4 reasons why Arsenal won against West Ham

Modified Aug 26, 2018 04:43 GMT

Arsenal v West Ham United - Premier League

Arsenal has registered their first win of the season at the Emirates, defeating West Ham with a scoreline of 3 goals to 1. The coach, the players and especially the fans feel a sense of relief, as their first two opening games have not ended in Gunners' favour.

However, West Ham was certainly not an easy-to-go team, and the London club has had a hard time defending against them.

They have clinched just 3 points from the first three games, with their next game coming up next Sunday against Cardiff City.

Arsenal was 1 goal down at 30 minutes, but the London boys came out big and outscored West Ham by the end of the game. This brings me to my first point on why Arsenal won the game.

#4 Attacking prowess on the right wing

The pair of Bellerin and Mkhitaryan on the right wing have often been the reason for Arsenal's wins. Irrespective of the fact that Bellerin fails to track back, his attacking abilities have been crucial for the London side.

The Spanish right-back possesses immense control over the ball when attacking, and provides consistent low-crosses through the right.

Mkhitaryan plays the CAM role with excellent efficiency, and his playmaking skills are extremely underrated. His spell at Manchester United was short and an unconvincing one, and eventually he was part of a swap deal which consisted of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal.

Mkhitaryan's first game of the season against City was certainly not a good one, but the 29-year-old have performed brilliantly against both Chelsea and West Ham, scoring one and assisting once.

#3 Crucial saves by Petr Cech

The fact that Petr Cech is still in the starting eleven tends to surprise the fans, as their new signing Bernd Leno hasn't got a chance to show his set of skills, yet. People claim that Cech is light years past his best, and he no more delivers to the team.

But the fact that he is still the most clinical player in the squad is often hidden under his few unconvincing performances. Cech's saves turns out to be pretty crucial for the team, and the 36-year-old still has a lot to give.

Arsenal's defence has been least desirable and their inability to keep clean sheets is what Cech is criticised for. Emery is trying to make changes in the squad and as a result, he has signed 4 players, out of which two are defenders.

He certainly aims to ameliorate the defence, but his first two games have ended in a defeat, primarily because of a weak back-four.

#2 Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Manchester United "flop" is a blessing in disguise for the Gunners. Mkhitaryan moved to United in 2016 for a fee between £27 - £30 million from Borrusia Dortmund. However, the Armenian star has struggled for first team football under Jose Mourinho, and eventually, he was included in a swap deal with Arsenal.

Regardless of his game under Jose, Mkhitaryan has given fine performances for the Gunners and he certainly is an important player to the squad. Unai Emery counts on him for every game as the work rate and playmaking skills he possesses are substantial.

He is a right winger on paper but moves into the centre, with Bellerin taking on the wing. And this pair has shown great understanding and efforts in creating attacks.

Ozil was not included in the squad for the game against West Ham through illness and the playmaking job was solely on Mkhitaryan's shoulders, as Ramsey prefers to be the man putting the ball in the back of the net.

The Armenian has not disappointed when he's got the chance to make the difference.

#1 Torreira's presence

Despite playing just the second half, Torreira has been absolutely influential. The Urugyuan has made the difference and though he has not assisted or scored any of the goals, the massive amount of energy and enthusiasm he brings onto the pitch has been decisive for the Gunners.

Torreira's first pass of the game was a clear-cut through ball for Lacazette to score. The first airball by Torreira for the Gunners was against City, for Aubameyang, which he ended up scoring, but was unfortunately flagged offside.

Mkhitaryan is having a pivotal role in the squad, which is to hold the attacking line-up together, as Ozil has been a bit inconsistent for a few seasons now.

Torreira, being a CDM, plays killer passes to his forwards which leads to goal scoring chances. This takes a bit pressure off the likes of Mkhitaryan and Ozil.

It is the boss who decides who plays, and he certainly has seen Torreira's performance in all the three games, coming off from the bench. Probably, Unai Emery is planning something big for the fans.

Edited by Moderator -PJ