Chambers and Ødegaard lead Arsenal fightback at West Ham as both sides rue what might have been

What happened there then? The cliché of a tale of two halves has rarely applied more than to the 3-3 draw between West Ham and Arsenal on Sunday afternoon. David Moyes’ side seemed to have caught the Gunners cold in the opening half hour as they raced into a deserved three-goal lead, but could not hold on as the visitors’ second-half pressure eventually told.

Arteta wary of West Ham

Arsenal’s form ahead of their trip to the London Stadium had been good, if albeit unconvincing. Victory against Benfica and Olympiakos in the Europa League had been punctuated by comebacks against Leicester and Tottenham in the league, but none of those successes had been comfortable. A first-half performance like this had been coming.

Arteta cannot be accused of complacency against the manager that brought him to Everton and set up his side with defence foremost on his mind. Both the Spaniard and Kieran Tierney praised the hosts in pre-match interviews and, given that West Ham sat ten points and five places above the Gunners, this did not feel like polite plaudits. Calum Chambers started at right back ahead of Hector Bellerin and Cedric Soares; of the trio, he is the tallest and undoubtedly the most defensive-minded (more on his unexpected role later).

Meanwhile, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was recalled to the starting line-up but in an unfamiliar position on the right, with Bukayo Saka switching to the left. This seemed to be an attempt to stem the crosses from the hosts’ full backs as both wingers would be able to tackle on their supposed stronger side. It did not succeed, and West Ham’s second goal was the catalyst for the skipper and starlet resume their usual roles. Not before time; seventeen minutes in and the Gunners had yet to enter the opposition area.

Let it be said that for their recent errors, Arsenal’s defending has not been a particular problem. Until Sunday’s encounter at the London Stadium they had shipped just 29 goals in the Premier League, a tally bettered only by Manchester City, Chelsea and Aston Villa. Nonetheless, this match was their twelfth in succession without a clean sheet.

If anything, their biggest concern has been losing the ball in their own third and, in fairness to Arteta, the changes to personnel were not the only ones he had made to counter West Ham’s forwards. Bernd Leno’s waves to push forward his teammates at a goal kick must have been a relief to those Arsenal fans who have grown sick of seeing their side cede possession in dangerous areas. In addition, Tierney’s position high up the field, as seen against Olympiakos on Thursday, left Pablo Mari with few options besides a long ball. However, it only served to show the reasons behind Arteta’s usual approach; by half time the Gunners forwards and midfielders had failed to win a single aerial duel.

Furthermore, this supposedly cautious approach from the visitors was undone through carelessness, and from unlikely sources. Thomas Partey’s failure to focus on Jesse Lingard’s run allowed the Manchester United loanee time and space to score his customary goal against the Gunners, the fifth of his career. Meanwhile, Tierney turned his back as Lingard’s quick free kick played in Jarrod Bowen, whose strike at the near post should have been comfortably saved by Leno.

Ødegaard, Chambers and Lacazette turn the tide

West Ham’s third goal kicked the Gunners into life, but not as expected. In recent months Arteta’s side have preferred to attack down the left, with Tierney and Aubameyang offering different but equally potent threats.

In east London, though, there was a change of emphasis. Chambers, best known for his abilities as a centre back rather than a full back, pushed higher up the pitch to offer width as Saka, and later Nicolas Pépé, shifted inside onto their respective stronger left feet. The right back provided crosses for both of his side’s first two goals, before substitute Pépé made a rare run on the outside before assisting Alexandre Lacazette’s leveller with his weaker foot.

Meanwhile, Martin Ødegaard repeatedly took up position on the inside-right channel, allowing him to open up onto his left foot and find his fellow forwards (Fig. 1). This role within the side is not an unfamiliar sight for Arsenal fans, and it was a performance that showcased the Real Madrid midfielder's abilities as a potential replacement for Mesut Özil. Only Partey (80) and Granit Xhaka (73) completed more passes than the Norwegian (71), while only Michail Antonio played more key passes (five to four).

Fig. 1: Martin Ødegaard’s touch map at West Ham (playing right to left). Stats via WhoScored.

Lacazette, meanwhile, is increasing becoming Arsenal’s man for the big occasion. So far this season he has netted against Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Leicester and Tottenham, and it was his deflected strike that gave his side a foothold in the game here before the break. He struggles as a traditional target man, though, and whereas he had looked isolated before Bowen doubled the Irons’ lead, the Frenchman soon began to drop deeper to receive passes from his team mates. Declan Rice and Tomáš Souček were guilty of allowing him to turn, giving him the opportunity to play wide to Saka and Chambers or carry the ball toward goal himself. In the end, it was only fitting that he find the Gunners’ leveller.

West Ham pay price for allowing Gunners to build head of steam

From a West Ham perspective, this was punishment for sitting on their three-goal lead (however ridiculous it may sound). They themselves have delivered such a fightback this season when they scored three late goals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in October. There was even a warning from the corresponding fixture last season, when the hosts were seemingly in control at 1-0 before the Gunners netted three times in the space of ten minutes.

By the time Bowen had put his side 2-0 up in the 17th minute, Moyes’ men had boasted 63% of possession and managed five shots to the visitors’ zero. By full time, it was Arsenal who had claimed 63% of possession and edged the shot count by 16 to 15.

Arsenal fans may well see this as a missed opportunity; had they been sharper from the outset, the deficit could have easily avoided. Nonetheless, it is a point in a fixture they have won just twice in the last five seasons, and is an example of yet another spirited comeback in recent weeks. As the above poll shows, it has split opinion among the (admittedly small sample) of the fanbase.

For West Ham, it was a case of failing to strike while the Irons were still hot.

Stats via WhoScored. Header image via Premier League.