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I dooooo LOVE the Champions League, and of course I want Arsenal to win it…BUT, there’s something about handling your business domestically, that I’ll ALWAYS love more.

Being the best team in the league, over a 38 game period, and being crowned champions at the end of it, is a special, special thing. So, I’m glad we’re back to the Premier League hunt… and West Ham United, are our latest prey.

As I mentioned briefly in my last piece, West Ham have beaten us on their last two visits to the Emirates, and we simply CANNOT allow them to make it a third. This is the first of three London Derbies in-a-row, that we have to contend with… and I want nothing more, than to start by hammering The Hammers. It’s… HAMMER TIME!

Oh yes, I said it. I want the Arsenal players to be dancing around West Ham, while keeping possession of the football, and pointing at it intermittently, and exclaiming… “YOU CAN’T TOUCH THIS!”

The Emirates is our home, this is our ball, and these are our three points!

This is a Nuno Espirito Santo team though, and even though he hasn’t been the West Ham manager for long, they’ll be a new found defensive solidity about them.

We most certainly can’t be as wasteful with our chances, as we were against Olympiacos.

It’s imperative that we start on the front foot, show more efficiency in the final third, and if we’re able to get an early goal… build on that momentum, be ruthless, and kill the game off.

Easier said than done, I know… but if we want to win the league, these are the attributes we have to show, consistently.

This meeting with West Ham is extra special, as it’s Mikel Arteta’s 300^th game in charge, and it’s Bukayo Saka’s 200^th Premier League game for Arsenal.

Considering Saka is only 24 years old, that’s an amazing achievement. This young man gives everything for Arsenal, and gets better every season. He truly is, an inspiration to young players at the club, and other young players everywhere. Our Starboy.

I don’t wish to see any further comparisons made, with Phil Foden, or Cole Palmer, because they’re simply not in Saka’s league. They’re nowhere near him.

Mikel Arteta shocked us all with his team selection, and not for the first time this season.

It was the usual back four, with Calafiori at left-back, Gabriel, and Saliba, central… and Timber at right-back.

Now the surprising part was in midfield… It was Odegaard, Eze, and Rice.

This is probably the most attacking midfield I’ve seen Arteta play this season, and the first time that Eze, and Odegaard, have started a game together.

Up top, it was Saka on the right, Gyokeres through the middle, and Trossard on the left.

We knew before kick-off, that a win would take us top of the league, and we started the game exceptionally well.

In the 4^th minute, Odegaard picked up the ball near the edge of the West Ham box, he spotted a clever run from Timber, and put him through on goal… with a cheeky little pass. Timber took the shot, but it was saved by the Areola, the West Ham keeper.

As teams often do when they come to the Emirates (Including Manchester City) … West Ham, defended deep. Arsenal faced a familiar scenario, of passing the ball around the opposition, daring them to break their defensive lines.

West Ham though, remained stubborn, and refused to succumb to our footballing advances.

Refusing to be rejected, Arsenal continued their goal quest… and in the 13^th minute, Odegaard picked the ball up on the right, passed it to Saka, who got to the byline, and squared it to Gyokeres. He slipped at the vital moment, and the ball broke to Eze, and leaning back, seven yards out… he hit the shot waaaaay over the bar. I’m pretty sure that the ball hit the wing of a plane, on its way out of the Earth’s atmosphere, and up into orbit.

By Eze’s high standards, he’s GOT TO score there.

Gyokeres did a lot of thankless running, pulling defenders out of position, and creating space for others. I feel there needs to be more accuracy, in the passes into him, and we’ll reap more rewards.

He was holding up play well, and tirelessly leading the press. I think all the questions about his fitness, have been emphatically answered.

West Ham were committing little niggly fouls, purposely trying to disrupt our rhythm… but like a seventies disco, our dancing cannot be denied. Eager to blame it on the boogie… in the 24^th minute… Declan Rice showed off his moves, by playing a great ball over the top to Saka, in the box. He calmly side-footed the ball past Areola, but the offside flag immediately went up.

It was beginning to feel like, one of those days.

In the 30^th minute Martin Odegaard had to go off, after a clash of knees with the West Ham winger, Crysencio Summerville. Martin Zubimendi came on in his place.

