Arsenal could not afford to squander this opportunity so they will not care too much that, in giving their prospects of
Champions League qualification genuine life, they committed something akin to daylight robbery. This was, from start to finish, a slog for Mikel Arteta’s side as they struggled to make their monopoly on possession pay and wobbled repeatedly when probed by an intelligent West Ham. Had Bernd Leno not burnished his status as one of the most underrated keepers around, or the visiting forwards not squandered a slew of clear openings, their claim to a top-four spot would now appear fantastical. However the fine margins went in their favour and never more so than in the game’s deciding incident.
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