Arsenal maintain form with win over West Ham

Arsenal maintained their excellent form in the Premier League on Saturday with a comfortable win over West Ham. Such is the form that we've now won eight consecutive League games at home for the first time since 2005. Earlier in the season we managed to overcome the same opposition at Upton Park when they were in form. However they're now in poor form and we took advantage of that to stay in third place and rise to within a point of City after their defeat to Burnley. After the game against Manchester United the team were full of confidence and you could see that with some of the play and the way with which we moved the ball around. Arsene Wenger did however have Monaco in midweek in mind as we made a few changes from the game against United. Ospina returned in place of Szczesny whilst Chambers was recalled ahead of Bellerin. Walcott earned a rare start whilst Giroud replaced Welbeck. The other change saw Cazorla rested as Aaron Ramsey started.

Aaron Ramsey scored and assisted a goal as Arsenal beat West Ham

What was most pleasing about this Arsenal performance was the quality of the goals we scored. We had to remain patient in the first half and chances went begging through Walcott who had a brilliant chance early on. However remaining patient is what Arsenal under Arsene Wenger has been all about. The goals though epitomised Wenger's Arsenal. West Ham had set-up to frustrate us, their back four sat deep whilst their midfield left barely any room for our midfield to break though. For that reason it was going to take something special to break the deadlock but that was exactly what happened. Ozil, Ramsey and Giroud all interlinked brilliantly with one touch fast paced football which accumulated in the opening goal. Ramsey set the ball back to Giroud who got the ball out of his feet before hammering the ball home. It was an extremely clinical finish from a man who looks to be in the form of his life.

Olivier Giroud was vital in the win, and his flicks and delicate touches lead to a host of Arsenal chances. I mentioned the Walcott chance above, and it was one he really should have scored. However in the build up Giroud played a lovely flick into Theo. Giroud was also to play a similar role in what turned out be the third goal, turning the ball round the corner for Cazorla who had a brilliant second half cameo when he came on. The Spaniard played the ball across goal for Mathieu Flamini to tap home for a rare goal. It was his first goal since March 2014. That only added to Giroud's contribution to the game though as he assisted the second goal of the game, scored by Aaron Ramsey. Giroud feinted out the way of the ball before Ramsey played a one-two with him and then slotted home on his left foot.

Aaron Ramsey was indeed another of the game's outstanding performers and his goal was greatly deserved. He's struggled with injuries this season but on occasions has shown signs of his form in 2013/14. Yesterday against West Ham he certainly showed the qualities he displayed last season. Ramsey provided a brilliant partnership with Coquelin in midfield and his late runs into the penalty area caused the Hammers defence all sorts of problems. The Welshman was unlucky not to open the scoring in the first half, seeing a close range volley saved well by Adrian. Of course Ramsey would go onto get his goal in the second half, but he also supplied Giroud for the first. It was a brilliant display from the midfield man and hopefully now he can kick on as we head into the final stretch of the season.

Not just was our attacking performance convincing but so was the defensive side. I thought Laurent Koscielny was absolutely outstanding at the back and he dealt well with the threat in behind of Diafra Sakho. Koscielny played brilliantly as he effectively acted as a sweeper, clearing balls out and getting in ahead of the opposition on numerous occasions to prevent goal scoring chances. Per Mertesacker was improved and put in a solid display, as did the ever improving Nacho Monreal. Calum Chambers was good in attack and set up a few chances but he still remains a defensive vulnerability at times. On occasion he let Jarvis go but West Ham's end ball into the box always seemed to be lacking which meant for a relatively easy afternoon for Arsenal's defence.

Arsenal's subs all played a role in helping to extend the lead when they came on though. Danny Welbeck was very lively when he entered the fray and he definitely offered more than Theo Walcott. I must admit I've had my doubts over Welbeck's inclusion over Walcott in recent games but yesterday exemplified why Welbeck has been starting more. Theo seemed quite rusty and had quite a poor game by his standards. He should and could have had two goals but he lacked that clinicalness in front of goal. I mentioned Cazorla's cameo when he came on too, grabbing an assist for Flamini who's goal should give him a boost of confidence after returning to the side.

