Key occasions
88 minutes: Arsenal deliver Fabio Vieira on for Martinelli.
87 minutes: Odegaard, simply inside his personal half, spins away from two opponents. He’s been irresistible immediately, lovely and galvanizing to look at.
85 minutes: Odegaard has clearly determined he deserves a purpose too, as a result of he’s carried out a lot of taking pictures within the final 10 minutes. Another left-foot roller goes unrewarded.
84 minutes: “That third goal is a perfect demonstration of what good coaching and management can do,” writes John Swan. “Eddie N’Ketiah was enthusiastic but wayward and frustrating this time last year and would have wasted that chance maybe 8 times out of 10. Now you’d not be surprised to see him do that consistently.” Arsenal do look irresistible in assault, if nonetheless a bit of vulnerable on the break.
81 minutes: Martinelli’s cross from the left goes throughout purpose and out the opposite aspect, the place Benrahma picks it up, tries a double lollipop on the sting of his personal space, is dispossessed and is presumably terribly relieved when Odegaard shoots extensive once more. That was terribly, inexcusably silly. “After a brutal cold spell here (think -45C and below) this Arsenal game and team is like a warm, cosy hug!” trills Michelle Peters-Jones from Edmonton. Minus what?
79 minutes: “David Penney can eat some humble pie for slating Eddie (34 mins),” writes, um, somebody on Twitter. “That kid can play.” That he can.
78 minutes: West Ham deliver Fornals on for Soucek, who has labored exhausting off the ball however carried out nothing with it.
77 minutes: Odegaard, who deserves a purpose to go along with his two assists (one unintentional) curls a shot narrowly extensive from the sting of the realm.
74 minutes: If you’re not geoblocked from watching this, watch it.
One one that did watch it, it appears, is Mykhaylo Mudryk:
…seems like yet another purpose for Arsenal as Mykhaylo Mudryk is watching the sport and posting on Instagram ⚪️🔴👀🇺🇦 #AFC
Clear message. Mudryk desires Arsenal transfer whereas membership are in negotiations. pic.twitter.com/A4F2SUofoI
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 26, 2022
73 minutes: The ball bounces to Antonio, 15 yards exterior West Ham’s space, and he spins previous Xhaka, who brings him down. The referee offers the free kick, however unusually retains his playing cards in his pocket. Arsenal deliver Zinchenko on for Tierney.
GOAL! Arsenal 3-1 West Ham (Nketiah, 69 minutes)
That is a magnificence. A beautiful contact from White to beat Benrahma earlier than passing to Odegaard, a first-time move from Odegaard, and Nketiah spins away from Kehrer and shoots low and exhausting, throughout purpose and in on the far publish. That actually is excellent.
66 minutes: Kehrer’s 30-yarder flies effectively excessive, and manner extensive.
63 minutes: There’s a rocking environment on the Emirates now, comebacks, floodlights and festive cheer all contributing.
60 minutes: Arsenal have three coaches on the touchline gesticulating furiously as West Ham put together to restart the sport. “One Arsene Wenger!” shout the house followers.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 West Ham (Martinelli, 58 minutes)
They’ve turned it round! Saka outmuscles Rice, Xhaka finds Martinelli on the left of the realm and he shoots low and exhausting contained in the close to publish!
GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 West Ham (Saka, 53 minutes)
Finally Odegaard will get one thing severely incorrect, hitting a garbage left-foot shot from 30 yards, such a poor effort that he finally ends up on the bottom and the ball heads effectively extensive. So extensive, in actual fact, that it runs completely into the trail of Saka who’s clear via and calmly passes previous Fabianski!
50 minutes: Bowen jumps to win a header. Tierney jumps into him and goes down clutching his face whereas on the sidelines Arteta calls for the referee act on an alleged elbow. Absolutely ridiculous, and the referee rightly ignores him. A tweet! “I’m following your Guardian coverage from a holiday flat in Mauritius, where its nearly 1am and everyone’s gone to sleep except me! I’m hanging on every update!” Don’t fall asleep but, Don, there are extra targets on this.
47 minutes: Antonio was offside anyway.
46 minutes: Save! Antonio runs into the best aspect of the penalty space and blasts a shot in the direction of the close to publish, the place Ramsdale will get two gloves behind it.
46 minutes: Peeeeeep!
The gamers are on their manner again out, doubtlessly fortified, as I’ve been, by a halftimely slice of stollen.
Half-time studying: He’s a narrative about Arsenal’s bid for Mykhalo Mudryk:
Half time: Arsenal 0-1 West Ham
45+6 minutes: And that’s the final significant motion of the primary half. The league leaders have some work to do.
Arsenal haven’t got a penalty in any case!
45+5 minutes: That’s exemplary VAR use. Cresswell didn’t deal with the ball, and there will probably be no penalty.
Replays recommend there was no handball, and this resolution goes to be reversed. The referee has been instructed to take a look on the replays.
Arsenal have a penalty now!
The cross is headed away, labored again to Odegaard and his shot hits a defender. He instantly asks for a penalty and after a number of seconds’ although, Michael Oliver factors to the spot.
45+3 minutes: About 30 seconds of the primary half to go, and Arsenal have a nook.
45+1 minutes: There will probably be three minutes of first-half stoppage time.
45 minutes: Coufal slides in, eyes on the ball, and wins it clearly. But he then slides via into Martinelli, touchdown his studs on the Arsenal’s gamers foot, and so will get booked.
42 minutes: An completely magic first contact from Nketiah, however Kehrer comes throughout to take the ball away.
42 minutes: Odegaard has been so good. When he’s on his sport it’s a pleasure to look at him work in tight areas. He’s simply been on a special stage from his teammates up to now tonight.
