Jarrod Bowen celebrates at Arsenal

Four things we loved as West Ham United defeated Arsenal

1. 50 up for Jarrod

Only one man had previously hit the milestone of 50 Premier League goals for West Ham United - but another has now added his name alongside Michail Antonio on that illustrious list following Saturday's memorable Premier League win at Arsenal.

That man is, of course, Jarrod Bowen, who brought up the half-century with a stooping header from Aaron Wan-Bissaka's pinpoint cross at Emirates Stadium.

The 44th-minute strike proved enough to claim all three points at Emirates Stadium, as the Hammers produced a sturdy display to hold the title-challenging Gunners at arm's length.

Bowen's 50 have come from 181 league outings in Claret and Blue - with Saturday's effort marking his tenth header.

Thirty-six have come from that trusty left foot, with the other four coming from his right. And four have come against Arsenal - the most recent taking the Irons up to 30 points for the campaign.

Jarrod Bowen celebrates his goal at Arsenal

2. Back-to-back wins at Arsenal

Eighteen years had passed since the Hammers had last registered back-to-back victories at the home of Arsenal.

Back then, the east Londoners were the final team to win at Arsenal's former Highbury home in the 2005/06 season, before becoming the first to win at Emirates Stadium the following year.

Fast forward nearly two decades, and in December 2023, Tomáš Souček and Dinos Mavropanos scored the goals as David Moyes' men triumphed 2-0 in north London.

The odds were against Graham Potter's men repeating the feat this weekend, particularly following last weekend's loss to Brentford, but his team produced a performance full of heart to achieve just that.

Bowen's header, coupled with a clean sheet, also ended the Premier League's final undefeated home record in 2024/25. Plenty for the Hammers to cheer in north London, then.

Ollie Scarles jumps to win a header against Arsenal

3. Full league debut delight for Scarles

Few players have impressed as much in recent weeks as 19-year-old Ollie Scarles.

Man of the Match in our narrow 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa in Graham Potter's first match in charge of the Irons, he has steadily built on that since with outings from the bench against Fulham, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa again in the league, Chelsea and Brentford.

Now was his time from the start, and his first Premier League 90 minutes could hardly have been more memorable.

Fifty-one touches of the ball, 29 passes, six tackles and one lion-hearted performance later, Scarles and his teammates could celebrate a famous 1-0 win.

You suspect it will be the first of many in Claret and Blue for the 2023 FA Youth Cup winner.

West Ham fans celebrate at Arsenal

4. Fantastic backing from the Claret and Blue Army

The 3,000 travelling Hammers fans stayed long after the final whistle at Emirates Stadium to salute their team - and rightly so.

Potter's men had given everything on the pitch to secure the second victory since his appointment as Head Coach, and they were greatly appreciative of the support from one vocal corner of Emirates Stadium.

As goalkeeper Alphonse Areola said at full-time: "The fans deserve it as well because they keep on pushing us and keep on giving us the strength we need during games. 

“Now we’ll be at home with our fans [against Leicester on Thursday]. They'll be important as well and hope we keep that shape and that sharpness we have.”
 

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