Our passing game throughout was absolutely exceptional. On numerous occasions the midfield and attack interlinked brilliantly which was shown with the extreme quality of the goals and how easy we made them look. We could perhaps be guilty of not scoring more as both Ozil and Walcott spurned chances. One improvement I noticed from recent weeks was that we looked a lot more calm and composed on the ball, something that we'll have to maintain as we go to Monaco in the week.

Results since that first leg defeat have given me confidence that we can indeed go there and reach the quarter-finals but I can't help but feel we've left ourselves with too much to do. Only time will tell but this squad has immense confidence at the moment so a miracle could happen!

The team's line-ups:

Arsenal: Ospina, Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Ramsey, Walcott(71), Ozil(83), Sanchez(65), Giroud.
Subs: Szczesny, Gibbs, Bellerin, Flamini(83), Cazorla(71), Welbeck(65), Akpom.

West Ham: Adrian, O'Brien, Kouyate, Collins, Cresswell, Song, Noble(83), Jarvis(75), Nolan, Downing, Sakho.
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Onariase, Cullen, Poyet, Amalfitano(75), Nene(83).

My man of the match: Aaron Ramsey.

Referee: Chris Foy (Replaced by Anthony Taylor mid-way through second half)
Attendance: 60,002.

Arsenal end 2014 with win over West Ham

Arsenal followed up their Boxing Day win with victory over West Ham at Upton Park on Sunday afternoon. Goals from Santi Cazorla and Danny Welbeck sealed the points as the Gunners managed to hold off a late surge from West Ham to eventually win the game 2-1 after a second half goal from Kouyate. It was a more convincing display from Arsenal than we've been used to in recent weeks but we made the most of our first half chances to go into the break two goals to the good. What made it better for Arsenal fans was that Alex Song had a goal ruled out at the beginning of the match. It's open to debate as to whether the Gunners have been the same since Song left the club but Flamini and Coquelin did their best to extinguish any memories of Song's time at Arsenal. Coquelin was one of three changes as he replaced Rosicky whilst Oxlade-Chamberlain came in for Giroud. The other change saw Laurent Koscielny return from injury as Gibbs was rested.

Santi Cazorla opened the scoring from the spot

Although we were pegged back in the opening exchanges of the game, it was actually one of our most convincing first halves display in a long time. On Boxing Day we had QPR pegged back but we didn't really take our chances. However, against West Ham it was two shots on target and two goals. It was very pleasing to see us clinical in front of goal for a change. Our first half may have been clinical but the second was far from it. We had numerous opportunities to kill the game in the second half but we didn't take use of them. Thankfully, a renewed defence under Laurent Koscielny managed to hang on for another vital three points. Three points that took us level with Southampton in fourth who we play on new years day.

For the second game running we were awarded a penalty. Winston Reid brought down Santi Cazorla and the Spaniard was the one to take it. Alexis missed his penalty against QPR so there was no doubt over who was going to take this one after scoring penalties against Stoke and Newcastle. Indeed Cazorla fired the penalty home as he sent the keeper the wrong way. Cazorla's form of late has been excellent. At the start of the season he was extremely poor but in the last few months we've seen the Cazorla we saw when he first joined the club. He has his confidence back and everything we seemed to create against West Ham yesterday came through the Spanish international. He could've had another goal too if it wasn't for an outstanding display in goal from Adrian.

Adrian managed to keep the scores tighter than they should've been, denying Alexis and Oxlade-Chamberlain late in the second half. It was Chamberlain that created our second goal just before the break though. He exchanged passes with Debuchy before driving to the byline and sliding the ball across goal for Danny Welbeck to tap in. It was a goal that should bring extra confidence to Welbeck who will enjoy playing as the lone striker again now Giroud is suspended.

Welbeck's performance was brilliant though. Although Giroud has improved our play since his return, without him in the squad Welbeck gets a lot more room to run into it seems, and that was exemplary in his second halves display. He never stopped running and there was a particular moment when he picked the ball up on the left and then showed great pace to burst into the box before firing wide. Welbeck perhaps hasn't hit the ground running as we would've liked and his finishing does need improving but he's proving to be a good asset to a club that was lacking pace last season with Walcott out injured.

