Arsenal-West Ham: Gunners' Win A Sign of Things to Come?

Arsenal finally overcame their demons in the East End of London with a well-deserved 1-0 victory over West Ham.

Is the win a bad omen for the Gunners' competition in the EPL?

Pundits touted the match as another test of Arsenal's championship credentials.  The Gunners' hadn't come away from Upton Park with three points for seven years, and hadn't got the better of the Hammers home or away since the 19th of January 2003.

So much for those streaks.

34,966 fans turned out to watch the two London teams, both known for their attacking prowess.  A healthy Dean Ashton was back in fine form for the Hammers, and Scott Parker returned to the first team.  Arsenal made no changes to their usual lineup—but the sight of former fan favourite Freddie Ljungberg wearing the Claret and Blue of West Ham gave the match a particular edge.

Arsenal's goal came within thirteen minutes, when Adebayor held the ball under pressure from the Hammers backline before laying to Hleb on the right, who put in a peach of a cross that Robin Van Persie coolly headed past Robert Green.

Not known for his aerial ability, Van Persie put this chance away with confidence.

As the first half wore on, Arsenal confined the Hammers to long-range efforts, with striker Henri Camara doing nothing up front in the absence of the Welshman Craig Bellamy.

At one point, a two-footed lunge on Alex Hleb from Mark Noble forced Hleb out of the game.  This prompted an after-match response from Arsene Wenger, who believed the tackle warranted a red card.

Hleb was replaced by Emmanuel Eboue on the right side of midfield.

The Hammers played with a sense of urgency to open the second half, zipping the ball around without actually penetrating the Arsenal defence. It was the Gunners, however, who created the first real chance of the half, with Van Persie letting fly from outside the box and Green just barely tipping the shot onto the post.

West Ham's first real chance came shortly after that, when a cross found Ashton in a plum position in the box—but he managed only a lackluster header straight into Manuel Almunias' grasp.

Two minutes later, the game nearly turned on its head.

Freddie Ljungberg—who else?—thought he had brought his new team even with a goal, only to be robbed by a linesman who ruled him offside.

Replays showed that Ljungberg was ONSIDE...but the linesman can be forgiven as it was a very tight decision to make with the game flowing so quickly.

The game opened up from there, but chances went begging for both sides. Flamini, Diaby, Adebayor (twice), and Clichy all tested the West Ham stopper, and Ashton skidded a shot just past the post.

At the final whistler, you could see how much the victory meant to Arsene Wenger. To come away from Upton Park with three points was a massive achievement—and a testament to the skill and newfound mettle of the manager's young squad.

More challenges will follow, but this Arsenal team continue to defy the doomsayers. For now, they still sit ominously at the top of the league.