Yesterday night, Arsenal F.C faced off against West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium for their first Premier League match after the just concluded World Cup in what was sure to be an enticing match.
The Boyz in red started the match on fire, with a quick 1-2 between Nketiah and Saka led to the ball being in the Hammers' net within the first 5 minutes. However, Nketiah was caught offside in the play hence the goal was ruled offside.
Saliba's slide tackle on Jarrod Bowen inside the penalty box led to West Ham being handed a penalty kick which Said Benrahmna neatly scored to put The Hammers well in front in the 27th minute.
As it would be however, this match was surely to be a game of two halves, with The Gunners putting in a show in the second half to show the world why they are currently sitting at the top of the Premier League table.
A somewhat lucky pass from the captain led to Saka equalizing minutes after the second half started. Martinelli then put us in the lead moments after, with a superb kick from his preferred left foot making Fabianski catch literal air.
Our main forward, Eddie Nketiah, then tripled our lead after making a sneaky turn before making a powerful shot past the West Ham keeper to make the scoreline 3-1.
Our Captain, Martin Ødegaard, pulled the strings in our build-up play, surely putting in a captain's performance as he assisted 2 of the 3 goals, Saka's and Nketiah's. For all those wondering, Ødegaard total points in Fantasy (plus bonus points) was 11 points.
This puts us 7 points ahead of second-placed Newcastle United and 8 points ahead of third-placed Manchester City. Newcastle have played 16 matches, City 14 and Arsenal 15, so it's still a nerve-wrecking race for the title.
I remember back to the times when I used to dream of times like this. Back to the times when Arsenal would totally lose their composure in the second-half making us lose games and such. This is a really great show of improvement in the squad and shows how much belief in the manager and the process could turn fortunes for a club.
Who would have thought that Arsenal, just 3 years after Mikel took control, would be valid challengers of the Prem title?
This win really gives the boyz a much-needed confidence boost as we head into a really tricky set of fixtures against Brighton, Newcastle, Tottenham and Man United respectively. If we get through these fixtures unscathed while getting maximum points, surely we will be heading for the title after a lengthy, 19-year-wait. Could this be our season? Let's wait and see.
Arsenal F.C vs West Ham United Highlights
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