Arsene Wenger's team selection was an interesting one with Flamini and Coquelin starting at the base of the midfield but it worked. Flamini often comes under criticism for his performances, and that was deserved against Liverpool but he's put in two much better performances in the last two games. Francis Coquelin was excellent in my opinion though. He was making his first Premier League start for two years having spent loan spells at Freiburg and Charlton and he showed a great determination to get stuck in. He broke up the play well and showed just how important a proper defensive midfielder that is willing to be physical in the middle of the park is. His stats of 4 tackles, 5 interceptions and 7 clearances show just how important he was to our win at Upton Park.

At last we have all of our defenders fit and that showed with a more resolute performance. Although the fullbacks do need to close down the wider areas more to prevent crosses coming in we managed to hold out well in the dying moments of the game. Koscielny made our defence more solid and was very convincing in his aerial duals with Andy Carroll. Overall it was a much improved defensive display with Koscielny back in the side. Lets hope he stays fit now!

The games are coming thick and fast but with more players getting back to full fitness after injuries that gives us a better chance of getting results into the new year. As said earlier our next game is against Southampton. Another massive fixture and if we win we'll be in the top four. Promising times potentially lie ahead.

The team's line-ups:

West Ham: Adrian, O'Brien(77), Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell, Song, Kouyate(77), Amalfitano, Downing, Sakho(62), Carroll. 
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Collins, Demel(77), Noble, Nolan(77), Cole, Valencia(62). 

Arsenal:Szczesny, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Flamini, Coquelin, Sanchez, Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain(89), Welbeck(84). 
Subs: Ospina, Chambers(89), Gibbs(84), Campbell, Walcott, Podolski, Akpom. 

My man of the match: Santi Cazorla.

Referee: Neil Swarbrick. 
Attendance: 34,977.  

Arsenal return to winning ways in the league

Following the euphoria of reaching the FA Cup final at the weekend, the Arsenal players were thrown straight back into action. Tuesday night saw us take on West Ham in the League, another must win clash in our bid to reach the top four. Win was exactly what we did though. That was despite going behind as Podolski scored a brace whilst Giroud also popped up with a goal. If we're going to reach the top four then we'll surely have to win every game left we have in the league this season. However, it's all in Everton's hands at the moment. The 3-1 victory over the Hammers lifted us back into the top four of the Premier League which was crucial after slipping into fifth at the weekend.

Lukas Podolski scored twice as Arsenal regained fourth place

In terms of the line-up Wenger was forced into making more changes. Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal were both injured, again, so Vermaelen deputised at left back whilst Laurent Koscielny returned at center back. Tomas Rosicky was also back in the squad along with Szczesny and Giroud who replaced Fabianski and Sanogo respectively.

The fact that we went 1-0 down to a header from Matt Jarvis summed up our current league form. However, what we realised from the FA Cup semi-final was that this team do in fact have some fight in them. They displayed exactly the same fight to get themselves back into this game and pull off in the end, what was a fairly comfortable victory. When West Ham scored I thought it was going to be another one of those nights but like we had done at the start of the year, we managed to come out the other side with all three points.

Each of our goals were of high quality. Lukas Podolski scored twice as he played a rare 90 minutes. The first goal was brilliantly set up by Cazorla with a reverse pass before the German fired home at the far post. His second meanwhile was emphatic as Ramsey's cushioned header found him before he hammered the ball literally into the roof of the net. Giroud's goal meanwhile was a touch of genius. He had spurned a great chance in the first half which made his strike to put us in the lead, even more remarkable. Vermaelen lumped a ball forward and the Frenchman plucked the ball out of the air before finding the net via his weaker foot. Giroud had received a lot of stick for his performance in the first half, but his goal certainly shut the critics up for a short period of time.

Kim Kallstrom started his first game in an Arsenal shirt and put in a fairly encouraging performance. He was perhaps a little slow to get out to Nocerino for the goal and there were a few misplaced passes here and there but he showed he was willing to take risks. He showed against Swansea that he has a fantastic passing range whilst he also scored in the shoot-out at the weekend. As expected he hasn't played a huge part yet but without him we would perhaps have risked Ramsey. 

