Football Review | Arsenal 2 - 0 West Ham

Routine but another welcome win for Arsenal

A fantastic way to celebrate Arteta’s 300th game in charge.

Author | DJ

Stadium | Emirates Stadium

Arsenal corner

Declan Rice opened his account for the season before Bukayo Saka struck from the spot as Arsenal eased past West Ham in Mikel Arteta’s 300th match in charge.

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Arsenal’s strong start to the campaign has seen them beaten only once and Arteta looked intent on extending that run with a bold, attacking line-up. He named a midfield three of Rice, Martin Ødegaard and Eberechi Eze, reflecting the squad depth afforded by a £250m summer outlay.

That combination was short-lived, however, as Ødegaard was forced off injured for the third successive home league game. Rice was pushed further forward after Martin Zubimendi’s introduction and the former West Ham captain was well placed to steer home after Eze’s strike had been parried by Alphonse Areola.

Pre match atmosphere

Arsenal controlled the contest, limiting West Ham to speculative efforts on the break. Their advantage was doubled in the second half when Jurrien Timber was felled by El Hadji Malick Diouf, Saka stepping up to send the resulting penalty into the corner.

It was a fitting way for Saka to mark his 200th Premier League appearance, his tally now standing at 55 goals and 45 assists. The victory lifted Arsenal to the top of the table, above Liverpool ahead of their meeting with Chelsea later in the day.

Small signs of progress for West Ham

Nuno Espírito Santo remains without a win from his opening two matches in charge, but there were enough signs of improvement to suggest West Ham are heading in the right direction.

Having won on their previous two visits to north London, the Hammers faced a far tougher challenge this time and were always likely to struggle to take anything from the game.

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Nuno set his side up in a disciplined 4-2-3-1 and was an active presence on the touchline, offering constant direction as he sought to refine their shape. Niclas Füllkrug went close from a corner, while Lucas Paquetá fired over as West Ham looked for a first-half breakthrough.

In the end, they were outplayed by stronger opposition, but the early signs under Nuno point to a team beginning to find structure and purpose. With more time on the training ground, West Ham should start to climb the table.