Football Special Report: EPL News- Arsenal Snatch Late Victory
Arsenal’s defensive midfielder, Alex Song spared his manager and his team the blushes, as he managed to score a late goal which sealed three important points for Arsenal.
The Gunners were expected to coast to a victory against bottom-placed visitors, but they faced a stern test against a resolute side of West Ham United, who fought hard to earn points at the Emirates.
It was a lethargic start from Arsene Wenger’s men, who had only one change from their previous Premier League match: Laurent Koscielny replaced Johan Djourou.
Arsenal veteran left winger, Andrei Arshavin found some space at times but could not produce anything of it.
Whereas, West Ham United’s goalkeeper was predominately untested for the first 20 minutes, but he made a smart save when he stopped Samir Nasri’s goal bound shot after good work from Denilson and Cesc Fabregas.
Cesc Fabregas tried his best to create the opener and whipped in good crosses from the right wing. But things were not going their way, and it looked insipid in the closing stages of the first half.
After a first half devoid of many clear cut chances, the Gunners looked more focused in the second half. Andrei Arshavin and Samir Nasri had some neat exchanges, but they could not create anything.
The Gunners looked frantic to create something, and looked to the bench to create the opener for them. With 25 minutes remaining, Arsene Wenger landed his pacey young gun, Theo Walcott, at Emirates.
It would have been a dream start for Walcott, when he was put through on goal by a splendid pass by his skipper4. However, the 21-year-old winger was unlucky to hit the inside of the post and rebounded for Robert Green to collect it easily.
Moreover, in the dying stages of the match, Nicklas Bendtner was introduced in place of Andrei Arshavin. His addition gave home side a towering presence in the box.
However, West Ham United’s goalie was excellent throughout the game, and saved brilliantly from a powerful Nasri shot and showed a lot of composure throughout the game.
But, even the impressive Robert Green could do nothing about Alex Song’s diving header in the final minutes which sealed the three points for Arsenal.
Arsenal camped in their visitors’ territory for much of the last dying minutes, and tried to create more opportunities. Arsenal’s left-back; Clichy burst through on the left side and manufactured a wonderful cross, between opposition’s goalie and defenders
for Alex Song to score from a powerful diving header.
The Cameroonian defensive midfielder has now scored in three consecutive games in which he has played, and has improved a lot on his attacking play from the last season.
The Gunners were not good in this encounter, but their mental strength has to be cherished and they had faith in themselves till the final whistle. The three most creative Arsenal players; Samir Nasri, Arshavin and Cesc Fabregas was not at their best today,
and that was one of the main causes why Arsene Wenger’s men struggled to create concrete chances on goal.
However, it is the stuff of champions to win when they are not playing well, and that is exactly what the Gunners showed last weekend.
Moreover, things are starting to look better for the Gunners on the injury front as their key players Robin Van Persie and Aaron Ramsey will be returning to training this week.
All in all, the north London giants will take a lot of positives from this match, and these crucial points could go a long way in determining Arsenal’s season.
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