It was meanwhile great to see Laurent Koscielny back in action. He's up there as one of the best defenders in the Premier League this season and his partnership with Mertesacker looked as sturdy as ever. Vermaelen was also solid at left back. As for Santi Cazorla, he played his best game in ages, a performance which earned him the man of the match award.

Up next is Hull City in a dress rehearsal for the FA Cup final this weekend on Easter Day. Another must win game!

The teams lineups:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Arteta, Kallstrom, Cazorla(88), Rosicky(72), Podolski, Giroud.
Subs: Fabianski, Jenkinson(88), Bellerin, Ramsey(72), Oxlade-Chamberlain, Akpom, Sanogo. 

West Ham: Adrian, Demel, Tomkins, Reid, Armero, Nocerino, Noble, Downing(78), Diame, Jarvis(78), Carroll(84).
Subs: Jaaskelainen, McCartney, Johnson, Cole(78), Taylor, Vaz Te(78), Cole(84). 

My man of the match: Santi Cazorla. 

Referee: Kevin Friend.
Attendance: 59,977.  

Walcott double helps Arsenal regain top spot

Arsenal gave their fans a late Christmas present by returning to the top of the Premier League. This was thanks to a 3-1 win against West Ham on Boxing Day yesterday. The Gunners showed some signs of rustiness having it been Christmas the day before and it took them a while to get going but in the end they ran out comfortable victors. Theo Walcott scored twice whilst Podolski came off the bench to seal the points. In terms of chances created it was a hugely improved performance after the disappointment of Chelsea on Monday. In terms of the team line-up there was just the one change from our last game. Tomas Rosicky missed out completely so Santi Cazorla regained his place. Apart from that, it was an unchanged side as Vermaelen once again played instead of the injured Koscielny.

Santi Cazorla starred as Arsenal beat West Ham

The Gunners were desperate to get back to winning ways following four games without one in all competitions and that's exactly what they did against West Ham. However, that wasn't without a few nervy moments at the back throughout the game. We performed much better than we had done against Chelsea and created way more chances than previously. Monday was a rarity where we somehow struggled to create any clear cut chances. This time around though chances fell quite regularly and we could've had more than three. The hosts meanwhile, also probably warranted more than what they got in front of goal.

Thomas Vermaelen put in another assured display at centre half, and that was despite the defence coming under heavy pressure at the start of the second half. Wojciech Szczesny who has been reliable in goal this season made a rare error as he spilt a shot straight into the path of Carlton Cole to fire home. Cole should then have had a second but put it wide whilst the same fate fell the way of Joey O'Brien.

The Gunners were to come back fighting though and at the heart of it was Santi Cazorla. His form has been anything but superb this season and has struggled to find the displays he put in regularly last season. However, yesterday he was back in full flow. Everything seemed to come through the Spaniard who was playing in a more central role than we've been used to this campaign. He played some brilliant balls in behind the defence and grabbed an assist for Theo Walcott's first goal. Moving onto Theo Walcott, he was another one of the stars of the show. He has been brilliant since returning from injury and he has showed what a miss he has been. His first was a rather lucky effort on his left foot which somehow crawled under the keeper's legs whilst his second was a fantastic header. It was the wide man's first ever headed goal in all levels of the game. Theo may have had a hat-trick too if he had put away a first half chance rather than putting it wide from a few yards out.

There was a welcome return to the side for Lukas Podolski who played in his first match since August. He was absolutely fantastic when he came on and once again showed that we do indeed have some sort of strength in depth. He showed what we'd been missing out on the left in terms of a proper outlet. He assisted Walcott's second goal and then scored a peach of a strike to mark his return in perfect fashion. The German now has three goals in 108 minutes of Premier League football this season, a prolific record.

To finish off I'd just like to quickly pick up on the form of Olivier Giroud. He certainly isn't firing on all cylinders at the moment which is a real shame after his explosive start to the season. His link-up play and first touch is world class but he seems to be lacking in confidence in front of goal and is snatching at his chances rather than finding the net. Giroud grabbed an assist but perhaps it's time to give him a little rest and play Bendtner once or twice. The big Dane came on for the last five minutes and almost scored whilst he also made some really positive runs into the box.

