West Ham United (0) 0 Arsenal (4) 6
Premier League
London Stadium, London E20 2ST
Sunday, 11th February 2024. Kick-off time: 2.00pm
(4-3-3) David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Jakob Kiwior; Martin Ødegaard (c), Declan Rice, Kai Havertz; Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli.
Substitutes: Aaron Ramsdale, Eddie Nketiah, Cédric Soares, (Jorge Luiz Frello Filho) Jorginho, Reiss Nelson, Mohamed Elneny, Mauro Bandeira, Ethan Nwaneri, Reuell Walters
Scorers: William Saliba (32 mins), Bukayo Saka (41 mins, 63 mins), Gabriel (44 mins), Leandro Trossard (45+2 mins), Declan Rice (65 mins)
Arsenal Possession Percentage: 71%
Referee: Craig Pawson
Assistant Referees: Marc Perry, Steve Meredith
Fourth Official: Graham Scott
VAR Team at Stockley Park: VAR John Brooks; AVAR Lee Betts
Attendance: c.62,000
As is the case with every match the boys play these days, it becomes imperative that three points are in the bag come the final whistle, to keep the pressure up on Manchester City, who currently reside in second place in the Premiership table.
With regards to injuries, Oleksandr Zinchenko is currently nursing a calf problem, whilst Gabriel Jesus, who missed the Liverpool match last week with a knee injury, are hopefully fit for today’s game. Additionally, it is hoped that Bukayo Saka will be fit despite hobbling off the pitch during the last match.
Of course, all three will be assessed by our medical team as to their fitness and availablity prior to the white-hot London derby against West Ham United at the London Stadium this afternoon.
Within three minutes of the start, Declan Rice got his first touch of the ball on his return to his old club and it was greeted by some boos and catcalls from the home fans, which is rather puerile, to say the least; a minute later, the home side had the first attempt on goal, when Jarrod Bowen broke clear of our defence as he chased a ball down through the middle of the pitch, but the linesman’s flag was quickly raised for offside.
After a period of pressure on the West Ham goal, Edson Álvarez slid in rather wildly on Bukayo Saka, and in doing so, received the first yellow card of the game, which was richly deserved.We stay in third place but are now behind second-placed Manchester City only on goals scored, which is a fantastic achevement. Everyone played well, everyone was totally professional as one would expect an Arsenal side to be. Our next game is Burnley at Turf Moor next Saturday afternoon, and a win there keeps us in the hunt for the Premiership trophy. Well done, chaps!
Remember everyone, keep the faith, get behind the team and the manager, as this season is going to be crucial for our future success in all competitions. Stick with the winners. Our next match: Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday, 17th February at 3.00pm (Premier League). Be there, if you can. Victoria Concordia Crescit.
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