Arsenal Edge Past West Ham To Make EFL Cup Semi-Finals

Arsenal Edge Past West Ham To Make EFL Cup Semi-Finals
21:55, 19 Dec 2017

A gritty Danny Welbeck goal on the stroke of half-time proved to be the difference as Arsenal secured their spot in the next round of the Carabao Cup at West Ham's expense.

Arsenal look to get the ball wide early on

West Ham set up in a three-man defence once again, as David Moyes has done to a degree of success since his appointment, and Arsenal looked to capitalise on the decision to deploy Arthur Masuaku and Aaron Cresswell at left and right wing-back early on. Whenever possession was won, the hosts would look to get Theo Walcott or Danny Welbeck on the ball in the bid to stretch the visitors.

Walcott worked his way into some dangerous positions, but his final delivery was found wanting, while Welbeck was a menace at the back post whenever the ball was played towards the back post. Backed up Mathieu Debuchy and Sead Kolasinac, the onus in Arsenal’s 4-3-3 formation was to utilise the width of the pitch against a West Ham side that was always going to remain compact.

However, it quickly became apparent that West Ham needed to tinker in order to contain the attacking threat from the Arsenal widemen, with the away side rapidly changing from a 3-5-2 formation to a 5-3-2 setup in order to limit the space down the flanks. The decision worked as while Walcott and Welbeck enjoyed plenty of space down their wings early on, the duo struggled to get a foothold in the game once Moyes altered his system accordingly.

The scrappiest of goals breaks down a compact West Ham

What followed was a relatively dire, turgid affair. Masuaku and Cresswell dealt with the respective threats of Walcott and Welbeck well and when the hosts did manage to get the ball wide and work space to put the ball into the box, one of James Collins, Angelo Ogbonna or Winston Reid was on hand to alleviate the pressure on Joe Hart’s goal.

West Ham saw very little of the ball, but remained defensively disciplined, with Pedro Obiang, Domingos Quina and Declan Rice shielding the backline well and only really breaking rank when Arsenal encroached upon their goal midway into their half. The defensive resolve worked well to frustrate the hosts, but Arsenal showed signs that getting the ball wide would reap rewards.

As the first half wore on, Debuchy and Kolasinac became more adventurous in their runs forward, safe in the knowledge they were covered at the back. Walcott missed a guilt-edged chance from 10 yards after being picked out brilliantly by Kolasinac, before Welbeck opened the scoring. Debuchy headed into a dangerous area and after Welbeck missed his initial header, he was on hand to shin the ball past Joe Hart from two yards. It was a goal better suited for Moyes’ gritty West Ham side rather than Arsene Wenger’s free-flowing outfit, but the hosts wouldn’t have cared one jot.

West Ham show character to make a fight of Carabao Cup tie

Welbeck’s goal could have derailed West Ham, and under Slaven Bilic, this Hammers side would have crumbled, but Moyes’ outfit are more battle hardened and resilient than they have shown on occasion this season. Defeat to Arsenal and the subsequent Carabao Cup exit was the first time in the last five competitive outings that have conceded first. The last time that happened, they were tanked 4-0 by a Wayne Rooney inspired Everton at the end of November.

To concede in the manner they did at the time could have taken the wind out of their sails, but West Ham to their credit didn’t simply accept defeat. They fought to keep their foot in the door until the very end, restricting Arsenal to just one shot on target over the 90 minutes. They weren’t pretty to watch, but they were effective in minimising the space around their 18-yard box to force Arsenal into pot shots from distance. 

Such an approach will serve them well in their bid to stave off relegation and while it wasn’t enough to progress to the next round of the Carabao Cup, the resolve shown is a testament to how far they’ve come in a short space of time under Moyes.

Sead Kolasinac’s outing proves there should be a place in the starting XI for him

One of Arsenal’s two main summer signings has been relegated to the bench for the last two Premier League matches, with Sead Kolasinac dropped in favour of 20-year-old Ainsley Maitland-Niles, with it somewhat surprising that the former has lost his place in the XI. 20-year-old Maitland-Niles did little wrong against West Ham last week and Newcastle over the weekend, but if Tuesday’s win over the Hammers is anything to go by, it’s that Arsene Wenger needs to somehow work Kolasinac into his starting XI.

A willingness to press forward came close to returning an assist as the aforementioned Walcott chance shows, though the downside comes with sacrificing the defensive solidity, particularly in a four-man defence. With the deployment of wing-backs, Kolasinac is the perfect fit, especially as it allows him to express the offensive side of his game, but at left-back, there’s a risk that comes with Arsenal being caught short at the back.

Against teams that sit deep, though, the pros outweigh the cons. Should Wenger continue with a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 setup, Kolasinac could well have a role in a more offensive position. Either way, there’s a solid argument to be made that the Bosnia-Herzegovina warrants a place from the get go as his showing on Wednesday night proved.

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