West Ham 1-2 Arsenal: 4 positives and negatives from key win

And breathe. If the remaining four matches of the season are going to be anything like Sunday’s 2-1 win over West Ham then Arsenal supporters are in for some nail-biting encounters.

Three points are three points. At this stage of the season, regardless of how many times it is mentioned, that is all that matters. A return to the long-term strategy and playing style can be put on ice until the summer.

That doesn’t mean the points are easy to come by, though.

Arsenal had to dig in at the London Stadium and leave fans barely able to watch on as another performance reliant on defensive steel got them over the line. West Ham rested far fewer players than initially expected which could easily have thrown the Gunners off, but they held their own.

West Ham 1-2 Arsenal: 4 positives and negatives from key win as Mikel Arteta’s side edge closer to Premier League top four

It’s a win that edges Mikel Arteta and co one step closer to the top four, with the upcoming round of fixtures set to prove pivotal in the race for the Champions League.

Unless Liverpool go full Pep Guardiola and bottle it at home to Tottenham, that result coupled with a hopeful home victory over Leeds would see Arsenal take a five-point lead heading into a North London Derby with more riding on it than seen in years.

Under those circumstances, a draw for Arsenal in the derby would see them need to collect just two points, or one win, from their remaining two matches to seal the deal. Or, win at Spurs for the first time in the league since 2014 and top four is all wrapped up.

But that’s getting ahead of ourselves, isn’t it?

The game just passed is the one to dissect and while it’s three games on the spin won – all against sides in the Top Six – it wasn’t a game to rewatch and be especially pleased with from a performance standpoint. There were a few positives and negatives to draw from it.

Negative #1 – Total Lack of Composure

Every now and then the team doesn’t really show up. It’s football, inconsistency is expected, and when there is a team this young it’s inevitable.

However we’re looking at three games in succession where Arsenal have been the architects of their own downfall. Fortunately the attacking side of the team is popping as in games against Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham the number of careless giveaways in the first two thirds of the pitch is startling.

Rob Holding, while excellent in his own box, isn’t the cleanest in possession as shown at Stamford Bridge and on Sunday, with Nuno Tavares and even Martin Odegaard falling foul to the needless. They are just three in a long list that includes almost all of the team.

It could simply be pressure. Everyone knows what is at stake in these final matches and nerves can get the better of most, yet the sloppiness on the ball is fear inducing and creating threatening situations for the opposition without much effort required.

Players like Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny are imperative is such situations. Their experience and calmness transfers into the rest of the team, but it’s counteracted by others’ carelessness – they aren’t always squeaky clean either.

To get the points needed to seal top four, on the ball in the first two thirds of the pitch this side has to improve. When the points are the board is matter little, it just isn’t sustainable.

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