?
When he’s ready. He’s just come back off an injury that could have been an career ender.
Let’s ease him back in and not fuck him up for life, a la Wilshere and counteless others.
Gabi can be a generational talent, so I am fine with them setting him up to succeed long term over risking him short term.
Based on what Auba did (didn’t) do today, he’s getting closer. The fact that he replaced him when we needed a goal speaks volumes.
Hopefully next game, Auba should be dropped.
Agree about Auba, it’s feels like we’re playing with 10 men when he’s on the pitch
I think he’ll get his chance, but I agree he could’ve started a fresh Martinelli over Saka who was just coming back from a muscle injury
Another heroic poor result
Please please sign MØ
All you.need to know about arsenal in 90minutes..shocking. brilliant, inconsistent. But ultimately nowhere near good enough to compete at the top level
Arteta has to go!!! This is not good enough, the way we started even before going 1-0 down was embarrassing. Got lucky to get a point.
What? Lacazette admitted the team didn’t respect the coaches gameplan. When they did (albeit 3-0 down) they played brilliantly. That first half was on the players. Whatever Arteta said at half time turned it around and I haven’t seen character from an Arsenal team like that in years.
I haven’t seen a sh*t Arsenal team like that for years either. The table does not lie. 0-3 down to west ham so soon? Are you having a laugh?? is this the standard you are OK with? This is all on the manager, the player he picks, and his game plan. don’t let the comeback fool you!
If you haven’t seen us play like that then you haven’t watched much Arsenal over the last five years. There is progress, you’re just determined not to see it. The start was very poor but we fought back and showed some character. West Ham have never been an easy team to beat and we nearly won that despite going three behind.
Where were you during the Emery era lol
Auba went to the left side after the second goal. They changed the game plan because it sucked. With the usual line-up they dominated the rest of the game.
I’m all for Arteta bringing this team forward, I think when he brings in who he wants in certain areas, the team will do big things. However, why he insists on playing Luiz every game is shocking. Everybody knows what Antonio is about, so why pick Luiz to be up against him. How many times has Luiz been turned the way he was for the first goal. Holding is more physical and would have handled Antonio better, also the header for the 3rd goal. If Luiz can play so many matches, why can’t our best defender, Gabriel, who has better… Read more »
How does scoring 3 goals in the second half make us lucky?
did u watch the match? did u see the chances west ham missed in the 2nd half?
Did you watch the match? Did you see the chances Arsenal missed in the 2nd half?
I saw some chances we missed too. Either side might have scored 6. If only I were a neutral, I would have appreciated it more.
Why the downvotes 🤷♂️ Imagine being 10th and expecting better. I just can’t understand why he can’t pick a functioning team with the players at his disposal.
I ask everyone to watch the Barca documentary on amazon and realise how unlikely it is arteta can make this project work
Based on what? Also…what team would you have picked? The only name who raised an eyebrow for me was Chambers and he was one of our best players.
I genuinely dont understand why some of these “fans” dont do themselves a davour and go adopt a team like PSG that enjoy nigh on guarenteed success.
They dont respect the opponent. This West ham side clearly are a bit tasty to many of us and yet to read oh so many of the comments above you’d think they were some vanarama conference outfit
Based on we don’t have a La Masia of players coming through to play to arteta vision. I think I’d be on board more if he’d went fully youth policy mixed with his new players. Why force out Saliba for luiz, what does Pepe have to do to start on this season
I would rather see Holding, Mari, or Chambers partner Gabriel personally, Luiz gives me hives. That said, i think Arteta is doing well and the criticism of him is way over the top.
Give him time. He hasn’t built his own team yet, he is working with the players he inherited
Mate you’re entitled to your opinion.
I couldn’t disagree more. Remember where we were when he took over. Couldn’t defend. No strategy and no fight.
We have a long way to go but he has improved this team so much over the last 18 months.
No one can predict at this stage if Arteta is the new Messiah but I’m backing him to keep improving the team.
Agreed. And as much as people pound their fists and scream ‘I want it now!’ it won’t change the fact we have a hell of a lot to fix before we can even think of being where we want to be. Best to focus on the positives.
