Mikel Arteta let rip at his Arsenal players at half-time before they secured a crucial win at West Ham United.
The Gunners twice took the lead at the London Stadium with Gabriel's second-half header proving decisive as they edged closer to the Champions League. Mikel Arteta had seen his side take the lead thanks to Rob Holding's first ever Premier League goal in the opening 45.
However, Jarrod Bowen levelled for the Hammers just before the break. It could've been a momentum shifter and forced Arteta to change his half-time message as Arsenal knew they had to win to leapfrog rivals Tottenham. As a result the Spaniard made his feelings clear to his players in the changing rooms.
Holding told Arsenal Media : “We were a bit disappointed to concede that coming in just before half time. It would have been nice to go in 1-0, but he [Arteta] gave us all a shouting and telling off and we came out and looked more like a team and played how he wanted to play.”
Gabriel's winner came in the 54th minute and Arsenal were able to withstand the pressure from the home side. The Hammers have been a difficult nut to crack on their own patch and the Gunners needed to dig deep with Arteta describing their success as an "ugly win".
It keeps them above Tottenham with a north London derby still to come. The Gunners boss said: "It’s a massive win, under very difficult circumstances because we put ourselves in real problems, especially with our decision making and in ball possessions, and the spaces we were attacking, and the timing of it and the efficiency of it. But the team showed huge character, not to give up, to continue trying to do the right things.
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"The way they fought, the way they understood how they have to manage the game in certain moments, with the way we defended, because we didn't concede anything, it was phenomenal. In England you say ‘win ugly’, I think from my point of view today we won ugly, and I’m extremely happy to see a team that has this capacity to find a way to win and show the character that they showed today."
Arsenal still have to face Leeds, their local neighbours, Newcastle and Everton before the season is up. The Gunners last finished in the top four back in 2016, when they were unable to beat Leicester City to the title.
Arteta saw his side lose their opening three games of the season but have responded impressively. He claimed after the win: "We have a great opportunity and that willingness and motivation that we have is driving us to continue to do something."
