West Ham breaks Arsenal’s 15-game unbeaten run
Bowen scored the only goal of the match at Emirates Stadium
Summary
Graham Potter’s defensive line with a five-man defence paid off as West Ham beat Arsenal 1-0 on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium in the 26th round of the Premier League. Bowen scored the only goal of the game with a header.
With a plan to attack with Merino improvised up front and wingers Nwaneri and Trossard, Arsenal switched to wire-to-wire mode and were unable to break through. Despite possession always being close to 70% (ending with 68%), Mikel Arteta’s team created little. In a counterattack led by Bowen at the end of the first half, West Ham took care of the situation. The number 20 started the play in the half-moon, stretched it to Wan-Bissaka and arrived in the area to finish with a beautiful diving header.
In the second half, Arteta tried to change the team by bringing on Lewis-Skelly and Zinchenko, but the team still struggled to create chances. To make matters worse, Skelly only stayed on the pitch for 17 minutes. He was sent off for a foul that prevented Kudus from getting to the goal alone. Until the final minutes, the tone of the match was the same: balls out wide, crosses and very few dangerous shots.
Breaking a long unbeaten streak
Arsenal were unbeaten in 15 Premier League games and had a great opportunity to close the gap on Liverpool, who had played a game more and had stumbled in midweek in a draw with Aston Villa. In their last 15 Premier League games, Arsenal had won 10 and lost five.
Agenda and table
The result did not change the positions of West Ham and Arsenal. The Hammers, now with 30 points, remained in 16th place, while Arteta’s team remained in second place.
Arsenal return to action next Wednesday against Nottingham Forest, away from home. On Thursday, West Ham host Leicester.
