Freddie Ljungberg won with his Arsenal for the first time since he sat on the bench. The Gunners put up a superb comeback against West Ham in the closing game of this 16th round. The final result of this event was 1-3 for the guests.
Arsenal’s Poor Start, and Fabulous Finish
In a very bad performance of both teams during the opening 45 minutes, West Ham managed to gain a one-goal advantage before the break. The Hammers had two shots on goal, from which one ended behind Leno’s back. It was Ogbona who ran onto a ball following chaos in the box, and sent it past Arsenal’s goalkeeper, but only after it deflected off Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
That happened seven minutes before the end of the halftime, and it seemed that the hosts have an edge in this contest. Especially if we tell you that Arsenal didn’t have a single goal towards West Ham’s goal.
But all that changed in the second period. Ljungberg’s team was more agile and decisive, and they posted one of the biggest comebacks of the season, in just nine minutes. It was all quiet on the field of London Stadium until the 60th minute. From that moment on, and in the next nine minutes, the fans had the opportunity to see a madness.
It was Martinelli who opened the show, with his debut goal for Arsenal’s first team. This move happened to be the initial spark for the guests, who turned the result upside down just six minutes later.
Nicolas Pepe sent a rocket into the upper corner of the Hammers’ goal, causing the sector of the stadium with Arsenal’s supporters to explode. It was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who assisted, and just three minutes later, these two players just switched the roles.
On a counter-attack, Pepe found the Gabonian international who stuffed another one into West Ham’s net. A shock and disbelief among the home team’s fan overwhelmed the London Park.
Arsenal is now ninth on the table with 22 points, the same as Newcastle, Sheffield Wednesday, and Crystal Palace. Up next, they travel to Belgium to meet Standard Liege, in the last round of the Europa League group stage. Following that, they have a tough challenge against City.
West Ham posted its fifth loss in the previous six events and is 16th with 16 points. Meanwhile, they play vs. Southampton o the road next Saturday.
Marcelino coming
It is a widely spread rumor that the former Valencia and Villarreal coach, Marcelino, was spotted yesterday in London. Almost instantly all the bog medias started speculating that the Spaniard might jump in to replace sacked Emery and demote Ljungberg.
Marcelino was leading Valencia last season, and won the Copa del Rey, and also placing Valencia in the position to play the Champions League again. However, the management of the Bats decided terminate the cooperation with him and ever since he has been without a job, making him an ideal fit for Arsenal.
