Arsenal Reclaim Fourth Place[/b]
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Arsenal refuses to bow. This one had disaster stamped all over it as they entered with ranks depleted and stamina sapped following Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final squeak past Wigan Athletic after extra-time and penalties. And it was possible to fear the worst when Matt Jarvis put West Ham United in front.
Arsenal had labored in the first-half and they simply had to win. It was no exaggeration to say that their Champions League hopes depended on it. Yet they found the answers in something approaching the style of old. There were two goals from Lukas Podolski, both unerring left-footed blasts, but it was Olivier Giroud who stole the show with a quite sumptuous finish in between times. Giroud has felt the Arsenal fans’ frustrations of late, as the club’s Premier League title challenge has given way to the more familiar fight for a top four place and his first-half performance had done little to soothe the angst, but he tore up the script on 55 minutes with a sumptuous touch and finish that put Arsenal on their way to what was, ultimately, a fairly stress free win. It was Giroud’s 20th goal of the season and it was difficult to recall any of the preceding 19 being as easy on the eye. Arsenal jump back to fourth, although the elevation could be short-lived as Everton entertain Crystal Palace on Wednesday night. Arsene Wenger and his players could merely content themselves with having done their job.
Arsenal resembled a battalion of the walking wounded, and it had been possible to count as many as 14 of their personnel that were either unavailable or pre-match doubts. Wenger was able to select Laurent Koscielny, Tomas Rosicky and Lukas Podolski in the end, while Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain hauled themselves on to the bench. West Ham were the fresher, having previously played on the Sunday before last in the home defeat to Liverpool and, with their well-honed strategy, they always stood to frustrate their hosts. Sam Allardyce used three central midfielders, with Mohamed Diame the most advanced. He roamed to good effect but dropped in when his team did not have the ball.
Arsenal refuses to bow. This one had disaster stamped all over it as they entered with ranks depleted and stamina sapped following Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final squeak past Wigan Athletic after extra-time and penalties. And it was possible to fear the worst when Matt Jarvis put West Ham United in front.
Arsenal had labored in the first-half and they simply had to win. It was no exaggeration to say that their Champions League hopes depended on it. Yet they found the answers in something approaching the style of old. There were two goals from Lukas Podolski, both unerring left-footed blasts, but it was Olivier Giroud who stole the show with a quite sumptuous finish in between times. Giroud has felt the Arsenal fans’ frustrations of late, as the club’s Premier League title challenge has given way to the more familiar fight for a top four place and his first-half performance had done little to soothe the angst, but he tore up the script on 55 minutes with a sumptuous touch and finish that put Arsenal on their way to what was, ultimately, a fairly stress free win. It was Giroud’s 20th goal of the season and it was difficult to recall any of the preceding 19 being as easy on the eye. Arsenal jump back to fourth, although the elevation could be short-lived as Everton entertain Crystal Palace on Wednesday night. Arsene Wenger and his players could merely content themselves with having done their job.
Arsenal resembled a battalion of the walking wounded, and it had been possible to count as many as 14 of their personnel that were either unavailable or pre-match doubts. Wenger was able to select Laurent Koscielny, Tomas Rosicky and Lukas Podolski in the end, while Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain hauled themselves on to the bench. West Ham were the fresher, having previously played on the Sunday before last in the home defeat to Liverpool and, with their well-honed strategy, they always stood to frustrate their hosts. Sam Allardyce used three central midfielders, with Mohamed Diame the most advanced. He roamed to good effect but dropped in when his team did not have the ball.