West Ham United 1-3 Arsenal: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis | Premier League 2019-20

#4 West Ham nudge ahead in a dour first half

West Ham United nudged ahead in the first half

West Ham arrived at the London Stadium having won only one of their previous five league games whereas the Gunners hadn’t managed a victory since the match against Bournemouth on the 6th of October.

Thus, one would’ve expected both sides to spar a touch at the outset before trying to impose themselves. And, that is exactly how the opening 45 minutes transpired as both teams at times, looked afraid to put the opposition to the sword.

Arsenal dominated possession for large swathes of the first half and ended up with 65% possession, 328 passes and a pass accuracy of 85%. Yet, the visitors never really threatened the Hammers’ defence as their approach play seemed pedestrian and was highly insipid.

More worryingly, the North Londoners didn’t have a touch of the ball in the opposition penalty box until the 33rd minute when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang teed up Mesut Ozil, only for the German to tamely head over the bar.

Additionally, they were quite awful playing out of the back as West Ham pinched the ball on numerous occasions and the Gunners could’ve found themselves staring at a greater deficit had the hosts been slightly more adventurous.

The Hammers, meanwhile, picked their opportunities to attack judiciously, meaning that they didn’t particularly aid the game as a spectacle, although they stuck to their tactical plan to exploit Arsenal’s deficiencies.

And, ultimately, the home side nudged ahead when they capitalised on some lackadaisical defending, thereby creating an opportunity for Ogbonna to finish off Pablo Fornals’ cross.

Thus, through the course of the first period, both sides had highlighted why they’d been lacking in confidence prior to the encounter. And, while one outfit regained a tad of hope during the half, the other was only plunged into greater darkness.