Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/LONDON: Arsenal’s composure to rally from 1-0 down to beat West Ham 3-1 impressed manager Mikel Arteta as Gunners opened up a seven-point lead at the top of Premier League on Monday.
Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli turned a game around in the space of 5 second-half minutes before Eddie Nketiah stepped up in absence of Gabriel Jesus to seal all three points.
Benrahma’s first-half penalty has given the Hammers the lead, but David Moyes’ men remain just one point above the relegation zone in 16th.
“We showed composure, never panicked, and did what we has to do to earn the right to win a game,” said Arteta.
“We scored at a perfect time, and the crowd was incredible; also, at a moment, we conceded a goal. They kept on believing. When we scored, it got loud, and we generated the momentum we needed.”
A six-week break for the World Cup could have halted Arsenal’s momentum towards a first league title since 2004.
Arteta made no allowanced for his stars that has been away in Qatar, as William Saliba started just eight days after a being part of the French squad that lost final on penalties to Argentina.
That decision backfired when a Saliba hesitated to allow Michail Antonio to latch onto a ball over a top and then dived in on Jarrod Bowen.
Despite Bowen not going the ground immediately, referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot, and Benrahma confidently dispatched a penalty.
Arsenal thought they has a spot-kick of their own in first-half stoppage time. Still, Oliver has reversed his initial decision after the seeing a replay of Martin Odegaard’s shot came off Aaron Cresswell’s head rather than a left-back’s arm.
Gunners got break they needed to turn a tide eight minutes after the break when a Odegaard’s mishit shot fell perfectly into the path of Saka to side foot the home.
Martinelli added a second goal moments later with the help of the West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, who has far too easily beaten at his near the post.
Premier League
A prolonged injury layoff for Jesus had raised doubts over Arsenal’s ability to maintain their title challenge in coming months, with games against the Newcastle, Tottenham, and Manchester United to go in January alone.
But Nketiah grabbed his opportunity for his first Premier League start of a season with the brilliant spin and low finish into the far corner from Odegaard’s pass 21 minutes from the time.
They smothered us all over a pitch and said that West Ham captain Declan Rice. “They are the top team; they have coached incredibly well. They have a young squad with attacking talent and can go the whole way, for sure.”
Manchester City should reduce the gap at the top to 5 points and move back above Newcastle into second place with victory when they travel to Leeds on Wednesday night.
Another show of resilience from Arsenal showed a fight that lies ahead of defending champions if they have to retain the title once more in the second half of the season.
