Arsenal

2022 - 12 - 26

Martin Ødegaard

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Reuters"

Arsenal rally to beat West Ham, extend Premier League lead (Reuters)

With Arsene Wenger watching from the stands, Arsenal came from behind to see off West Ham United 3-1 at home on Monday and move seven points clear at the ...

"We showed a lot of composure and quality. Now level, Arsenal did not take long to take the lead, Granit Xhaka slipping a pass towards Martinelli, whose powerful strike flummoxed Fabianski. "He picked the right moment. But we kept going and once we got one we knew we'd get more because we could feel the atmosphere behind us," said goalscorer Nketiah. They are eight ahead of third-placed Manchester City, who have played 14. Register for free to Reuters and know the full story

Arsenal stay top as front three deliver in win over West Ham (ESPN)

With Arsene Wenger watching on, Arsenal returned to action after the World Cup break to beat West Ham and stay top of the Premier League table.

[England](/soccer/team?id=448) winger's composure to steer a low shot past [Lukasz Fabianski](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/77403/Lukasz-Fabianski) was exemplary. And then Nketiah had his moment, turning [Thilo Kehrer](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/214401/Thilo-Kehrer) with embarrassing ease before steering a low shot into the net. We had a lot of possession in the first half but then we were more effective." [Premier League table](https://www.espn.com/soccer/table/_/league/eng.1) They never looked like getting back into it after going behind, and despite the good job Moyes has done in his second stint at the club, criticism will only grow after a result which leaves them just a point outside the relegation zone. In fairness, the majority of those matches have come while in charge of teams that start such fixtures as second favourites, but this was a typically conservative approach from Moyes which never really got out of second gear, even when West Ham took the lead. Time will tell if Arsenal can last the pace to land their first league title since 2004 (under Wenger) but a seven-point lead at this stage is very encouraging. The 25-year-old striker is out for up to three months following knee surgery, leaving Nketiah to lead the line in his absence alongside Saka and Martinelli. Yet they stuck to the task admirably with the zest and energy in their attacking play rewarded with a stirring second-half comeback which ensures the feel-good factor around Emirates Stadium continues. [Highlights and notable moments](#highlights) [Best/worst performers](#bestworst) Arsenal made a slow start Monday in falling behind even though that Benrahma goal came against the run of play.

Arsenal Shows World Cup Disruption Has Been Overblown (Forbes)

If the majority of results in the first round of fixtures in England's top flight were anything to go by, then any talk of disruption was massively ...

“How will Hugo Lloris react to the disappointment of losing in the final?” Wilson asked, “Will Harry Kane be haunted by his penalty miss against France? He wasn't even the nation's starting striker and was injured whilst deputizing in a game Brazil did not need to win. It was the first game of domestic soccer after a month-long hiatus for the World Cup. "Obviously, it's great and winning my mood is going to be better to speak to him and be around the team. So, thank you for doing that because it means a lot to everybody at the club,” he gushed at the final whistle. It's a really special day because Boxing Day [December 26] is a beautiful day to play football and I thought the performance today was at a level that he deserved and that hopefully he would like,” he added.

Arsène Wenger enjoys 'special' surprise return to Emirates Stadium ... (CNN)

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was at the Emirates Stadium to watch the club's Premier League win over West Ham United on Boxing Day. David Klein/Reuters.

“A really special day, because Boxing Day is a beautiful day to play football,” Arteta told the Arsenal website. So thank you for doing that because it means a lot to everybody in the club.” It was under Wenger that Arsenal won the Premier League title in 1998, 2002, and 2004 and clinched seven FA Cups. And it was a really special day – thank you so much to him for coming,” Arteta told the Arsenal website. Nicknamed the “Professor” – Wenger has a degree in economics – the Frenchman also played a pivotal role in the building of Arsenal’s new training ground and the move from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium in 2006. “I’ve been involved in the process, but it’s about him, the timing that he needed to make that step and hopefully, he’s going to live here and be willing to spend more time with us and be around us because he’s such an influence,” Arsenal manager

Like Arsene Wenger's teams of old, this Arsenal are thrilling and ... (The Athletic)

Arsenal may have been expected to suffer through Jesus' injury - but Mikel Arteta has Saka, Martinelli, Odegaard and more to call on.

