LONDON • After all the fuss over Marko Arnautovic's future, the limelight belonged to a local lad who places his love of the game above the riches that are surely going to come his way.
The script seemed to demand an audacious performance from Arnautovic but instead the day belonged to Declan Rice, who sealed West Ham's 1-0 Premier League win over Arsenal with his first goal for the club.
The midfielder, who turns 20 tomorrow, also earned his side a deserved first home victory over the Gunners in 13 years after scoring in the 48th minute yesterday.
Unsurprisingly, he spoke excitedly about his "special moment" after the match, telling Sky Sports: "I can't put it into words. I was in the box, I took it on, it went in the top corner and we beat Arsenal."
He played like a seasoned professional against Arsenal, frustrating Unai Emery's side time and again with a series of well-timed interventions in defensive midfield, and displayed his outstanding technique when he settled a tight encounter with a fine shot.
"Declan Rice is improving. In the future he will be a top, top player," said West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini.
"I was pleased with the consistency of the team. We didn't allow Arsenal to create chances. We played with the mentality of a big team. We have to try to work and play in the same way all the time."
2
Points Arsenal have taken from their five-match winless run in the Premier League, with two draws and three losses.
Awkward financial realities dominated the conversation before the London derby.
While it was disconcerting for Arsenal's fans to hear Emery say he can only afford to make loan signings this month, West Ham have been confronted by Arnautovic's desire to accept a lucrative offer from an unidentified Chinese club.
Ever the showman, Arnautovic had bleached his hair for the occasion. Yet this was a subdued performance from the Austrian striker and the greater threat emanated from Emery's forwards during the early stages.
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
YESTERDAY
Burnley 2 Fulham 1
Brighton 0 Liverpool 1
Cardiff 0 Huddersfield 0
Crystal Palace 1 Watford 2
Leicester 1 Southampton 2
West Ham 1 Arsenal 0
Chelsea v Newcastle, Late kick-offTODAY
Everton v Bournemouth, Ch102 & Ch227, 10.15pm
Tottenham v Man United, Singtel TV Ch102 & StarHub Ch227, tomorrow, 12.30amTOMORROW
Man City v Wolves, Ch102 & Ch227, Tuesday, 4am
But the visitors faded after a bright start and it was impossible not to feel that Arsenal have got themselves into an unenviable bind when it comes to their playmaker Mesut Ozil, who did not even merit a place on the bench.
Emery made his feelings clear about Ozil before kick-off, insisting that the German's absence from yet another awkward away assignment was a tactical decision, but it is an unsatisfactory situation from the club's perspective.
They are crying out for elite talents and their biggest earner, a player on £350,000 (S$608,000) a week, is not rated by his manager.
For all of Ozil's inconsistencies, the Gunners needed a player of his class and invention, as former Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri duly demonstrated.
The 31-year-old, rebuilding his career at West Ham after a doping ban, was at the heart of much of the Hammers' best work on his Premier League debut for the club.
It was the Frenchman's neat lay-off that allowed Rice the space to curl a superb shot past Bernd Leno.
Arsenal have now lost three of their last four away matches in the league and Emery admitted it is a worry, with sixth-placed Manchester United just three points behind before their match at Tottenham Hotspur today.
"It is a concern. We need to be competitive both home and away. Away, we are not taking the results we want," the Spaniard said.
"If we can be better in the 90 minutes - competitive and quality - we can do it."
THE GUARDIAN, REUTERS
Liverpool seal Christmas top spot as Salah and Van Dijk sink Wolves. Liverpool seal Christmas top spot as Salah and Van Dijk sink Wolves Liverpool seal Christmas top spot as Salah and Van Dijk
UPDATE 2-Soccer-Liverpool seal Christmas top spot as Salah
Barcelona - Barcelona forward Luis Suarez has been ruled out of playing in the China Cup with Uruguay after spraining his ankle for his club at the weekend. Suarez, 32, is expected to miss between
Injured Suarez to miss China Cup for Uruguay | Aaj News
Henrikh Mkhitaryan's Arsenal teammates stated their determination to win Wednesday's Europa League final against Chelsea in Baku for the absent Armenian star. Silverware matters most to Emery
Silverware matters most to Emery as Arsenal aim to win for
He added: "Although we're leading the championship it doesn't change our focus or approach, and there's still a long way to go with many points up for grabs. For sure, the Formula E title race is still wide open with any of the top 10 drivers in contention."
German GP: Fernando Alonso says title race is still wide open
Lesson 2: When God Brings Revival (Luke 1:5-17) Thus God sovereignly takes the initiative in sending revival and often waits until things are hopeless so that no
If You Only Own One Kitchen Thing It Should Be This - BuzzFeed
Jan 09, 2019 · Aaron Ramsey has agreed a five-year deal with Juventus worth £36m and will join the Italian champions on a free transfer at the end of the season. The midfielder has been discussing a move for
Ramsey moving to Juve on five-year $62m deal - theworldnews.net
The statement read: "All clubs unanimously agreed it is inappropriate for European football bodies to create plans that would alter the structures, calendar and competitiveness of the domestic game and will work together to protect the Premier League." The extra matches - from six to 14 - would require a radical shake-up of the club calendar.
More European clubs oppose plan to overhaul Champions League
May 27, 2019 · Aston Villa in Premier League heaven with Wembley play-off win over Derby has masterminded their return to the Premier League. to score twice at Elland Road in the semi-final second leg
Aston Villa vs. Derby County - Football Match Stats - espn.com
Scoring an issue for Protectors despite first win Home United breathed life into their AFC Cup campaign after beating Lao Toyota 1-0 yesterday, but concerns linger over their ability to score. The win, courtesy of a header from defender Abdil Qaiyyim before 1,227 fans at Jalan Besar Stadium, saw the Protectors create enough chances to put the
2019 NBA Finals Odds: Raptors Slight Underdogs Despite Game 1
It took 693 days but Tottenham finally returned "home" and in their state-of-the-art new digs, Spurs not only won but began a whole new era.
Tottenham Hotspur | New Era
Football: Lionel Messi backs coach Ernesto Valverde but admits Barcelona are still hurting MADRID (AFP) - Lionel Messi wants Ernesto Valverde to continue as Barcelona coach but admits the team have not recovered from their Champions League loss to Liverpool as they face Valencia in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday (May 25).
Messi backs Valverde but admits Barca are still hurting
0 Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen