As Arsenal held on to a 2-1 win against West Ham United at Upton Park, fans praised the team across various social media outlets, some even going so far as to saying that it was the best performance of the gunners so far this season.
While going so far as to say it was the best performance can be a bit over the top, they certainly did all that was required for them to clinch the much needed 3 points, especially with teams around them dropping points.
With the win, Arsenal leapfrogged two teams and went above West Ham, and are currently in 5th place, poised to finish once again in their favoured top 4 position.
Arsene Wenger had a lot of praise for his players after the game. The surprise selection was Francis Coquelin, but he did not disappoint, and Arsene had special praise for him.
He said, ai???It was a gamble but I felt that we needed to protect with two players in front of the defence with Carroll on the long balls ai??i?? we needed a bit of protection. I feel that he was the right choice.
ai???He played very well, especially in the first half. He was very influential and then in the second half he fatigued a bit in the last 20 minutes, but he had a very good performance not only defensively but he also passed quickly, sharply and through the lines.
ai???Overall he had a convincing performance.ai???
Having come off a difficult game against Queens Park Rangers just a couple of days back, Arsene Wengerai??i??s team had to find deep reserves to hold on to their lead, following frenetic attacks from the West Ham team. In fact, throughout the game, it was West Ham who were doing much of the attacking, with Arsenal looking to counter on the break. The plan seems to have worked, with Arsenal taking a 2 goal lead in the first half, in 2 minutes.
However, they let slip a goal to West Ham, and thereon, it was a case of trying to get the defence right and not let another late goal in, like in the game against Liverpool.
Arsene said, ai???We knew before the game that we had to dig deep to win because we were a bit jaded but we did that. With the ball I think we had a very different game today, but we always looked dangerous.
ai???We couldnai??i??t finish the game off ai??i?? itai??i??s down to the quality of their goalkeeper. Itai??i??s down to sometimes missing our chances, sometimes as well maybe there was a player in a better position.
ai???Overall we created a lot of chances. When you look at the results today, thereai??i??s not too many goals. Forty-eight hours ago everyone played and of course that has a little impact.ai???
Regarding the persistence rumours that Lukas Podolski would be leaving in January, Arsene dismissed the rumours.
He said, “No there is nothing concrete there.Ai??At the moment nobody goes out. We have Ozil coming back now at the beginning of January, so of course there is a lot of competition up front.”
Arsenal now face Southampton before the FA Cup game against Hull City.
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