West Ham’s poor start to the season continued as they were defeated 3-1 by Arsenal at the Emirates on Saturday.
The defeat consigned the Hammers to a third straight loss in the League and the pressure will now be on manager Manuel Pellegrini. While it is understandable that it may take the manager and new players time to adjust to life at the London Stadium, they could be set to face a relegation battle if they do not record victories in their upcoming matches.
Pellegrini can now be considered a potential candidate to become the first managerial sacking of this season. The only positive which the Hammers can take from the game is the fact that they gave a better display than they did against Liverpool and Bournemouth in their previous matches.
Felipe Anderson also caused the Gunners problems throughout the game and it was he who set up Marko Arnautovic to give the East Londoners the lead. The lead did not last long as Nacho Monreal equalized just five minutes later after combining with Hector Bellerin.
Cero de tres para Chicharito y el West Ham en el arranque de la temporada de la #PremierLeague ????
❌ Liverpool 4-0 West Ham
❌ West Ham 1-2 Bournemouth
❌ Arsenal 3-1 West Hamhttps://t.co/InjtU01b4s pic.twitter.com/wFy7E5PSzv— Futbol Picante (@futpicante) August 25, 2018
It was West Ham who arguably had the better chances during the first half. Cech denied Michail Antonio and Robert Snodgrass also missed a golden opportunity.
Hernandez was introduced to the game during the 57th minute after first-choice Arnautovic appeared to pick up an injury. Unfortunately for West Ham, the Mexican did not pose a threat to the Arsenal defense on the day. Hernandez though was not the only player for the Hammers who failed to make an impact.
Jack Wilshere was also subdued against his former club while Andriy Yarmolenko spurned a golden chance to equalize while the score was 2-1. Snodgrass also did nothing to silence his critics who feel that he is a Championship level player.
West Ham’s defensive frailties came back to haunt them during the 70th minute as Issa Diop made a poor clearance gifting possession to Alexandre Lacazette. Ironically, Diop ended up scoring an own goal after Lacazette’s cross took a deflection off him.
Substitute Danny Welbeck ensured the victory for Unai Emery’s side during second-half stoppage time and the game ended 3-1.