[Emile Smith Rowe](https://theathletic.com/football/player/emile-smith-rowe-VjndzxpwIAibPevP/) having suffered a setback as he recovers from surgery, Arsenal looked short of attacking options on the bench. [Granit Xhaka](https://theathletic.com/football/player/granit-xhaka-701HGKSsMRGk4Bry/)’s new-found attacking impetus and it’s a five-man attack — and they are all contributing. A month later, he gave Nketiah his home debut, with the teenager coming off the bench to score twice in another comeback win against [Norwich City](https://theathletic.com/football/team/norwich-city/) in the [League Cup](https://theathletic.com/football/efl-league-cup/). [Said Benrahma](https://theathletic.com/football/player/said-benrahma-ovG7MhxTmWir3HDj/)’s spot kick — just the third time Arsenal have conceded the opening goal in a league game this season — Arteta’s team were dominant. [William Saliba](https://theathletic.com/football/player/william-saliba-7wVbbT0NIGqlbbKu/) appeared to try to pull out of his sliding challenge, but it was too late — contact was made and the officials considered that sufficient to award a penalty. The strength of this Arsenal team is in the collective. [Europa League](https://theathletic.com/football/europa-league/) tie at BATE Borisov in September 2017. Norway failed to qualify for the tournament, so Odegaard spent the last few weeks fully focused on the resumption of [Premier League](https://theathletic.com/football/premier-league/) action. Saka had a goal disallowed for offside while a penalty award was annulled after [Aaron Cresswell](https://theathletic.com/football/player/aaron-cresswell-ClQEkix1rmLD2Bws/) was shown to have blocked the ball with his head rather than his hand. The 24-year-old was a perfect combination of industrious and imaginative. In the first half, there was concern that this might turn out to be the wrong kind of Wenger tribute act: a team dominant in possession undone by a simple defensive mistake. Amid all the understandable concern over losing Jesus to a knee injury at the

Ceballos defends 'luxury' Arsenal star Elneny as midfielder is ... (Goal.com)

Dani Ceballos rushed to the defence of former Arsenal team-mate Mohamed Elneny after the midfielder was ridiculed on social media.

Elneny has played second fiddle to the Ghana international once again this term, though, appearing in just three Premier League games. a luxury player for the arsenal." He was mocked on social media for his lack of involvement as one Twitter user posted a sarcastic video of his match highlights, but Real Madrid star Ceballos spoke up for his old colleague.

At Least We Have Arsenal Back | Defector (Defector)

Gabriel Martinelli celebrates scoring the 2nd Arsenal goal with (L) Granit Xhaka, (. Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images. I ...

I still can’t quite say that the Premier League has pulled me all the way back in. [coolest](https://defector.com/why-cant-this-be-arsenals-year-to-win-the-league/) (club) team in the world this year, and the West Ham match demonstrated much of what makes them so. I expected to watch the Arsenal-West Ham match much like I had the Liverpool-Aston Villa one, glancing up from my computer whenever the commentators’ tenor implied there was something worth looking at. That match featured England’s trademark directness and breakneck pace, and had at least one moment of true genius in the form of a gorgeous Trent Alexander-Arnold pass. [the tournament](https://defector.com/tag/2022-world-cup/) was like attending the greatest music festival of your life, full of your favorite bands playing all their best songs, accompanied by a few groups you weren’t hip to who turned out to kick ass, capped by a [final night](https://defector.com/argentina-went-to-hell-and-back-to-win-the-world-cup/) that left you rocked, ravaged, overjoyed, and half-deaf. By the time I remembered to check the scores it was already halftime, and the two matches I might’ve been called to watch—Southampton-Brighton and Leicester-Newcastle—both already had 2–0 scorelines that didn’t augur well for much second-half excitement.