40 minutes: “Wenger out!” protests Peter Oh.
38 minutes: Nice work on the best offers White crossing alternative, but it surely doesn’t deliver cross.
34 minutes: A wonderful alternative for Nketiah to arrange Saka, however his move is poor and the prospect is misplaced. “This all reminds me of when Wenger used to say that Bendtner and Chamakh could lead the line and we could compete for trophies,” David Penney says of Arsenal’s ahead. “Hope we’re signing someone good in the next 30 days.”
33 minutes: Arsenal assault repeatedly down the left, however each time they attempt to transfer the ball into the center somebody in a black shirt kicks it away once more.
30 minutes: West Ham are sitting simply on the best aspect of the road between outrageous luck and excellent execution of a sport plan.
GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 West Ham (Benrahma, 27 minutes)
Benrahma hits it down the center, as Ramsdale dives out of the way in which!
26 minutes: The VAR has confirmed the penalty, and Benrahma has grabbed the ball.
Penalty to West Ham!
24 minutes: And now they’ve gained themselves a penalty! Antonio wins a protracted ball down the best and performs it infield to Bowen, who touches previous Saliba and goes down! There is simply the smallest contact, however at full dash presumably sufficient to deliver him down (although he went on a few paces first).
24 minutes: This has been enjoyable up to now. Arsenal are dominating, and actually look a good bit higher than their opponents, however West Ham nonetheless have a risk on the counter.
21 minutes: White then heads the nook away, and Benrahma’s shot is straight at Ramsdale. He instantly throws the ball out and begins a promising break, however Nketiah shoots into Coufal.
19 minutes: West Ham haven’t carried out numerous attacking, however they’ve simply gained a nook, Ben White heading Bowen’s cross behind.
15 minutes: Odegaard dances throughout the sting of the West Ham penalty space, however his tried move to Martinelli is minimize out.
13 minutes: This time Odegaard, who’s pulling all of the strings right here, does discover Xhaka, however his right-footed 20-yarder is feeble.
10 minutes: Odegaard performs a nearly-great move via to Xhaka, which runs via to the keeper.
8 minutes: A beautiful run down the best from Martinelli ends with Bowen bringing him down. I believed he obtained the ball and kicked it into Martinelli, however that solely made it appear to be Martinelli had kicked it. He will get a yellow card for his troubles.
7 minutes: “Was that 1987 loss to Nottingham Forest?” asks Jonathan Wood of Arsenal’s final residence defeat on Boxing Day. It was certainly. “I was at that game – first trip to see Forest at Highbury. We were 1-0 up with less than five minutes to go, having not won at Highbury for years, when Arsenal won a penalty. Kenny Samson – who was disputing the left back position for England with Stuart Pearce – missed. A minute later, Forest went down the other end and won a penalty themselves. Up stepped Pearce in front of the North Bank and showed Samson how to do it. 2-0. Bedlam in the Forest end.”
5 minutes: Arsenal have a purpose disallowed! The ball is performed via to Nketiah, who backheels it to Saka, who smashes in on the close to publish. When the move is performed each Nketiah and Saka are onside however because it skidded via it clipped Saka’s heel, and at that time Nketiah was offside.
3 minutes: Apparently Arsene Wenger is within the crowd immediately, visiting the Emirates for the primary time since he left the membership in 2018, having extra lately devoted himself to saying ridiculous issues which are handy for Fifa.
1 min: Peeeeep! West Ham get the sport began.
Before kick-off, a minute’s applause for George Cohen.
Out come the gamers! It’s been a protracted and hectic day of top-flight soccer, now it’s time to see if the league leaders are feeling festive.
Prime’s huge pre-match interview was with Oleksandr Zinchenko, and their panel within the stadium now really feel obliged to have a protracted chat about him. Which is have been nice, had he solely been within the beginning XI.
On Twitter, famous rumourmonger Fabrizio Romano stories that Arsenal have submitted a bid of an preliminary €40m, rising to €60m, for Shakhtar Donetsk’s 21-year-old Ukrainian winger Mykhaylo Mudryk. Apparently the participant is eager, however his membership need heaps additional cash.
Some pre-match studying, within the form of Ben Fisher’s report on Aston Villa 1-3 Liverpool:
Aaron Cresswell has a chat. “I think the break’s come at a good time for us. The lads have been working hard, so it’s up to us now to put things right. We haven’t had a great start to the season. We’re not scoring enough goals and we could do better at conceding them. But today’s a big opportunity to get back to it. Arsenal have been fantastic all season, we know it’s going to be a tough game but it’s up to us to get three points today.”
Hello world!
What an awfully-timed World Cup that was for Arsenal. Top of the desk, with factors dropped in solely one among their final 9 league video games, they have been completely flying when the pause button was pressed in early November. Now we wait to find whether or not that momentum has survived the final six weeks. For all their high quality (and the truth that the final time they misplaced at residence on Boxing Day was so way back that one among their centre-backs that day is now 64 (1987 and David O’Leary, because you ask), a run the Hammers have twice tried and failed to finish) this won’t be a foul time to play them. There has solely been one goalless draw between these groups since then, promisingly. West Ham began the season towards Manchester City, and now should restart it towards Arsenal, which is a bit rum. I’ve a sense in my bones that this sport is likely to be ’un, however then I’m an incorrigible optimist. Welcome!
The groups
Team information is in, and the beginning line-ups are as follows:
Arsenal: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney; Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli.
West Ham: Fabianski; Coufal, Dawson, Kehrer, Cresswell; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Antonio.
Referee: Michael Oliver.
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