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| Arsenal got their season off to the worst possible start |
TWO catchlines from this summer’s transfer window. For West Ham: “If he is worth it: Payet” and, more importantly for Arsenal, “Don’t sign any dud Cechs”.
There were only three summer signings in the starting line-ups and while Angelo Ogbonna had an impressive debut for West Ham, it was the two £10m men who really made names for themselves.
Dimitri Payet, signed from Marseille, inspired West Ham in attack and defence – already a cult figure in the making. And Petr Cech had the start to his Arsenal career he will simply want to blank.
At fault for the first goal, slow to stop the second, it puts Arsenal immediately on the back foot and raises pressure on Arsene Wenger to make the sort of marquee signing in the final days of the window to give the fans something to sing about this season before it is too late.
Because nowhere embodies early-season optimism better than the Emirates.
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| Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger looks dejected as assistant manager Steve Bould looks on |
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Mauro Zarate celebrates scoring the second goal for West Ham |
Despite the fact that Arsenal always finish third and go out in the knockout stages of the Champions League, there is a belief among their fans every August that this year, anything could happen. Something different.
Yet within 90 minutes, already title hopes were being written off for another 12 months and as supporters left early, they were muttering darkly under their breaths about another year of qualification for next year’s Champions League and the successful negotiation of the group stages in this year’s competition. Perhaps with another cup thrown in for good measure.
Their campaign start was a stuttering one, strewn with errors, lacking focus and too quickly ran out of any sort of impetus.
It was not until the half-hour mark that the home side really managed their first threat on the West Ham goal – a shot from Aaron Ramsey that looped off Aaron Cresswell and landed on top of Adrian’s crossbar.
The Wales midfielder went close again before half-time with a low drive inches wide and his cross enabled Francis Coquelin to put in Olivier Giroud for a sharp shot which Adrian had saved before realising the France international had wrongly been flagged offside.
As a result, the West Ham opener came somewhat against the run of play. Dimitri Payet’s free-kick from 50 yards was perfectly weighted to land in the danger area.
For years gone by, Cech would watch John Terry or Gary Cahill sort it all out – in their absence, he decided to come himself.
Cheikhou Kouyate was always favourite, though, and getting there miles before the £10m goalkeeper, his was the simple task of knocking the ball into the empty net. Whoops.
The last time Slaven Bilic had seen his side take the lead in an away game on English soil somebody had just said to Steve McClaren, “Eh, gaffer, do you want to borrow my brolly?”
Of course, Arsenal were bound to create chances but luckily they kept falling to Giroud – the man who continues to spearhead the attack until the arrival of a world class striker - like Karim Benzema, the whole football world seems to be suggesting.
He hit the side netting with a sharp chance and a minute later, having found space in the West Ham area, could not quite find the corner of the net, allowing Adrian to make a fine save.
Three minutes later, Zarate showed Giroud how it was done. Once the veteran goalkeeper might have got to the low 25-yard shot into the corner – watching him this time it was more like 33-year-old Cech was going down in instalments.
West Ham’s transfer activities so far has still left some holes: they had a 16-year-old Reece Oxford in an impressive holding midfield role and centre-back James Tomkins playing at right back.
But their Fair Play-induced Europa League campaign – although already over - clearly had them looking a couple of weeks sharper into the season.
Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott were thrown in to the fray but for all their possession, shot-shy Arsenal never really threatened.
Wenger’s biggest mandate now seems to be to make sure the next cheque he signs is to Real Madrid.
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Cech 4; Debuchy 5 (Sanchez 67, 5), Mertesacker 6, Koscielny 5, Monreal 5; Coquelin 6 (Walcott 58, 6), Ramsey 7; Oxlade-Chamberlain 7, Cazorla 6, Ozil 6; Giroud 5. Booked: Monreal. Next up: Sun: Crystal Palace (a) PL
WEST HAM (4-3-3): Adrian 7; Tomkins 6, Reid 6, Ogbonna 7, Cresswell 6; Noble 6, Oxford 7 (Nolan 79, 5), Kouyate 8; Payet 9, Sakho 6 (Maiga 89), Zarate 6 (Jarvis 63, 6). Booked: Noble, Ogbonna. Goals: Kouyate 43, Zarate58. Next up: Sat: Leicester (h) PL
REFEREE: Martin Atkinson
BEST THREE PLAYERS: Payet, Adrian, Kouyate
STAT OF THE DAY: The last time Slaven Bilic won an away game on English soil was when Croatia beat England 3-2 in a 2007 European Championship qualifier.
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