{"id":9172,"date":"2024-02-12T12:30:27","date_gmt":"2024-02-12T12:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=9172"},"modified":"2024-02-17T08:23:32","modified_gmt":"2024-02-17T08:23:32","slug":"hammers-hammered-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=9172","title":{"rendered":"Hammers Hammered at Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Engineering works on the London Underground had skewed what would\u2019ve been a relatively straightforward journey to East London, we made it to Stratford in good time via the Piccadilly, Metropolitan, Circle and DLR lines. After a couple of pints with some West Ham acquaintances we made it to the ground. Following some very vigorous security checks we made it to our seats up in the heavens in time for kick off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were sat about half a dozen rows in front of where we were placed on our last visit earlier in the season, a disappointing 3-1 defeat in the Carabao Cup. Would this be a happier visit second time around? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The away end was packed out with around 3,000 excited Gooners, perhaps slightly nervous on account of recent visits, but reinvigorated after that sensational victory over Liverpool last weekend which propelled us back into the title race when it seemed to be slipping from our grasp. This was another must win game. Anything less than three precious points would render last week\u2019s heroics academic. We had to continue the momentum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal made a positive start, pushing and probing the Hammers. Our play in the final third was as intricate as ever and we went close a few times before we broke the deadlock, most notably on 24 minutes when Martinelli floated over a superb cross from the right which was met with conviction by Trossard on the volley forcing Areola to tip the ball over the bar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were winning a lot of corners in the early stages. A deliberate ploy to catch West Ham out you would think, given that prior to kick off we had scored 14 goals from set pieces, more than any other side in the division. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And strangely enough, it was from a corner that we breached the Hammer\u2019s resilience. Rice floated the ball over to the back post just past the half hour mark, and William Saliba was on hand to head home. 1-0. If the Frenchman wasn\u2019t there to nod the ball in, Havertz was right behind him and probably would\u2019ve done the same. We are a big side, height-wise, these days and we are certainly using that to our advantage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arseball were right on it now and almost added a second soon after as Saka dinked the ball narrowly wide following more intricate play on the right. And moments later, our number seven won us a pen\u2019 as he was brought down by the onrushing Areola after a defence splitting ball from Trossard. Should the West Ham \u2018keeper have seen red? I can only assume he was spared by the double jeopardy rule which I\u2019ve always found to be ridiculous. There was a West Ham defender who could\u2019ve theoretically stopped the ball going in, but Saka would\u2019ve had an open net and that for me is the denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Saka picked himself up, dusted himself down and sent Areola the wrong way to make it 2-0 on the same ground where he missed from 12 yards last April. No such problems today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in the blink of an eye, it was three! And it was yet another set piece. Trossard was tripped, Rice swung the ball into a dangerous area and Gabriel headed in at the near post. Game over. It was Gabriel\u2019s 14th<\/sup> Premier League goal since he was signed in 2020, more than any other defender in that time. He is now our second highest scoring defender in the Premier League era, and one would imagine he is right up there with our all-time defensive goal scorers as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incredibly Arsenal had time to add a fourth before the break. West Ham couldn\u2019t get near us as Odegaard fed Trossard who took a touch inside Zouma and rifled into the top corner. The away fans were in raptures now. \u201cLimbs\u201d as the kids call it. This was the cue for West Ham fans to filter out of the London Stadium in their Tens of Thousands. \u201cIs there a fire drill?\u201d was the customary mocking cry from the away fans. Earlier in the game the home fans had been belting out their quite frankly shameless chant of, \u201cChampions of Europe, we know what we are\u201d but after their side\u2019s hapless first half display there were barely enough of them left to boo their team off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal fans spent the interval scratching their heads in disbelief at the mauling we were witnessing whilst most of the West Ham fans were already drinking their sorrows away in the pub. I do hope they didn\u2019t miss the Second Half which continued in the same vein. Arsenal looked keen to really stick the knife in and twist it and ideally get the goal difference up. As it stood, we were on plus 29, only two goals behind Liverpool and three behind City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saka forced a decent save from Areola but he wasn\u2019t to be denied again as \u00d8degaard, who was running the show, threaded the ball through to Saka who cut inside as he so often does and put away a clinical, Mbappe-like reverse finish at the near post. 5-0!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were still more than 25 minutes to go, and there were more goals in this for Arsenal if they wanted them. And moments later we made it a half dozen and the goal came from a certain Declan Rice, formerly of the West Ham parish. Martinelli found White on the right who cut it back to Trossard who left it for Odegaard who left it for Trossard. The away fans groaned but the groans turned to cheers as the ball trickled to the former West Ham skipper who curled home a beautiful first-time screamer from 25 yards. There were muted celebrations from Rice out of respect for his former employers but the away fans\u2019 celebrations were the opposite as Arsenal fans went into pandemonium again. Never have I seen the sixth goal in a 6-0 win celebrated so wildly such was the popularity of the goal scorer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a nice moment when Arteta brought on 16 year old Ethan Nwaneri for the last ten minutes who showed some mature touches in the final stages as Arsenal cruised through to full time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Away days don\u2019t get much better than this\u2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Engineering works on the London Underground had skewed what would\u2019ve been a relatively straightforward journey to East London, we made it to Stratford in good time via the Piccadilly, Metropolitan, Circle and DLR lines. After a couple of pints with some West Ham acquaintances we made it to the ground. Following some very vigorous security […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9172"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9172"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9176,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9172\/revisions\/9176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}