Arsenal hit top form in title race with evisceration of West Ham،
LONDON — Redemption is rarely more emphatic than that. It's a familiar trope from Mikel Arteta's tenure as Arsenal manager to use past disappointments to fuel future success, and Sunday's stunning 6-0 win at West Ham United in the Premier League was a statement devastating effect of this tool.
The Hammers came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 in the corresponding match last season, as Bukayo Saka missed a penalty and Arsenal's title quest began to unravel. David Moyes' side also won this season's reverse fixture in December and knocked the Gunners out of this year's Carabao Cup, continuing a run of setbacks that made this encounter even trickier on paper, especially at the end of a weekend in which Liverpool and Manchester City recorded routine victories.
Arteta revealed his players discussed a similarly checkered record at Nottingham Forest before securing a 2-1 victory at the City Ground last month. They found similar inspiration once again at the London Stadium, no doubt sparked by Declan Rice's return to his former club to a mixed reception for a third time.
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So what did Arteta tell them before kick-off here? “It’s time to beat West Ham,” he said after the match. “We all knew it. We all had it in our guts. We knew it was going to be a very difficult match and we had to do some things in both surfaces better than in the previous match and we did that today .
“It’s great to do [club] the story, especially the way we made it. These are good times and when you have good times, you have to create and maintain momentum. From the start the team looked really strong. We had to correct the last two results against them and that was a good motivation for the boys.”
If this was a history test, they passed it with flying colors. William Saliba, Gabriel, Saka – from the penalty spot, of course – and Leandro Trossard put them 4-0 at the break. The warnings from the past were everywhere: the last time Arsenal led by this scoreline at the break was in February 2011 at Newcastle, when they collapsed to draw 4-4. Not this time. Saka struck again before Rice completed his own restorative storyline with a brilliant 25-yard strike which he chose not to celebrate out of respect for his former team.
Not that there were many local fans left to appreciate this display of humility. Thousands flocked at half-time not to return, such was Arsenal's superiority, with Rice demonstrating how well he has adapted following his £105 million move to London. These fees seem cheap on days like this.
The 25-year-old was acquired to bring greater authority to Arsenal's midfield, but as well as making a vital contribution to late goals – think Chelsea, Manchester United and Luton Town – he has now become a sort of specialist in set pieces. . Rice started taking corners in the 5-0 win over Crystal Palace last month and here he scored goals for both centre-backs, delivering the 32nd minute corner which Saliba converted and the free kick from the 44th minute nodded by Gabriel.
“I'm really happy to [Rice] because I know it was an emotional and special day for him because he loves West Ham so much,” Arteta said. “Today he had to focus on the task and what he had to achieve.
“Set pieces were part of it because when we have certain players on the pitch he can threaten more from outside the box than inside the box and I was really happy to see the class of the public give him the respect he deserves.”
Arteta added: “[Rice’s set-piece ability] it was something we knew and could imagine. It also depends on who plays in the team and the size, presence and physicality we have in the box to make the right decision. But he certainly has delivery. He was doing it here at West Ham, he did it in the national team and that’s another thing we can add to his game.”
This Arsenal team may still be playing in the shadow of Liverpool and City, but they are determined to make their own history. Several players did it here: it was the first time Rice scored three goals in a single game. Saka became the youngest Arsenal player to reach 50 goals for the club since 1978, Trossard's fine strike was Arsenal's 8,000th league goal, and Arsenal recorded both their biggest win at the away in the Premier League and West Ham's heaviest league defeat in space. a superb 90 minutes.
“We are maintaining and building some momentum now and the performances have been very strong as well as the results and we have to maintain that because we are not the only ones,” Arteta said.
“We know the standards and the level we are up against and we need to be at that level if we have any chance of succeeding.”
Liverpool are still two points ahead and City have a game in hand. But Arsenal have a hunger driven by their recent history that keeps them firmly in the conversation.
