A disciplined defensive display saw West Ham take three points back to East London as they beat Arsenal 2-0 on Thursday night.
It was a defensive masterclass that saw David Moyes win his first game at The Emirates in nine attempts as West Ham cruised to a comfortable win over Arsenal.
A night of discipline and work ethic that saw the Hammers over the line as they frustrated the home crowd with former players taking the limelight.
Firstly, Konstantinos Mavropanos scored a brilliant header against his former club to give Moyes’ side a 2-0 lead in the second half before Declan Rice gave away a penalty late in the game which Said Benrahma missed.
That wasn’t an issue though as Arsenal just could not break down the steely backline West Ham fronted which will no doubt raise eyebrows as to whether they can sustain their form for a title race.
For West Ham, this latest win capped a productive December will have fans dreaming of a push for the Champions League places, let alone a place in the top six.
Can West Ham keep pushing high in the table?
This was a solid, committed performance from West Ham, who rose to sixth after consecutive 2-0 wins against Arsenal and Manchester United.
In addition, it was the first time in 73 attempts that David Moyes was able to celebrate an away win against one of the ‘classic’ big four sides in Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and United.
But under the microscope, it was a tactical triumph. This side are the opposite to a soft touch and any murmurs of Moyes leaving before the end of his new deal at the end of the season should well and truly be quashed. Sure, the football isn’t pretty, but Moyes is tapping into every bit of quality at his disposal.
The defensive principles are still there whilst the added zest of the likes of Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen in attack continues to surprise teams.
That combination is dangerous for the rest of the league as at the moment, you’ll struggle to find many teams who have strike that perfect balance.
With that in mind, there might be some sides in top four looking nervously over their shoulder.
