As was the case in 2022, London rivals Arsenal and West Ham United meet at the Emirates Stadium for their first post-Christmas Premier League fixture on Thursday evening.
The Gunners spent December 25 atop the table thanks to a 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Saturday evening, prior to which the Irons ran out 2-0 winners over an off-colour Manchester United.
Mikel Arteta's men were on course to snap their 11-year streak without a top-flight victory on Liverpool's turf through a fourth-minute Gabriel Magalhaes header - their quickest-ever goal at Anfield in the Premier League - but a venomous Mohamed Salah finish drew Jurgen Klopp's men level just 25 minutes later.
Escaping unharmed from a contentious Martin Odegaard handball decision and five-on-one counter-attack, Arsenal rode home to North London with the point which kept them above the Reds in first place, although Gooners ought to have reined in their Christmas celebrations, as they are yet to win the league in a season where they sat at the summit on December 25.
While Villa missed the chance to go top on Boxing Day, Liverpool did not pass up the opportunity to bump Arsenal down to the silver medal spot, and a streak of just one win from their last four outings in all tournaments is underwhelming at first glance, but home is still where the heart is for the hosts.
0 Comments