Izuchukwu Okosi
West Ham United defended resolutely Thursday night as goals from Tomas Soucek and Konstatinos Mavropanos handed the Hammers a first victory at the Emirates Stadium since 2015.
The win elevates David Moyes’ side to sixth on the Premier League table and means that Liverpool will remain on the top of the three at least Sunday evening with 42 points while Arsenal face Fulham on Sunday having dropped three points to stay at 40 points.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe first West Ham goal in the 13th minute was however controversial as it seemed the ball had crossed the line before Jarrod Bowen hooked the ball onto the path of Soucek to bundle home.
Alphonse Areola was forced to a superb save from Bukayo Saka’s shot.
There was a subplot ahead of the game as a player from both sides had played for the other team.
While £105 million Arsenal signing Declan Rice was booed by a section of the West Ham fans, Mavrapanos who was on the books of the Gunners before a stint at German Bundesliga side Stuttgart rose highest to head home a corner kick from James Ward-Prowse.
Arsenal dug deep to seek a late fightback but never quite found their way past the ultra-defensive Hammers.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
