Published 06:21 IST, December 10th 2019
Arsenal mount a comeback to win the London Derby 3-1 against West Ham
A second-half blitz saw Arsenal register first win against West Ham under interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg. Gabriel Martinelli scored his first PL goal.
- SportFit
- 2 min read
After a period of over two months, Arsenal finally managed to register a victory in the Premier League on Monday night, as the team defeated West Ham United 3-1. The result meant that it was interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg's first win since assuming office on a night when Gabriel Martinelli scored his first Premier League goal.
Dull start, but an energetic win
Arsenal fell behind in the first half after not being able to clear a corner. A cross in from the right saw Angelo Ogbonna score a header after a heavy deflection. A VAR check was done in order to check if it touched his hand but it was deemed fine. Arsenal, heavily lacking confidence, went in at the break without mounting any serious challenge.
However, Arsenal managed to score an equalizer. A run down the left flank saw Lucas Torreira feed Sead Kolasinac, who cut back the ball in the box, and the young Brazillian slotted the ball in the far corner in a single touch. Five minutes later, the £72 million winger Nicolas Pepe scored his first Premier League goal through an Arjen Robben-esque curling left-footed strike in the top-left corner. Star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the goal with a half-volley which ended a 10-minute blitz.
After the match, Ljungberg said, "We had a gameplan and we wanted to move the ball a lot. In the first half we were slow, we were a bit lethargic, we didn't move, we didn't run...but I felt like we gave it a go in the second half and we did that." Talking about the issues faced in implementing the tactics because of the short space between two matches, he said, "It would be nice to have a few days, so I can actually practice with them."
The Premier League table looks better for the North London club than it was a few days ago, with Arsenal now on ninth position with 22 points. However, they face Manchester City next, who are chasing Liverpool at the top of the table to defend the Premier League.
Updated 07:56 IST, December 10th 2019