LONDON • After all the fuss over Marko Arnautovic's future, the limelight belonged to a local lad who places his love of the game above the riches that are surely going to come his way.
The script seemed to demand an audacious performance from Arnautovic but instead the day belonged to Declan Rice, who sealed West Ham's 1-0 Premier League win over Arsenal with his first goal for the club.
The midfielder, who turns 20 tomorrow, also earned his side a deserved first home victory over the Gunners in 13 years after scoring in the 48th minute yesterday.
Unsurprisingly, he spoke excitedly about his "special moment" after the match, telling Sky Sports: "I can't put it into words. I was in the box, I took it on, it went in the top corner and we beat Arsenal."
He played like a seasoned professional against Arsenal, frustrating Unai Emery's side time and again with a series of well-timed interventions in defensive midfield, and displayed his outstanding technique when he settled a tight encounter with a fine shot.
"Declan Rice is improving. In the future he will be a top, top player," said West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini.
"I was pleased with the consistency of the team. We didn't allow Arsenal to create chances. We played with the mentality of a big team. We have to try to work and play in the same way all the time."
2
Points Arsenal have taken from their five-match winless run in the Premier League, with two draws and three losses.
Awkward financial realities dominated the conversation before the London derby.
While it was disconcerting for Arsenal's fans to hear Emery say he can only afford to make loan signings this month, West Ham have been confronted by Arnautovic's desire to accept a lucrative offer from an unidentified Chinese club.
Ever the showman, Arnautovic had bleached his hair for the occasion. Yet this was a subdued performance from the Austrian striker and the greater threat emanated from Emery's forwards during the early stages.
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
YESTERDAY
Burnley 2 Fulham 1
Brighton 0 Liverpool 1
Cardiff 0 Huddersfield 0
Crystal Palace 1 Watford 2
Leicester 1 Southampton 2
West Ham 1 Arsenal 0
Chelsea v Newcastle, Late kick-offTODAY
Everton v Bournemouth, Ch102 & Ch227, 10.15pm
Tottenham v Man United, Singtel TV Ch102 & StarHub Ch227, tomorrow, 12.30amTOMORROW
Man City v Wolves, Ch102 & Ch227, Tuesday, 4am
But the visitors faded after a bright start and it was impossible not to feel that Arsenal have got themselves into an unenviable bind when it comes to their playmaker Mesut Ozil, who did not even merit a place on the bench.
Emery made his feelings clear about Ozil before kick-off, insisting that the German's absence from yet another awkward away assignment was a tactical decision, but it is an unsatisfactory situation from the club's perspective.
They are crying out for elite talents and their biggest earner, a player on £350,000 (S$608,000) a week, is not rated by his manager.
For all of Ozil's inconsistencies, the Gunners needed a player of his class and invention, as former Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri duly demonstrated.
The 31-year-old, rebuilding his career at West Ham after a doping ban, was at the heart of much of the Hammers' best work on his Premier League debut for the club.
It was the Frenchman's neat lay-off that allowed Rice the space to curl a superb shot past Bernd Leno.
Arsenal have now lost three of their last four away matches in the league and Emery admitted it is a worry, with sixth-placed Manchester United just three points behind before their match at Tottenham Hotspur today.
"It is a concern. We need to be competitive both home and away. Away, we are not taking the results we want," the Spaniard said.
"If we can be better in the 90 minutes - competitive and quality - we can do it."
THE GUARDIAN, REUTERS
Declan Rice's first West Ham goal secured a 1-0 win over Arsenal in a capital city derby clash at the London Stadium. The victory in Saturday's early kick-off saw the Hammers move up to eighth in
Football: Rice scores first Hammers goal to defeat Arsenal
A wolf will become hostile towards a player or other mob that attacks it, unless the attacker is the wolf's owner or is otherwise on the same team, and will also cause wild wolves and standing tamed wolves in a 33×33×21 cuboid centered on the attacked wolf to become hostile towards the attacker.
Wolf Facts - Wolf Pack
Reserves deliver as Spurs eye City clash - straitstimes.com
Tottenham's Moussa Sissoko (centre) was replaced in the first half after he picked up an injury, and did not realise his side had advanced to the Champions League semi-finals.
Sissoko unaware Tottenham had advanced after Sterling goal
Way more truTV! Watch clips, sneak peeks and exclusives from original shows like Comedy Knockout, Those Who Can't and more - plus fresh video from hit shows
Brawn | Definition of Brawn by Merriam-Webster
Neymar will miss both legs of Paris Saint-Germain's upcoming Champions League last-16 tie against Manchester United after the French club confirmed on Wednesday that the world's most expensive player would be out for 10 weeks with a metatarsal injury.
Neymar To Miss Manchester United Tie After Being Ruled Out
Asian Cup Pressure comes with the territory, warns Japan skipper Maya Yoshida. Yoshida wants his young teammates to take advantage of the opportunity in the UAE to cement themselves in the Japan side.
SOCCER/ Pressure comes with the territory, warns captain Maya
Sigurdsson double helps Everton sink Cardiff. By. Reuters - February 27, 2019 7:45 AM. with more confidence and in that moment you could see the kind of football we can play."
Soccer: Sigurdsson double helps Everton sink Cardiff - Reuters
Spain court acquits former Barcelona president of money laundering Rosell, his wife and four others, were accused of "large-scale money laundering" of close to 20 million euros ($23 million) since 2006, relating to television rights and sponsorship deals in Brazil.
Spain court acquits former FC Barcelona president of money
England thrash Montenegro after early scare March 25, 2019 Huffington News Huffington News Soccer Football - Euro 2020 Qualifier - Group A - Montenegro v England - Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro - March 25, 2019 England's Ross Barkley celebrates scoring their second goal with team mates Action Images via Reuters/Carl
England Thrash Montenegro 5-1 after Early Scare - Foto Tempo.co
Japan captain Maya Yoshida warned his young teammates that they will need to handle the pressure that comes with being Asian Cup favourites as the four-time winners prepare to open their campaign against Turkmenistan on Wednesday.
Pressure comes with the territory warns Japan's Yoshida | New
SINGAPORE: Eight of the Singapore Premier League's (SPL) locally-based clubs will share four stadiums as part of a new initiative aimed at consolidating resources and improving match-day
Albirex's Yamazaki eyes unbeaten SPL season starting with
BRIGHTON (REUTERS) - Arsenal manager Unai Emery was fined 8,000 pounds (S$13,899) on Monday (Dec 31) but avoided a touchline ban for kicking a plastic bottle at a Brighton and Hove Albion
0 comments:
Post a Comment