Arsene Wenger was in upbeat mood after Arsenal's 3-1 win over West Ham

Published: 16 April, 2014
by RICHARD OSLEY at the Emirates

Barclays Premier League
ARSENAL 3, WEST HAM UNITED 1

IF it’s the neck of the season for mind games, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger may well be adopting the all-cool-here approach as a tense run-off with Everton for the final Champions League space continues. 

In his post-match press conference, after a wrestle with West Ham at the Emirates, he seemed keen to project just how relaxed he is feeling, cracking a joke here, shooting a broad smile there. If he’s sweating, there should be a BAFTA for his performance. 

In fact, the only time he looked irritated was when somebody bizarrely asked him whether the injury-prone Abou Diaby, who hasn’t played for a year, was going to somehow force his way back into the the team before the end of the season. 

With his record of perennial Champions League qualification at risk from the surge of the Merseyside club, he insisted his players were regaining confidence lost by their prematurely aborted title challenge, just stopping short of predicting that all would end well if Arsenal collect wins from their final four fixtures: Hull and Norwich away, and West Brom and Newcastle at home. 

“If we do that, then we have a chance,” he beamed. 

Even 12 points, of course, may not be enough if Everton’s winning run continues to the end of the season. 

Olivier Giroud scores Arsenal's second goal at the Emirates last night

And Wenger would have had no place to smile if West Ham had made good on a stolen lead just before half-time. Arsenal’s shamefully slow start had amounted to huff and puff and blown chances, the guiltiest party being striker Olivier Giroud whose attempt at a deft finish when one-on-one with Hammers keeper Adrian was nothing short of embarrassing.

And then on the break, Matt Jarvis had headed in the opener for the Irons after a pacy break had left the Arsenal rearguard in a confused panic – not for the first time this season.

One minute from being serenaded with boos as they headed for half-time tea, the Gunners struck back via the clattering boot of Lukas Podolski. Underused at times this season and the subject of terrace pleas for him to be played as an out-and-out striker down the middle with Giroud, his finishing can be lethal, as here with an arrowing shot to direct Santi Cazorla’s pass into the bottom corner.

West Ham’s challenge faded in the second half, with a team looking like they feel the threat of relegation has passed and, with it, the point of extended effort. Jarvis might have won a penalty when he was clipped by Bacary Sagna. The debate afterwards was that he had been too honest by staying on his feet and not collapsing in a heap. But the second period was Arsenal’s, lit up by two clinical goals and the play-making of Cazorla.

First Giroud atoned for his earlier misses by controlling Thomas Vermaelen’s floating ball with such cute command that some fans were cruel enough to suggest it had been a fluke. The more reasonable saw a flash of Bergkamp as the Frenchman then rattled a shot in. Podolski made the game safe on 78 minutes with another powerblaster after being set free in front of goal by Aaron Ramsey’s cushioned header.

Lukas Podolski hits Arsenal's equaliser during the win over West Ham

It was Giroud, however, that Wenger was enthusing about afterwards, perhaps knowing that he has become a divisive figure among the home support, not all of which believe his 20-goal tally merits such an entrenched place in the manager’s 4-5-1 gameplan.

“He is a great guy and he has gone through a difficult period but tonight you could see that he is refreshed and he is up for it,” said Wenger. 

Wenger will need all of his players up for it, however, for the tasks ahead. Everton will expect maximum points from the visit of Crystal Palace tonight (Wednesday), while what might be Arsenal’s toughest remaining league fixture awaits on Sunday when they travel to fellow cup finalists, Hull City. The good news for the Gunners? Record signing Mesut Ozil is set to be passed fit and ready for a long-awaited return to first-team duty.

ARSENAL: Szczesny, Sagna, Vermaelan (captain), Mertesacker, Koscielny, Kallstrom, Arteta, Rosicky (Ramsey 72), Cazorla (Jenkinson 88), Podolski, Giroud.
Subs not used: Fabianski, Sanogo, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Bellerin, Akpom.
Attendance: 59, 977