We're back on top of the League now with a tough game against an inform Newcastle side on Sunday at St James' Park. We'll be looking to build on the West Ham result and find some winning momentum once more. We'll be traveling to Tyneside without Aaron Ramsey though who picked up a thigh problem in the game yesterday. Time for Jack Wilshere to step up into his preferred role.

The teams lineups:

West Ham: Adrian, O'Brien(63), Tomkins, Collins(38), McCartney, Jarvis, Nolan(75), J.Cole, Noble, Diame, C.Cole. 
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Demel(63), Rat(38), Collison, Diarra, Taylor(75), Maiga.

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Arteta, Ramsey(65), Cazorla, Ozil(81), Walcott, Giroud(85).
Subs: Fabianski, Jenkinson, Monreal, Flamini(81), Gnabry, Podolski(65), Bendtner(85).

My man of the match: Santi Cazorla.

Referee: Phil Dowd.
Attendance: 34,977.  

Arsenal come from behind to thrash West Ham

Arsenal returned to form and put in a breath taking second half display to overcome London rivals West Ham on Wednesday night as the Gunners ran out 5-1 victors. It was a vitally important game as it was one that Arsenal had in hand over their top 4 rivals and they got the all important victory through two goals from Giroud, and one each for Podolski, Walcott and Cazorla. The game had struggled to get going in the first half despite two goals but the Gunners came out all guns blazing putting 4 goals past the Hammers in ten minutes. Arsene Wenger made a few changes from the defeat to Chelsea as Podolski returned from illness and started in place of Diaby who wasn't in the squad. Meanwhile Ramsey replaced the injured Coquelin and Oxlade-Chamberlain also returned from illness but he only made the bench.

Lukas Podolski played his best game in Arsenal colours

The first shot on goal came 11 minutes in as Cazorla opened up the chance to have an effort on goal but his strike went high and wide.

West Ham's first chance came through Taylor as his scuffed shot bounced up off Vermaelen and onto the top of the net.

From the resulting corner, the visitors took the lead. Giroud's clearing header could only find Jack Collison who smashed the ball beyond Szczesny and into the back of the net from just outside the box.

Minutes later, Arsenal equalised through a brilliant strike from Lukas Podolski. Cazorla fed Wilshere who then dinked the ball into Podolski. He looked up and then hammered the ball into the far corner.

West Ham came back once more though and had a chance from a corner as Noble picked out Vaz Te but his header cleared the bar.

Just after the half hour mark, Podolski had a great chance to grab his second as Gibbs pulled the ball back into the path of him but he struggled to make good contact with the ball.

Carlton Cole then had a great chance to put West Ham ahead once more. Taylor's deflected shot fell kindly for him but he was to be denied by Ramsey who cleared the ball off the line.

The final opportunity of the half came from a free-kick as Cazorla curled the ball over the wall but Jaaskelainen was there to make the save.

The score at half time was 1-1.

A minute after the break and Arsenal were ahead. Walcott's corner was met at the near post by Giroud who flicked the ball home via the goalkeeper.

Arsenal then made it 3-1 through Santi Cazorla. Giroud flicked the ball over the top into Podolski who then played it into Cazorla to heel flick the ball into the goal.

The Gunners then got yet another goal to extend their lead. Wilshere poked the ball through to Podolski who then slid it over to Walcott to fire past Jaaskelainen for 4-1.

It was turning into a rout as a fifth Arsenal goal was then scored. Podolski was the architect once more as he got down the left hand side and then found Giroud who slid home for his second of the game.

There was then a lengthy stoppage to the game as young West Ham defender Dan Potts was taken off on a stretcher following a collison with Sagna.

Following that, there were 12 minutes of injury time and the first chance during added time came from Walcott after Jaaskelainen gifted the ball straight to him but his attempted chip was saved.

The final score finished Arsenal 5-1 West Ham.

 The teams lineups:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen(58), Gibbs, Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla, Walcott, Podolski(70), Giroud(73).
Subs: Mannone, Koscielny(58), Jenkinson, Santos(70), Frimpong, Arshavin, Oxlade-Chamberlain(73)

West Ham: Jaaskelainen, Demel Tomkins, Reid(62), O'Brien, Taylor, Collison(62), Nolan, Noble, Vaz Te(70), C.Cole.
Subs:  Henderson, Potts(62), Diarra(62), Diame(70), Jarvis, J.Cole, O'Neil.

My man of the match: Lukas Podolski

Referee: Andre Marriner
Attendance: 60,081

Arsenal come from behind to win in London derby

Arsenal had to come from behind to pick up a well earned 3 points against West Ham on Saturday evening at Upton Park. Olivier Giroud finally got off the mark in the League as he equalised whilst Walcott came off the bench and changed the game around, scoring one and assisting Santi Cazorla who scored a brilliant goal late on. That was all after Diame had given West Ham the lead despite the Gunners dominating possession early on. It was a strong test of the teams character and spirit having lost for the first time this season to Chelsea last week but they came back strong with a convincing performance. The performance at the back had improved massively from last week as Koscielny was back on the bench in place of Per Mertesacker who was back from a virus. Mertesacker had the job of dealing with Andy Carroll for the afternoon and he did that very well. Meanwhile Olivier Giroud lead the line as Gervinho was pushed out wide but the Ivorian had a poor game - a frustrating sign of his inconsistency despite being the Gunners top scorer this season.

Olivier Giroud scored his first goal in the Premier League as Arsenal won against West Ham

The first chance of the game fell to Olivier Giroud as the ball bounced off of Ramsey and into the path of the Frenchman whose shot was creeping inside the near post but for Jaaskalainen who kept out the shot.

Santi Cazorla then almost found the net as Podolski got the ball out wide and found Cazorla on the edge of the area who hit a shot which deflected wide.

It was all Arsenal in the early parts of the game and Giroud had another attempt at goal as he smashed the ball towards the far corner from just inside the area but Carroll managed to get his body in the way of the shot.

However it was West Ham who took the lead against the run of play as Diame stepped inside Ramsey before curling the ball brilliantly round Mannone and into the corner of the net from a tight angle.

Arsenal came back quickly though and almost found the equaliser through Giroud as Mertesacker's flick couldn't quite find its way into the path of the striker.

The Gunners then finally did find a goal. Podolski played a great ball in towards the near post which found Giroud who was allowed to tap home for his first goal in the league for Arsenal. The goal cued a celebration showing the Frenchman's relief at finally bagging himself an important goal.

Just before the break West Ham had a great chance to regain the lead as Carroll found Nolan but he stabbed the ball wide from close range.

The score at half time was 1-1.

Five minutes after the hour mark, Giroud almost found the net once more. Theo Walcott's backheel somehow found its way through to Giroud but from a tight angle and under pressure from the goalkeeper the ball was put into the side netting.

It was then West Ham's turn to squander a chance as Carroll out jumped Mannone but headed wide.

Lukas Podolski was having a great game down the left flank and 18 minutes from the end of the game he fashioned a chance for himself as he hit a shot which Jaaskalainen parmed wide.

15 minutes from the end, Arsenal finally made their pressure tell as Theo Walcott slid home from Giroud's through ball to put the Gunners infront.

Kevin Nolan, as he did in the first half, had a fantastic chance to score for the Hammers but from 12 yards out he curled the ball over the bar.

Per Mertesacker, a man not known for his goal scoring credentials almost put the game to bed as he managed to turn inside the area before seeing his deflected shot go wide.

Eight minutes from the end of the match, Arsenal finally sealed all 3 points. Walcott did well to keep the ball in the middle of midfield before feeding Cazorla who struck a brilliant dipping shot from 25 yards out which found the net. A quite brilliant way to cap off a brilliant performance.

The final score finished West Ham 1-3 Arsenal.

The teams lineups:

West Ham: Jaaskelainen, Reid, McCartney, Collins, Demel, Vaz Te(62), Noble, Diame(82), Jarvis, Nolan, Carroll.
Subs: Henderson, Tomkins, Taylor(62), O'Neil, Benayoun, Cole(82), Maiga.

Arsenal: Mannone, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs(56), Arteta, Ramsey, Cazorla, Gervinho(61), Giroud, Podolski(85).
Subs: Martinez, Koscielny(85), Santos(56), Coquelin, Arshavin, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott(61).

