Arsenal Snatch Late Victory against West Ham through Vital Alex Song Goal

Alex Song and Gael Clichy spared Arsene Wenger and his men the blushes, as they combined to score a late goal which sealed three important points for the Gunners. Arsene Wenger's men were expected to coast to a victory against bottom-placed West Ham United, but they faced a stern test against a determined side, who fought hard to earn points at the Emirates.

It was a sluggish start from the Gunners, who had only one change from their previous Premier League game against Manchester City: Laurent Koscielny instead of Johan Djourou. Andrei Arshavin found some space on some occasions but could not create anything of note.

Robert Green was largely untested for the first 20 minutes, but he made a smart save when he stopped Cesc Fabregas' goal bound shot after good work from Bacary Sagna and Alex Song.

Bacary Sagna tried his best to create the opener and whipped in good crosses from the right wing. But things were not going Arsenal's way, and it looked unimaginative in the closing stages of the first half. West Ham looked a threat on set pieces, but Fabianski fisted away Noble's free kicks and looked confident.

One moment that impressed me was when Fabianski pulled Fabregas by his shirt to the position the keeper wanted him to be, and Fabregas headed the ball clear from the corner.

After a first half devoid of many clear cut chances, Arsenal looked more purposeful in the second half. Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri had some neat exchanges, but they could not create anything to trouble Robert Green. Samir Nasri hit a thunderous free kick which crashed onto the bar with Green beaten, but Arsenal struggled to break the deadlock.

Arsenal looked desperate to create something, and looked to the substitutes bench to create the opener for them. Theo Walcott, who scored two goals against Newcastle United in the Carling Cup, was brought on to inject more pace in the game.

It would have been a dream start for the substitute, when he was put through on goal by a superb pass by Cesc Fabregas. But, the England International was unlucky to hit the inside of the post and rebounded for Green to collect it gratefully.

Nicklas Bendtner was then brought on for the ineffective Andrei Arshavin, and he gave Arsenal a towering presence in the box. Chamakh could not head the ball in after a decent cross by Nasri, and Arsenal tried their best not to drop points at home.

Robert Green was excellent throughout the game, and saved brilliantly from a powerful Fabregas shot and showed a lot of composure throughout the game. But he could do nothing about Alex Song’s diving header in the 88th minute which sealed the three points for the Gunners.

The Gunners camped in West Ham’s territory for much of the last 10 minutes, and tried to create more opportunities. Gael Clichy burst through on the left flank and produced a delightful cross, between Green and his defenders for Song to score from a powerful diving header. Song has now scored in three consecutive games in which he has played, and has improved a lot on his attacking play from the last season.

Arsenal were not good in this game, but their mental strength has to be appreciated and they believed in themselves till the final whistle. The three most creative Gunners, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Andrei Arshavin, was not at their best today, and that was one of the main reasons why Arsenal struggled to create concrete chances on goal.

However, it is the stuff of champions to win when they are not playing well, and that is exactly what Arsenal showed tonight.

Following defeats for Manchester City and Tottenham, Arsenal is currently in joint-second place with Manchester United, still five points behind Chelsea, who won against Blackburn in a hard fought fixture. Arsenal will have key players Aaron Ramsey and Robin van Persie returning to training in the next week, and things are starting to look better for Arsenal on the injury front.

Youngster Jack Wilshere has served his three-match suspension for his red card against Birmingham, and will be raring to go against Shakhtar Donetsk in the mid-week fixture. Arsenal will take a lot of positives from this match, and these crucial points could go a long way in determining Arsenal’s season.

Man of the Match: Alex Song

Alex Song deserves the plaudits that he is getting, because he is doing his job for Arsenal. He has scored some important goals in this season, and has also anchored the midfield. He has shielded the defence pretty well, and is one of the main reasons Arsenal has maintained successive Premier League clean sheets.

Arsenal Verdict

It was not a vintage performance from the Gunners, but all that matters is the three points, and they managed a win at home against West Ham. Cesc Fabregas still looks to be a little off the pace, but if he finds his shooting boots, and is back in form, Arsenal will be extremely strong.

Overall, it was a good result and they showed great resilience. They were strong at the back, and Fabianski had another decent game, which will only increase his confidence.

West Ham Verdict

It was unfortunate for West Ham that it did not get anything from this game, but if Avram Grant and his men can put in more performances like these, there are sure to be rewards in the future. Parker and his men need to be more clinical in front of goal, but they must continue to believe in themselves.