Arsenal players were all smiles after they took another massive step towards a return to the Champions League.
The Gunners haven’t played a game in Europe’s top competition since being thrashed 5-1 by Bayern Munich in March 2017. But with four games of the Premier League season remaining, they sit in the all-important fourth place with their destiny firmly in their own hands.
The pressure was on for Mikel Arteta’s men at West Ham after Tottenham ran out 3-1 winners over Leicester City in the early kick-off. That saw Spurs leapfrog their north London rivals before the Gunners kicked off at the London Stadium.
But goals from Rob Holding and Gabriel, either side of a Jarrod Bowen equaliser, was enough to earn the visitors a 2-1 victory which could prove pivotal in the final shake up. There were wild scenes of celebrations in front of the sold-out away end as they regained control of the race for the final Champions League spot.
Holding was an unlikely hero for Arsenal, scoring the opening goal after being a surprise inclusion in the starting XI. The opener was the 26-year-old’s first ever goal in the Premier League and just his fourth in all competitions since joining the club in 2016.
In a post-match interview with Sky Sports, Holding said of his goal: "I’ve scored a few Carabao Cup goals but it’s nice to get my first Premier League goal and hopefully I can build on that."
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However, if there was any chance of the former Bolton defender getting overconfident, his team-mate Aaron Rasmdale was on hand to knock him down a peg or two and replied: "Only took six years and a new headline," with Sky Sports reporter Geoff Shreeves quick to intervene and telling him not to ‘spoil his moment’.
The banter was taken in good humour, with both players cracking up laughing, before returning their focus to the task at hand and finishing above Tottenham.
It’s not the first time that Ramsdale has taken a dig at Holding’s luscious locks, referring to them in a video recorded earlier this year, when looking at his FIFA card the ‘keeper joked: "The hair transplant's done you wonders!"
And while Ramsdale had a joke about the central defender, Mikel Arteta was all business, heaping praise on Holding’s performance, having struggled for minutes in recent months.
"We showed incredible spirit because when we could play the way we wanted to play we had to find a way to play the way they prefer,” the Gunners boss said. “We adapted. You have to find a way to win all the time to win - forcing mistakes, being brilliant, digging in, clean sheets.
“I am really happy, especially for Rob Holding as he hasn’t played the amount of minutes he deserves. He was man of the match today. He is always there when we need him."
