ARSENAL picked up their first win under interim boss Freddie Ljungberg against struggling West Ham.
Goals from Gabriel Martinelli – on his first Premier League start – £72million record buy Nicolas Pepe and captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang turned the match on its head after the Hammers led 1-0.
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Martinelli put to bed a torrid 60 minutes for the Gunners against West Ham with a smart finish to cancel out Angelo Ogbonna’s opener.
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The Brazilian’s goal opened the floodgates and Pepe struck a stunning second moments later.
Aubameyang then got on the end of Pepe’s cross to make it 3-1 and seal Ljungberg’s first win.
With Arsenal in desperate need of a victory, this not only earned three vital points but Gunners fans will hope it sends Martinelli and Pepe on a much-needed rampant run of form.
Here’s how SunSport’s Marc Mayo rated the players on Monday night.
Bernd Leno – 6/10
The goalkeeper was pretty helpless for the deflected goal and otherwise comfortable. A night to stay out of the headlines, achieved with ease.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 6
Initially threatening in attack but unable to get into the box and deliver that killer blow. A usefully competent return to the side after Hector Bellerin’s warm-up injury.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos – 5
Why would a team pass it around at the back with a player so blatantly incapable of doing so? The centre-back was slow and too often troubled when put under any pressure.
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Calum Chambers – 6
Smart in his positioning and got stuck in to help deal with the wily Michail Antonio.
Kieran Tierney – 5
Came off injured midway through the first-half after a weak performance, contributing little in defence and without much link-up play present when venturing forward.
Lucas Torreira – 5
Shown by Declan Rice and Mark Noble how to lead a press – until Arsenal scored and the Hammers’ midfield collapsed. Struggled to get a grip on the game whenever it heated up.
Granit Xhaka – 4
Showed ideas on the ball but with shocking execution. A misplaced pass, one of many, almost gifted West Ham what would have been a vital 2-0 lead.
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Nicolas Pepe – 8
Actually Arsenal’s biggest threat in the first-half, producing a number of direct dribbles that weren’t matched with any sort of end product. Came to life as the game got stretched late on, unleashing a wicked finish for the winner and crossing to find the third via Aubameyang.
Mesut Ozil – 5
Had the best chance early on when finding himself having to head the ball into the net – and failing. Generally competent on the ball but is that what Ozil is for? Without any real creativity in his play, this one largely passed him by.
Gabriel Martinelli – 7
In his first Premier League start, the Brazilian was absent when out on the wing and made his biggest impact when drifting inside. A calm finish on the hour mark showed why he is one of Europe’s deadliest young forwards.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 7
Like Martinelli, Aubameyang was ineffective when floating into the channels bar a superb cross that found the head of Ozil in the first-half. But, while not a winger, he is one hell of a striker and put his quiet night to bed with a classic finish on the turn for 3-1.
SUBS
Sead Kolasinac – 6 (on for Kieran Tierney 29)
A lovely cross for the goal from a player not even meant to be on the bench tonight. A vital confidence boost if Tierney is set for another spell on the sidelines.
Other subs: Matteo Guendouzi (on for Xhaka 86); Reiss Nelson (on for Pepe 88)
