13.
21:16
Another combination between Ødegaard and Xhaka brings danger, but Xhaka’s low shot from around 18 meters is not placed enough.
12.
21:15
Over 70% ball possession for Arsenal speaks for itself in this initial phase. West Ham hardly gets a chance here and loses the balls too quickly in their own build-up.
10
21:14
Ødegaard looks for Xhaka with a strong through ball into the penalty area, but the Swiss stops short and then the pass is too long. Fabiański finally picks up the ball.
9.
21:12
West Ham defends the free kick from the left that was too weak. But the ball quickly goes back to the Gunners, who build up their back four.
8th.
21:10
Yellow card for Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United)
Bowen finishes off a Gabriel Martinelli solo with a sturdy tie-in. The position in the left half field is not without danger.
5.
21:09
The ball wriggles in the goal, but it’s offside! It goes quickly through the center via Ødegaard, but Saka’s heel is just inside the forbidden zone on the pass. West Ham takes a deep breath, because that would have been the deficit with the first action.
4.
21:06
West Ham let Arsenal have the ball and the Gunners let the ball run in their own ranks for now. So far there are no gaps in the dense midfield.
2.
21:05
Gabriel Martinelli is tackled by Rice in the penalty area – the offensive player stays down, but the whistle doesn’t sound. Rice had played the ball.
1.
21:03
The game is on – Arsenal line up in red shirts, West Ham play in black away shirts.
20:48
Arsenal also have the better cards in a direct comparison, because the Gunners came off the field as winners a total of 34 times in 52 duels. The Emirates Stadium in particular appears to be an impossible task for West Ham, as David Moyes’ side have only won one of their last 12 away games. What’s more, the leaders have won their last nine home Premier League games and could set a new club record with a win tonight.
20:34
The roles in today’s game are clearly divided: Arsenal, as leaders, welcome 16th in the Premier League. Mikel Arteta’s team is having a great season and seems to have come together as a team. A win could see the Gunners widen the gap over Manchester City and increase their lead to eight points overnight. West Ham, on the other hand, have completely different concerns, because with just one point ahead of the direct relegation zone, the guest is fighting to stay in the league. A weakness lies in the offensive, which produced only 12 goals in 15 games.
20:25
At West Ham, Thilo Kehrer is back in the starting eleven after the early World Cup exit with the German team in the Premier League. In addition, there are two other World Cup participants, Lucas Paquetá (Brazil) and Rice (England), who were also called up to start. Fabiański in the Hammers goal will meet his old club today. Antonio should cause danger in the storm of the guests. There are also two injury-related absences for the visitors: Scamacca was injured in the last friendly against Fulham and Aguerd did not recover from his injuries in time.
20:19
There are a whopping 44 days between the last league game and today’s game for both teams. Let’s first look at the hosts’ staff: Arsenal are without striker Gabriel Jesus – the Brazilian injured his knee at the World Cup and will be out for around three months. He is represented in the center of attack by young Nketiah. Zinchenko is back on board after an injury break, but is only on the bench at the beginning.
20:06
Welcome to the final game of Boxing Day in the Premier League! The game between Arsenal FC and West Ham United starts at 9 p.m. The game will be refereed by the experienced Michael Oliver.