Kicked up the Arsenal

West Ham 1 Arsenal 2

Arriving at Hackney Wick there's time for a quick coffee at the Milk Float barge with my pal Carolyn the Gooner followed by a walk to the stadium. Inside we're greeted by the shock news that Alison and Scott are retiring with Mark Noble to spend more time in Clacton. Fraser, Michael and Nigel make up our number, plus Lisa and Matt, fresh from a boutique hotel in Derby, an ice hockey match with a big bundle and evocative memories of Diego Tristan playing for WHU at Derby County. 

Michael is wearing an Orwell t-shirt declaring, "If liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear", which is possibly a tribute to Matt's relationship with Said Benrahma and Fraser's views on David Moyes.

Zouma makes one rousing run forward to raise the crowd but it's 33 minutes before either side has a shot on goal, as Rice gets forward to test Ramsdale. Though West Ham have competed well against an out-of-sorts Arsenal side. 

But resting Soucek and Antonio and the suspension of Dawson have left the side short of height, which proves costly. Bowen's loose ball leads to Fabianski tipping away Nketiah's shot for a corner. We've already given several corners away and this time Holding brushes aside Lanzini and gets ahead of Cresswell, playing as a centre back, to head home.

The response from West Ham is good. Ramsdale has to make a flying save to deny Rice's header from a corner. On 45 minutes a fine ball from Rice out to Coufal sees Bowen control Vladimir's pass and half-volley home via a deflection off Gabriel. That's Jarrod's tenth league goal of the season.

JEEPERS KEEPERS

A key moment of the second half comes when Ramsdale races from goal and appears to clatter Bowen with a reckless lunge. Mike Dean promptly books Bowen for diving to loud boos from the Irons fans. The TV evidence is inconclusive but Ramsdale may well have nicked Bowen and it's hard to blame Jarrod for trying to hurdle the onrushing keeper and a dangerous challenge. This should never have been a yellow card. 

Soon after Saka's low shot is saved for a corner. From the second phase Gabriel gets behind Fabianski to head home and celebrate in front of the away fans. Antonio and Soucek come on ten minutes too late, and West Ham make little headway beyond a blocked Fornals volley. With Coufal caught upfield Nketiah causes Zouma trouble on the break, firing wide and then forcing another Fabianski save.

Arsenal indulge in a lot of play-acting and time-wasting, culminating with Saka refusing to retreat at a free kick and a big handbags melee. The Gunners hang on and WHU's league season is fizzling out. We'd have got at least a point from this if Dawson had played, but as we all said in January, the squad is way too small. At least Gunner Carolyn has enjoyed her first away game and survived Matt and Michael's somewhat irate commentary on her team's gamesmanship. 

We head to a new pub the Sportsman which is reputedly quiet after matches. It isn't, as the punters sing "Tottenham get battered!" (they didn't today actually) and "You're fucking shit!". At least it has Camden Pale and Tribute. We're joined by The Gav and I mention that we were rubbish against Brentford before beating Lyon. Can the Irons make one final surge to do it on Thursday? It's unlikely but we live in hope. Whatever happens, WHU have to make several signings this summer.

PLAYER RATINGS: Fabianski 7; Coufal 6, Cresswell 5, Zouma 6, Fredericks 5; Rice 8, Noble 6 (Soucek 5), Lanzini 6 (Antonio 5), Fornals 5, Benrahma 5 (Yarmolenko 5); Bowen 7.