Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was left in awe at his team's first-half display that paved the way for a 5-2 win over West Ham at London Stadium.
Whisper it quietly, but Arsenal might be back.
West Ham ran into a buzzsaw in the first half at London Stadium as the Gunners were out of this world en-route to a 4-0 lead after just 36 minutes.
Gabriel got the scoring started inside 10 minutes after latching into Bukayo Saka's corner kick. Then Leandro Trossard was in the right place at the right time as Martin Odegaard's dink over the West Ham defense found Saka, who calmly slid the ball across to the Belgian, who slotted home.
Then an Odegaard penalty and a cooly slotted home goal from Kai Havertz gave Arsenal a 4-0 lead before two West Ham goals in two minutes brought life back into the home crowd. But it was short-lived as Saka converted his penalty after Gabriel was fouled by keeper Lukas Fabianski.
Such was his teams play in the first half; Mikel Arteta was left in awe at what he witnessed.
“I think the first 30 minutes was spectacular,” Arteta said via arsenal.com. “The quality, the understanding, the purpose and how the boys played and competed, it was second to none. You score three great goals, take control of the game, score the fourth one and then, we could probably not maintain that level.
F/T: 5-2
Three wins from three for Arsenal in a week, 13 goals scored.
Another convincing success at the London Stadium.
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) November 30, 2024
While the second half didn't live up to the hype of the first, it was still a superb performance from the Gunners. Yes, the two quick West Ham goals will irk the defense, but overall, Arsenal put the foot on the throat in the first half, and the Hammers couldn't handle it.
Now, with the Gunners emerging from the international break a completely different team, there is a renewed hope that Arteta's team can begin to reel in league leaders Liverpool, who before their clash against Manchester City, are six points clear.
In what could have been a tricky game for Arsenal, it got on the front foot, scored early and made sure to put the game out of reach as quickly as it could.
Yes, the two goals conceded in two minutes were enough for many to shift nervously in their seats, but Saka's converted penalty allayed those fears, and it was a rather enjoyable second half with Arsenal keeping the hosts at arm's length.
Spectacular, indeed.