Arsenal 3-1 West Ham: 3 talking points as Odegaard dazzles in Boxing Day win

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<p>&mdash; Arsenal (@Arsenal) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/27/arsenal-3-1-west-ham-talking-points/2/"https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1607496256913301504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>December 26, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/27/arsenal-3-1-west-ham-talking-points/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <p>The Gunners were excellent after going behind and produced a dominant display after the restart. It felt like a special night at the Emirates as the club welcomed Arsene Wenger back to north London for the first time since his departure in 2018. Seeing <em>Le Professeur</em> celebrate Arsenal goals again was nothing short of joyous.</p> <h2>Arsenal 3-1 West Ham: 3 talking points as Odegaard dazzles in Boxing Day win</h2> <p>The game provided plenty of talking points, here they are.</p> <h2>1. Normal service resumed</h2> <p>Arsenal returned to their winning ways against the Hammers following a lengthy layoff from competitive action. After a superb first half, the Gunners found themselves behind but a second-half masterclass saw them ease past West Ham.</p> <p>The win now puts some daylight between themselves, Newcastle and Manchester City as they put the pressure on Pep Guardiola&rsquo;s men ahead of their trip to Leeds.</p> <p>Overall, it was a superb performance as Arsenal dominated from the outset.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide&#8230;</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/27/arsenal-3-1-west-ham-talking-points/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;Talking Point #2 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_131366" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-131366 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/27/arsenal-3-1-west-ham-talking-points/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1245828722.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1245828722.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1245828722-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Martin Odegaard was excellent against West Ham. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>2. Odegaard was simply sensational</h2> <p>Odegaard was central to everything Arsenal did well. His movement, neat little passes, and his ability to link the midfield and forward line were a sight to behold.</p> <p>If there ever was a performance to rival Mesut Ozil’s against Leicester City, this was it.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Martin Odegaard’s game by numbers vs. West Ham:</p> <p>93% pass accuracy<br>81 touches<br>25 passes into the final third<br>5 key passes<br>5 ground duels won<br>2/3 dribbles completed<br>2 big chances created <br>2 assists</p> <p>Director. 🎬 <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/27/arsenal-3-1-west-ham-talking-points/2/"https://t.co/0dBBKtOqbG">pic.twitter.com/0dBBKtOqbG

<p>— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/27/arsenal-3-1-west-ham-talking-points/2/"https://twitter.com/StatmanDave/status/1607497424737558528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>December 26, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/27/arsenal-3-1-west-ham-talking-points/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <p>He deserved a goal, but it didn’t come. That mattered little, as he was the best player on the pitch by a country mile.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/27/arsenal-3-1-west-ham-talking-points/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Talking Point #3 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_131374" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-131374 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/27/arsenal-3-1-west-ham-talking-points/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1245830340.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1245830340.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1245830340-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Arsenal were forced to come from behind on Boxing Day. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>3. Arsenal’s resilience on show yet again</h2> <p>After playing West Ham off the park in the first half, the Gunners found themselves 1-0 down thanks to a penalty. The old “here we go again” could’ve crept into the minds of Arsenal players… but it didn’t.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="nRvVDARfKT"><p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/27/arsenal-3-1-west-ham-talking-points/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/26/arsenal-3-1-west-ham-player-ratings/">Arsenal 3-1 West Ham: Player ratings as Gunners come from behind for Boxing Day win</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/27/arsenal-3-1-west-ham-talking-points/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/26/arsenal-3-1-west-ham-player-ratings/embed/#?secret=nRvVDARfKT" data-secret="nRvVDARfKT" width="500" height="282" title="“Arsenal 3-1 West Ham: Player ratings as Gunners come from behind for Boxing Day win” — Pain in the Arsenal" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div> <p>In the 16 blistering minutes, the Gunners slammed home three goals to kill off the game. Whatever was said at half-time by Mikel Arteta worked wonders as the hosts flexed their muscles to go seven points clear at the summit.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">