Arsenal picked up where they left off in the Premier League as they came from behind to win 3-1 against West Ham at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners endured a difficult first half but proved their title credentials once again with a stunning second half display.
William Saliba was unfortunate to give away a spot kick after making contact with Jarrod Bowen inside the penalty area. Said Benrahma stepped up and fired the ball straight down the middle of Aaron Ramsdale's goal in the 27th minute to see the Hammers head into half-time with a crucial lead.
The Gunners fought back and soon found their rhythm as Bukayo Saka latched onto a poor attempted shot from Martin Odegaard, with the England international burying the ball past Lukasz Fabianski to equalise. Gabriel Martinelli quickly put the hosts ahead with a fierce shot at the near post just five minutes later before Eddie Nketiah sealed the win with a fine finish into the bottom corner just 20 minutes before the full-time whistle blew.
READ MORE: Nketiah's most important goal, talisman Odegaard: Arsenal winners and losers after West Ham win
The win over West Ham sees Arsenal move seven points clear at the top of the table before Manchester City take on Leeds on Wednesday, December 28. City have already been in action since the World Cup finished as Pep Guardiola's side beat holders Liverpool 3-2 in the Carabao Cup as they look to claim their first piece of silverware this season.
Hammers captain Declan Rice may have been on the wrong side of the result last night but he knows just how difficult of a team the Gunners have become as he made a huge Premier League title claim. Speaking to the media following the defeat to Arsenal, Rice said: "100% (Arsenal are title contenders).
"I think they’re a top team, you can see they're coached incredibly well, the attacking talent, it’s a young squad, they could go the whole way for sure. They’re a good team.
"We tried to stop them first half but it’s really hard. In the end, we come up short and it’s frustrating."
Arsenal looked second best in the first half but started to dominate the game in the second half as they searched for an equaliser to push them on to finding a winner. Rice continued: "It’s a tough one because first-half, although we didn’t have much of the ball, we defended really well and stopped them really well.
"We went 1-0 up and had a plan, but you can’t sustain that for 90 minutes against a team like Arsenal or when you play a team like Man City. In the end, one of their chances will create for something.
"We managed to get through and the tables were turned when he [Coufal] played him onside, he’s [Saka] rolled it in then backs are against the wall. It’s up to us to keep pushing, keep going and we tried to do that but we couldn’t just get up the pitch and they smothered us."
Mikel Arteta will be pleased with the start Arsenal have made to the second half of the season after a lengthy break, but he knows there is still a long way to go. Reinforcements could play a huge part in whether the Gunners can win the Premier League title this season, with Shakhtar Donetsk talent Mykhaylo Mudryk continuing to push for a move as Arsenal have made a first official bid for the Ukrainian winger, football.london understands.
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