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MOTD: Arsenal 3-0 West Ham United

By on March 14, 2015

Arsenal’s goals — all three — came straight from the training ground; fully in their element today, they were almost toying with West Ham United. Not only did their performance flash multiple moments of brilliance, but it was also devoid of mistakes. It was solid, unfaltering excellence. Arsenal’s biggest flaw is that they can’t consistently replicate their best form.

Leading to their second goal, Olivier Giroud oozed confidence such that he dummied a throw-in, spun around, and completed a one-two with Aaron Ramsey, who coolly finished with a near-post effort. The speedy one touch passing was nearly too quick to process: four in the build-up to their first goal, two before the aforementioned second, and three leading to their third. Two were first-time finishes, while Giroud’s opener was incredible in its own respect, cannoning in off the post near the angle of the post and crossbar. Every goal emulated Arsenal’s class.

The win takes them to third place in the Premier League, just a point behind Manchester City, who later lost to Burnley. If only Arsenal could maintain their scintillating five-win streak in the league, even Chelsea wouldn’t look too far off in first place.  The Emirates was rocking, but where was this football when The Gunners lost 3-1 to Monaco in the Champions League just a week-and-a-half ago?

West Ham weren’t pushovers at all. They were threatening in possession, and Kevin Nolan’s low far-post volley from Matt Jarvis’ cross put Wojciech Szczesny into some early work. Sam Allardyce’s side, though, were always struggling at the back.

Twenty-six minutes in, Calum Chambers scooped cross from the right into the run of Aaron Ramsey, whose looping, effort with his knee was only just tipped over the crossbar by Adrian. Where there wasn’t space, Arsenal would create it with their movement off the ball, and just when West Ham had thought they’d gotten to the break without conceding, Arsenal struck. Santi Cazorla fed the ball into Mesut Ozil and began a run towards the box, receiving it again after Giroud posted up and played a one-two with Ozil. Giroud then swiveled on the spot, and Cazorla’s heavy first-touch lay nicely at his feet on the edge of the box. The Frenchman burst into the open space in front of him, before slicing a beautiful effort into the top left corner of the net, not seven seconds after the move began.

West Ham would again threaten on the other side of the break, but, almost uncharacteristically, Arsenal put the match to bed. After Giroud’s dummy, Ramsey completed a one-two with Giroud around Alex Song, finishing with a first-time finish from twelve yards out. Three minutes later the game was done-and-dusted, as Giroud posted himself for a one-two with Cazorla, and the latter’s following low cross from the left bounced across goal to the foot of Ramsey, who had the simplest of tap-ins to finish a most intricate build-up.
Man of the Match: Olivier Giroud

Homepage photo credit: Ronnie Macdonald on Flickr

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.