We finished 5th with Emery. I will leave at that….you happy with 8th. 10th good for you.
No mate. I’m not happy with 8th. Or 10th or 2nd.
I’m not happy until we’re winning the league.
I’m surprised you’re using Emery as the yard-stick though. Have you forgotten what happened in Baku. When a team shows you what they are, believe them.
The team were on a slide with Emery. Arteta has arrested that and now we’re on the way up.
After blogs post about respecting each other the other week, help me understand your position. We fire Arteta, what then? Who’s coming in and making this team top 4 this year or next?
He leaves the club with Arsenal sitting eighth in the Premier League table, eight points behind the top four and 19 off leaders Liverpool. That’s where we were;
We are now 9th 9 points off top 4 29points off top spot.
A new manager and management team also had to cope with Pandemic….
Personally I think he has done pretty well and the side are loads more watchable than when Emery was in charge
I think you’re focusing only on one end of the pitch when speaking about improvements. Yes, MA has stabilised and improved our defence but he didn’t iron out unneccesary mistakes that predominantely came from his most experienced and modt trusted players. On the other end this is a side with attacking potential of players like Aubameyang, Lacazette, Pepe, Martinelli who scored the least number of goals in PL at this stage in last 25 years. We havent let that many in but we also havent scored many goals either. Hence 10th place, HEEEEEY Arsenal is mid table!!! 8 or 9… Read more »
I still think letting Wenger go was a mistake. People may hate the man for some of his decisions…. But it’s his academy players making it into the first team now and making those older players struggle to stay in the side. And people will say other members of the staff decided on the youngsters, but those same people were the people who said Arsene had too much control and that it was Arsenal FC not Arsene FC, lol. I’m not a fan of Arteta always, but he seems to be learning on the job pretty well and with a… Read more »
Realistically there’s very little chance of that. Although a mid-table finish would be counted as a failure, and I’m sure that the owner will be expecting more in the PL next season, we’re still in the EL. Should we win that (and therefore get CL football) then, overall I think Arteta could be considered to have done reasonably well in his first full season in charge. It’s dealing with the increased expectation for next season that may present problems if there isn’t an obvious improvement, particularly in the PL.
Not to agree with Jamie tight trousers Redknapp, but are we seeing the decline of Auba?
At the very least he does not fit our style of play at the moment.
Epic comeback. Odergaard needs signing up, Chambers was immense.
Laurel and Hardy defending again.
We’re a fucking weird team.
somewhat sums up our season, 50% trash (first half), 50% brilliant (comeback)
just another day as a gooner
West Ham gave a much better fight than Tottenham. Real men, real team chemistry, real moments of magic & individual brilliance, real teamwork. The same can’t be said of “specialist at failure” Mourinho. West Ham are the better team even without a “so called” world class front three in Kane Bale Son. Always in our shadows.
We made it very difficult for ourselves by being so slack and sloppy. We played the first half an hour like we didn’t want to be there, whereas we were well up for the Spurs game from the jump.
Imagine if West Ham had a finisher like Kane…
Glass half empty: One of the worst half an hours of football I’ve seen from us in a long time. Arteta playing Auba on the right. The Partey-Xhaka midfield balance. Leno’s form becoming difficult to defend or excuse.
Glass half full: Fantastic to get back into the game. Shout outs to Chambers, Odegaard, Lacazette in particular. Pepe looked excellent when on, probably should have started.
I think the Auba on right is a warning for Auba… Saka and Pepe are currently playing better than Auba. So if he keeps playing badly. Saka will start on left with Pepe starting on the right, which is probably how it should be based on current form.
If he really wanted to send Auba a warning, why not just start Pepe or Martinelli instead?
Hilarious. You couldn’t make it up. West Ham players score 5 goals and still couldn’t win. Abysmal defending then a great comeback.
Auba a disgrace; Chambers MOTM?
Total madness! Crazy, crazy game!
Odegaard for MOTM for sure. Though Chambers and Lacazette are close behind him.
Great comeback, but awful first half. Chambers was great. As was Odegaard (hope we sign him permanently) and Lacazette. Auba lucky to play for 80 minutes. He was absolutely shit.
