Arsenal moved up to second place in the Premier League after a quite extraordinary first half against West Ham. So much so that by the time the final whistle blew, the repercussions of that first 45 minutes were hard to shake. We’d just won 5-2, away from home, and yet there was something nagging.
In the cold light of day, I suspect it was Gary Neville’s voice and those weird little ‘Ooouurrrggh’ noises he makes. And I’m not even really joking. It’s like hearing a rat scratching in the walls. It stops, but you’re on edge just waiting for it to start again. I think it was also a bit about being so far ahead, then conceding twice quite quickly, and immediately having flashbacks to Newcastle. Some scars run deep, you know. In reality, Arsenal were by far the better side, fully merited the win and the positives we can take from this, but it felt a bit like being excited that you got a shiny new car, but scratched the paintwork when you were parking it in the drive.
It started well when a thing that feels almost inevitable happened again: Gabriel scored from a corner. Bukayo Saka’s delivery was perfect for the routine in question, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber did their jobs as blockers, and the big Brazilian headed home. It was quite funny to see Sky trying to unpack the details of how it happened afterwards, even going so far as to ask about the routines Mikel Arteta in his post-match interview. “I can’t”, he said, politely, when we all know he meant, “I won’t.”
The second goal arrived in the 27th minute. Saka, who had earlier curled one just wide, picked up the ball from Kai Havertz. He cut inside, fed Martin Odegaard, whose return pass turned the entire West Ham defence into statues as Saka kept going. Then it was just a case of a one-touch pass to the back post where Leandro Trossard had the easy job of knocking the ball into the net for 2-0. Superbly executed football from Arsenal, a move we made look simple but which relied on the moving parts being completely in sync.
Minutes later, as Saka continued to do mischief to the Hammers, we had a penalty. He drove into the box, Lucas Paqueta stuck out a leg, and the referee pointed to the spot. What might get lost in the build-up is the perfectly cushioned header from Havertz after Raya launched the ball forward, and a similarly deft touch from the captain to find Saka on the right. From there he went on his run which led to the spot-kick. It looked like he was going to take it, but he handed the ball to Odegaard who made no mistake, firing into the bottom corner for his first goal of the season.
Trossard’s brilliant first time pass sent Havertz through to make it 4-0. There was a time I’d have been less than convinced in the German’s ability to make the most of that kind of chance. Not these days. He’s a different player, and while I don’t think Lukasz Fabianski made it particularly difficult for him, he slotted it home and like this game last season, we were four goals ahead in the first half at the London Stadium.
Then a wobble, if you can call it that. Perhaps the first one can go down as a lapse in concentration. Carlos Soler was given too much time to pick an excellent pass for Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s run, Trossard and Calafiori were not on their toes, and the finish at the near post gave West Ham a lifeline.
A minute later referee gave them a free kick which was never a free kick, Declan Rice won the ball, but take nothing away from Emerson’s finish. That was as good as it gets, Raya had no chance, and all of a sudden things felt a lot less comfortable. Conceding two in such a short space of time always feels more dangerous, as if the wheels are gonna come off, and home fans who had been seeking the exits found their seats again. Understandably, the atmosphere changed, and you couldn’t help but worry a little.
The second penalty of the night restored the comfort zone though. Fabianski came to punch the ball, sideswiped Gabriel instead, and eventually the ref pointed to the spot. This time it was Saka, not his most convincing finish from 12 yards, but it went in and that’s all that counts. At the break, West Ham 5-2 Arsenal, and it was a remarkable first half of football.