He became the first player in Premier League history, to be substituted before half-time, in three consecutive games. A horrible record to have… but I’m sure that’ll soon be forgotten, and replaced with more positive records.

I just cannot believe how unlucky he’s been with injuries this season… and it happens when he was looking back to his best. I wish him a speedy recovery, and I know he’ll come back stronger.

The Emirates crowd began to quieten, and only groans of frustration could be heard. This was due to a combination of the Odegaard injury, and the fact that the 0-0 scoreline, wasn’t a true reflection of our dominance.

Surely West Ham couldn’t avoid defeat at the Emirates, AGAIN! No way… Surely, not.

The conversations with myself rumbled on… and I welcomed the interruption… when a crisp pass from Saka, found Zubimendi, in the 38^th minute. He played a perfectly weighted, quite exquisite through ball to Eze, whose shot was blocked by the keeper… but Declan Rice, against his old club, made no mistake with the follow-up. A brilliant, controlled finish, with his instep, into the roof of the net. 1-0 to the Arsenal!! (Thank God)

Calafiori almost made it 2-0, in the 5^th minute of injury time… with a thunderous strike from the edge of the box, with his weaker right foot… that crashed against the post. In the words of ‘Brandy’… “Almost doesn’t count”.

The first half finished 1-0, and lady luck continued to don her West Ham shirt… looking me in the eyes, as she kissed the badge.

I was hoping that more spaces would open up in the second half, as West Ham went in search of a goal. I was wrong… and the deep, determined, defending… continued.

West Ham offered absolutely nothing offensively, so David Raya could’ve been sitting on the sofa, drinking a cuppa, catching up on his TV shows.

It was still only 1-0 though, so the game felt far away from a win. We needed that second goal, like my bald head needs follicle stimulation.

As the minutes went by, our lead looked narrower, and narrower. The game started heading towards “Rue the chances we missed” territory.

Unbelievably though, West Ham still sat back defending, like they were protecting a lead. I’m not sure if they fully understand how goals work.

Arsenal, still with ALL the possession… made it pay off in the 67^th minute… when Zubimendi, on the right hand side, played a magnificent ball over the top to Jurrien Timber. He was brought down in the box, and the ref pointed to the spot. PENALTY!!! A chance to kill off West Ham, who played like the walking dead, anyway.

The incomparable, the irrepressible, the dependable… Bukayo “Starboy” Saka, picked the ball up, and calmly paced it on the spot. After a short run-up, he blasted the ball in, to keepers left. An excellent penalty. 2-0 to the Arsenal!!

The goal took Saka to 100 goal involvements. That’s 55 goals, and 45 assists. An amazing achievement, for one so young… and what’s scary is, there’s even more to come from Saka.

He’s done that in only 200 games by the way. WORLD..CLASS!!

I heard a few mumbles about Saka should’ve let Gyokeres take the penalty, to which I laughed hysterically, and then continued with life.

The game continued with Arsenal dominating, and we had 68% of the possession, and had 21 shots on the West Ham goal.

I’m sure we’ll be more ruthless in front of goal, and kill teams off earlier in games…but until we do, we’re living dangerously.

Myles Lewis-Skelly came on for Riccardo Calafiori, in the 75^th minute… along with Ethan Nwaneri coming on, for Leandro Trossard.

Declan Rice made way for Mikel Merino, in the 79^th minute, and Gabriel Martinelli was introduced, for Eberechi Eze.

The game continued to be a scrappy, bitty affair… and West Ham ensured that it made horrible viewing.

Thankfully, it finished 2-0, and the win sent us to the top of the league…. and that’s where we’ll stay, until at least after the international break, due to Liverpool losing 2-1 to Chelsea. (Hahah!)

I want to give a special mention to Zubimendi, because he’s slotted seamlessly into our midfield, and hasn’t put a foot wrong. He was involved in both the goals today, and has been superb, since pre-season.

Gyokeres was excellent again today, and even though he didn’t score… he’s doing all the right things that a striker should be doing. I have a feeling that he’s going to go on a great scoring run, after the internation break.

Our next game is Fulham away… another team we’ve slipped up against in the past. We’ll put that right! In the meantime, let’s rewatch the highlights, and keep looking at the Premier League table.