Entertaining game! Chambers was terrific, Lacazette decent, but I still can’t figure out if Leno is a quality or if he’s bang average with a good-looking highlights reel.
Nevertheless lols at David Moyes.
I actually think he is bang average. Pass out to Xhaka , pass out to Cellabos, going wrong way with kane free kick last week which nearly cost us the win. Punching when he can catch and his pass out to tierney today left him with a very difficult attempt to keep possession. Don’t forget near post on their second.
Leno’s been a decent shot stopper, his distribution has always been poor and he’s not good with the ball at his feet. His decision making is getting worse. The fact that we sold Martinez and bought Runarsson is down to the goalkeeping coach backing Leno, I think he got it wrong.
Leno has been bang average and out of form for the last 5 games in all competitions. Made two errors in Europa League and a few in the last few PL games he’s been under the radar out of form and confidence.
Arsenal’s season in 90 minutes. Some of the worst tripe I’ve ever seen in the first 30 minutes. Some of the best football I’ve seen since peak Wenger in the next 60 minutes. Incredible match, fantastic character. I’m looking for little wins in our performances this season and that like a win.
Stunned by the 30th minute; gutted at full time.
What a fight back!
5 more minutes and we are winning that.
Chambers and ødegaard up for MOTM, for me.
Brilliant display by both.
Players were sloppy and too tired. Laca, Oddegard and the attacking part of Chambers were superb.
Partey needs to be more energetic.
Auba looks lost.
Saka is bright but Pepe is ahead currently.
Tierny was overcrowded
.Rotation in defense eliminates cohesion.
3:3 was a fair result.
3-3 was fair but I was praying for a winner from Martinelli to cap off one the best 45 mins of football I have seen in a long while.
Arsenal 3-3 Arsenal.
We desperately need to sign a sports psychology department.
for the supporters?
Now that makes sense too.
Well i think thats psychotherapy rather then psychology isnt it?
Actually I’d say West Ham 3-3 West Ham.
100% agree with your second statement though.
I still havnt seen a cameea angle showing our first as anything other then a Laca goal. Would like our man to get his due (primarily because i want Soucek to get the points back on FPL)
LMA😂😂😂. Naturally I do too but don’t worry bro, my FPL team is in shambles this framework too.
For 32 minutes that was like watching Sp*rs.
Spurs would have gone 3-0 up and bottled it…oh wait they did already!
No because its enjoyable when they do it
Bittersweet result and bittersweet perfomance, we saw both the worst and the best this team has. Happy about the point after a dismal start, but angry that we had to chase the result to start with thanks to an awful perfomance in the first half hour.
Positives today: Odegaard is class, we must keep him, Chambers might not have the speed or pace, but his crosses are dangerous, and Laca was so important for us today (we might have lose it without him).
Credit to the players at the center of the comeback but in general a shocking team performance.
Not to sound too reactive but my worries about the club renewing Luiz’ and Auba’s contracts are starting to be realised. Have we kept a clean sheet when this pair have started?
Please tell me, am I on my own with this second goal by West ham? The ref was about to pull out a yellow and he also never blew the whistle? Also we tried this a while back and got pulled up. So how is this goal legit?
Ref does not have to blew the whistle unless he showed player taking the free kick sign to wait for his whistle. Usually they do so, especially when they want to show the card but this was Mos 🙄
Fair enough! Well I just tend to say it as it is and I think the refs defo do us worse than the rest so I’m not having the bs that the refs have not got something against us. It’s so clear to see. We get done over by the ref nearly every game and ourselves I may add. I’m not blind to us but I’m not blind to these shitty refs.
Aubameyang should have been the first player taken off. He is hiding alot these days. Something is really off with him and it’s not just the goals. Arteta tinkered alot too. Just pick your best team and get on with it
This game is simply a reflection of what Arsenal’s season is usually like. We have a shitty season start, put a fight in the middle and by end of season we salvage an Fa cup and we end up feeling ‘well that wasn’t bad’.
Liteeally is the season isnt it. Much of the first half a mess with a bit of an upturn before the halfway point. Thereafter much more enjoyable but with the odd spanner still present every so often
Was Aubameyang playing? Didn’t hear him mentioned in commentary.
