West Ham boss Graham Potter praises one Arsenal star after their 1-0 win over the Gunners

West Ham United manager Graham Potter has showered praise on Arsenal star Mikel Merino in the aftermath of his side's impressive 1-0 win at the Emirates. The Hammers played a perfect game and came away with a deserved win at the expense of the Gunners, who have fallen further behind in the race for the league title.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been forced to test several options in attack after serious injuries to his regulars in the last month. The Spanish tactician opted to start Merino as a centre-forward on the back of the Spaniard netting a brace from the position against Leicester City last week.

Potter revealed after the match that he had anticipated the move by Arteta but praised Merino for his quality. The former Chelsea boss pointed out some qualities that made the former Real Sociedad man a threat in attack and also praised his side's defense in the game.

"Because of what happened against Leicester – Merino coming on and scoring two – we guessed he would start the game. If you look at how he attacks the box and what he does, he’s incredible at getting on the shoulder of defenders and timing his runs into the box. He’s very dangerous and then you’ve got the quality on the wings and [Martin] Odegaard putting balls in from all angles. We had to defend that situation well and I thought we did it as well as we could," Potter said via Metro.

Mikel Merino endured a largely miserable outing at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday as he struggled to impact the game. The 28-year-old registered just 35 touches, the least of any outfield player on the pitch for either side. He also attempted just two shots, none of which were on target, in the entirety of the game.

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Arsenal star facing suspension after West Ham sending off

Arsenal star Myles Lewis-Skelly is set to miss their next game after receiving a red card in his side's 1-0 defeat to West Ham United. The 18-year-old will be suspended for just one game after his straight red card for the denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Lewis-Skelly started on the bench and was introduced by Mikel Arteta after 56 minutes in place of Riccardo Calafiori. In the 73rd minute, the teenager lost the ball to Mohammed Kudus in midfield and quickly brought down the former Ajax man. Referee Craig Pawson initially showed him a yellow card before the intervention of the VAR prompted a review which resulted in a sending-off.

Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off in the first half of Arsenal's 1-0 win over Wolves last month but saw his card overturned on appeal. The defender will not, however, receive such privileges this time around, as there was no controversy in the decision.