Man of the match: Santi Cazorla

Referee: Phil Dowd
Attendance: 34,974

Last gasp header from Song rescues Arsenal

Alex Song rescued Arsenal from a 0-0 draw against bottom of the table West Ham on Saturday when with two minutes to play, Song headed home from a Clichy cross to win the game for Arsenal and ensure all 3 points for the Gunners. It was a very frustrating afternoon for the Arsenal as they had a feast of chances but failed to convert them, hitting the woodwork twice in the second half. Rob Green in the West Ham goal kept it at that score for the majority of the game and seemed to now have his confidence back after his dreadful error for England at the World Cup. West Ham had times to remember though as they thought of their win at the Emirates a few seasons back being the first team to beat Arsenal on their new ground.

The resistance from Rob Green started early on when Sagna found Fabregas inside the box but Green managed to spring to the other end of the goal to keep the Arsenal skipper from scoring the first goal of the game.

West Ham then had a decent chance to break the deadlock when Mark Noble ran at the defence and then drove a shot towards goal but the effort was straight at Fabianski and he kept it out comfortably.

Both sides were pressuring each other well and Song had a great chance to make it 1-0 but Green kept the shot out well, diving down to his right hand side to get hands to it. The ball then came out to Nasri but he scuffed his shot and the ball went out of play. Arsenal were having all the play and they were awarded with a corner which was taken by Nasri onto the head of Squillaci. The ball was dipping underneath the bar and Green had to tip the ball over to make a brilliant save once again.

The score at half time was 0-0.

Arsenal early in the second half were awarded with a free kick a long way outside the box after Boa Morte was booked for bringing down Denilson. Nasri took it and he surprisingly went for goal. He smashed the shot towards goal and instead of Green saving his team the ball thundered past him and onto the cross bar. It would have been a spectacular goal.

Arsenal then had a feast of chances in quick succession. The first one from Cesc Fabregas was blocked by the face of Scott Parker. The second chance almost fell to Chamakh but Gabbidon managed to get in the way of him. The third then fell to Fabregas again but his shot was then blocked again. The ball then came to Denilson outside the box who struck a crisp volley towards goal but once again it was kept out by the West Ham defence. Heroic defending from the Hammers defence to keep the score deadlocked.

Arsenal then brought on some fresh legs in the shape of Theo Walcott who scored twice on his return from injury in midweek against Newcastle in the League Cup.

Before the sub Arsenal had got a free kick. Arshavin delivered from the dead ball to the head of the person you would most want the ball to fall on to the head of, Marouane Chamakh but he planted his header straight into the hands of Robert Green from 6 yards out.

Arsenal then came even closer to scoring when Theo Walcott raced clear of the defence down the right hand side and fired his shot across the face of goal but only to see his first shot of the game strike the post.

West Ham then got a rare opportunity to maybe snatch all 3 points but Da Costa headed his effort straight into the hands of Fabianski.

Walcott then had another great chance to win the game when he cut inside onto his left foot and struck the ball towards goal but his deflected shot was saved well by Green. Arsenal could still not brake the resistance of Green when Fabregas saw another of his shots saved well and away from danger.

It was looking as though it was just going to be one of those days but Arsenal finally got the breakthrough and broke West Ham's resistance grabbing the goal they much deserved from the game two minutes from time. Gael Clichy cutting inside onto his unfamiliar right foot down the left hand side and delivering the ball beyond Green onto the head of Song who could not miss from a yard out to give the Gunners the all important 3 points.

The final score ended Arsenal 1-0 West Ham

The teams lineups:

Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna, Squillaci, Koscielny, Clichy, Arshavin(79), Fabregas, Nasri, Denilson(67), Song, Chamakh(90).
Subs: Szczesny, Eboue(90), Djourou, Rosicky, Walcott(67), Vela, Bendtner(79).

West Ham: Green, Jacobson, Da Costa, Gabbidon, Ilunga, Boa Morte, Behrami(90), Parker, Piquionne(73), Obina(87).
Subs: Stech, Reid, Tomkins, Faubert(87), Barrera(90), Kovac, Cole(73).

My man of the match: Overall: Rob Green(West Ham) Arsenal: Alex Song

Referee: Mike Jones
Attendance: 60,086