Arsenal boosted their hopes of finishing in the Premier League top four with a narrow win over West Ham at Emirates Stadium.
Alexandre Lacazette’s goal 12 minutes from time, which was confirmed by the video assistant referee, lifted the Gunners up to ninth, five points behind Chelsea in fourth.
The France forward swept a close-range effort into the bottom-left corner from Mesut Ozil’s cushioned header for his third goal in four games.
West Ham, who enjoyed the better of the scoring opportunities until that point, remain 16th, above the bottom three only on goal difference.
While David Moyes’ side had limited possession, they took the game to their hosts, who came out of the blocks sluggishly and struggled to inject any tempo to their play.
Jarrod Bowen’s early shot was tipped on to a post by Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno and Michail Antonio failed to score from two clear chances either side of the interval.
Greece defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos earlier went close for Arsenal – he headed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s cross against the bar – before Lacazette popped up with the winner.
Improvement needed from sluggish Arsenal
Since his appointment on 20 December, Arsenal have lost only one league game under Mikel Arteta, who has appeared to inject more resilience, energy and a pattern of play into his side.
However, for large parts of this encounter the Spaniard’s imprint on his team was barely visible.
Instead, they served up a rudderless display – lacking in leadership, guile and pace – that led to the departure of manager boss Unai Emery in November.
While the outcome may have enhanced Arsenal’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2016-17, Arteta will know they will have to improve significantly to make up further ground in the race for a top-four finish.
Leading scorer Aubameyang, was a peripheral figure throughout. Although the Gabon forward showed glimpses of his talent, laying on chances for Sokratis and Nicolas Pepe from wide positions, he touched the ball only twice in the Hammers’ penalty area.
In midfield, Arsenal were slow and ponderous, while a defence that included on-loan Flamengo defender Pablo Mari for the first time in the top flight was repeatedly caught out by West Ham’s swift counter-attacking.
The one element that will please Arteta, is that his side found a way to grind out a victory when not at their best, with Leno excelling in goal and Ozil’s intelligence coming to the fore for Lacazette’s goal.
Bold West Ham rue missed opportunities
If this contest was between teams with disparate ambitions, West Ham’s performance made it difficult to distinguish which side were struggling towards the bottom of the table.
The Hammers’ tally of five points from the past 27 available may well make for uncomfortable reading but Moyes will be delighted by the way his team carried out his instructions against Arsenal.
West Ham were disciplined in defence, and the pace and power of Bowen, Sebastien Haller and Antonio ensured they carried a threat on the break.
But for some errant finishing and wayward final passes, they could have claimed a notable scalp and three precious points.
Bowen’s early effort which grazed the right-hand post was a precursor of what was to follow, with Haller and Antonio denied by Leno when well placed and the latter also flicking a close-range shot wide just before the break.
Man of the match – Bernd Leno (Arsenal)
‘That is what the big clubs do’ – what they said
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: “The most important thing is to find a way to win. That is what the big clubs do.
“It was difficult but credit to West Ham, they were really good, executed their game plan and created issues for us, but we gave them some of their chances.
On Alexandre Lacazette’s goal: “The reaction I got from the bench said straight away it was a goal, but the longer it took I thought ‘oh no, not again’. So I am happy VAR worked today.
“The competition for places is really hard, with both Alex and Eddie Nketiah. I really liked Alex’s attitude. I could see in his face his intention to go out and win for the team. That’s the right attitude and I’m very pleased for him.”
West Ham manager David Moyes speaking to BBC Match of the Day: “We have done really well but the result was not good. The opportunities were there to win and we didn’t take them.
“I felt before the game that we could score here. Our players were showing in their form that they could score, so I am disappointed. I have told my players that they played very well; I couldn’t fault them. But what we need is to show our quality at the right time to make a difference.
“I don’t want us to be a hard luck story. I told my players I players think they played well but let’s get rid of that tag. We can’t let that happen again. We have got to be more ruthless. At this stage, I would rather we had not played well and won.”
On VAR decision: “We have got done by a goal from VAR. Maybe next year that goal won’t count. But we have got one of the best referees in Europe and two excellent linesmen officiating this game. I would have trusted their decision. I don’t think they needed to go to someone else.”
Arsenal extend unbeaten run – the stats
- Arsenal are unbeaten in eight Premier League matches (W4 D4), the longest current run in the competition.
- West Ham have lost their past six Premier League away games, their longest run on the road since a run of eight defeats between August and December 2006.
- Arsenal have kept three clean sheets in their past four league games, as many as they had in their previous 23.
- Since the start of last season, Arsenal have scored 16 league goals via substitutes, more than any other side in the competition. Alexandre Lacazette has scored four, more than any other player.
- West Ham manager David Moyes has never won at Arsenal in 16 attempts (D4 L12), a Premier League record.
What’s next?
Arsenal’s next Premier League fixture is at Manchester City on Wednesday 11 March (19:30 GMT) while West Ham host Wolves in their next Premier League game on Sunday 15 March (14:00 GMT).
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
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