Well, who’d have thought …? I thought it would be a very tight game, perhaps with one goal in it. That idea went out the window just as the pigs flew past! We salvaged a point, but in the cold reality of the PL I don’t think that we’re going to be able to close in on an EL place unless something extraordinary happens. There was the odd positive, apart from snatching a draw, Odegaard’s performance for example (you can almost hear Real Madrid’s valuation increasing by the game, can’t you), but we haven’t cut out the errors and/or sloppy… Read more »
Considering the relatively easy run-in top 6 is definitely within reach. Check the fixtures.
Arteta remains the reason we are shipping in goals this days and having a sloppy start. He should try as much possible to have a starting line up mostly at the back. Changing players every weekend does not allow room for better understanding. Check other teams, they hardly thinker with their defense. I don’t think it’s ideal IMO.
Watching Arsenal can be so exhausting. I feel like I was actually playing that game myself.
Credit for the boss removing the statue from the middle of the park as he looked to get more offense going. Subs were good today.
If teams sit back we look great. If they press too many players play to slowly. I also think having abu and laca on the field slows the side down.
i have been a chambers fan forever. Displays like today remind me why.
when laca scored the 3rd did you see who was right behind? Martinelli he always gets to the right area. What a talent.
Antonio has the biggest thighs I have ever seen on the pitch. Man is built like a LB or RB
Well I guess that settles the Bellerín vs. Cédric argument!
What a game. Congrats to the guys for finding their balls in the end. But for me the decision to go back to playing auba and laca was wrong, and a weak one as Mikel probably didn’t want to bench Laca who helped us win the NLD, and didn’t want to exacerbate the situation with auba further, after omitting him from the NLD. But his showing against the Greeks didn’t merit inclusion today, and us playing with more natural players on the wings has brought us much more than whatever we had when auba was our winger. Hope Mikel realises… Read more »
We better sign back Ødegaard he was basically the lone bright spot of the match and even when we were down 3-0 had a the fighting spirit of a lion
We clearly know how to score goals – we seem to be very good at it. But conceding is the main problem. Puts a lot of pressure on us. Two world class centre-backs in the summer, and we have an exceptional team. Chambers and Tierney are genuine threats as wingbacks. Partey solid and forward passing. Xhaka’s workrate has been fantastic this season (mind the occasional brain fart). Then, up front, we have Emile-Smith Rowe, Saka, and Oodegard, none of whom seem to have bad matches. Gabriel is a talent. THen, just sort out the consistency betwene Laca, Auba, Pepe. The… Read more »
First of all, an impressive comeback.
Secondly, we shouldn’t be putting ourselves in a situation where we have to score three just to equalize. Did West Ham play well in the first half? Sure, but a lot of that was down our usual sloppy play. We have done it too many times to count this season.
It is also tiresome that our captain provides us with such a meager output once again. I am getting to the point were I would rather see Martinelli being given the chance
My 3 takeaways
Bear with me, but this was the kind of crazy games that we used to have under Wenger every once in a while. The first half was horrible, but it did remind me of those 7-5 vs Reading kind of games
From Shambolic to Sublime (almost…). We are better than West Ham and despite giving away 3 goals and playing only for one half, we should have won this match. We are still growing in professional maturity. They would have been expected to have the early advantage in intensity having rested during a week in which we had an important mid-week match. But more professional maturity would see us adapt better to that deficit in intensity and not concede three times…ridiculous really. Hope we can summon the courage and the funds to sign Odegaard to a permanent deal.
How good are Arsenal? Gave West Ham a three goal start and still didn’t lose. Amazing! :p
Not sure if I understand why Arteta continuously has the team coming out cold. 1) Playing too deep and safe. Everything seems a pass back and players dropping negatively rather than forward dynamic movement. 2) Again I query the rotation policy. At Cback, Mari comes in but you wonder if its too much stop and start. He struggled for rhythm first half of first half and we were exposed particularly on left side. BUT Auba as well did not track players sufficiently and they put in way too many crosses. To me, its not rocket science to start an in… Read more »
If Arsenal wins all the remaining games and all other team just forfeit that games just to make sure they get no points, Arsenal could actually win 2nd place.