Arteta praises 'incredible' Nketiah for seizing chance in Arsenal's win over West Ham

Striker scored on his first Premier League start of the season as the Gunners moved seven points clear

Eddie Nketiah scored Arsenal's third goal in the 3-1 Premier League win over West Ham at the Emirates Stadium on December 26, 2022. EPA

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised Eddie Nketiah for his "incredible" display against West Ham after the striker made the most of his first Premier League start of the season with a goal in the 3-1 victory at Emirates Stadium on Monday night.

Nketiah ended last season in fine form, scoring five goals in the final seven matches, but the 23-year-old has had to contend with a place among the substitutes for much of this campaign following the arrival, and fine form, of Gabriel Jesus.

The Brazilian's knee injury during the World Cup and expected three-month recovery time from surgery has given Nketiah a chance in Arsenal's starting line-up, and the English forward delivered by scoring his side's third goal. After falling behind to Said Benrahama's 27th-minute penalty, Bukayo Saka pulled Arsenal level early in the second half, before Gabriel Martinelli earned the hosts the lead five minutes later.

“It was a great goal but I think overall his performance was incredible,” Arteta said of Nketiah. “The way he understood the pressing, his intensity, the way he counter-attacked certain spaces, the composure he showed. And then he stayed patient. And in the box he produced a moment of real quality to win us the game.”

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard delivered another superb performance, the Norwegian midfielder assisting two of the goals to continue his impressive form this season.

Odegaard, along with Nketiah and other Arsenal players absent from the World Cup, was part of the squad in the UAE earlier this month to take part in the Dubai Super Cup, and Arteta lauded his captain's leadership.

“He was great. Since back in Dubai when we were there, he’s been exceptional," the Spaniard said. "That’s what you want from your leaders, with the important players to have that presence on the pitch. With and without the ball I think he was really good today.”

While the result moves Arsenal seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table – with Manchester City aiming to close the gap to five when they face Leeds United on Wednesday night – it was West Ham's 10th defeat of the season and fourth in a row.

Arsenal v West Ham player ratings

ARSENAL PLAYER RATINGS: Aaron Ramsdale – 7. The English keeper’s lofty kicks helped push his side up the pitch, while his punching saves kept them in the game. The penalty he faced was so powerful he had no chance at saving it. AP

Ben White – 7. The 25 year-old played well at both ends of the pitch, covering well in defence to stop Antonio but also by putting in some good crosses into the opposition box. Getty

William Saliba – 6. The Frenchman was unlucky to give away a penalty. However, he did stand up to Antonio well at the back and helped keep the scoreline low. Reuters

Gabriel – 6. The Brazilian defender pushed forward as his side looked to attack and ensured the pressure was kept on the opposition. He also headed away several times to clear the opposition attacks. AFP

Kieran Tierney – 7 The Scotland international displayed some good attacking positioning before coming off, and he also created several chances with his crosses. Getty

Thomas Partey – 6. The Ghanian midfielder showed his strength at times and even had a long shot well saved. However, excluding a few good switches, not all of his passing was as accurate as usual. Reuters

Granit Xhaka – 6. The 30-year-old had an early shot saved by Fabianski and went on to help his side with some tidy passing in the final third as they looked for more goals. PA

Martin Odegaard – 9. Arsenal’s Norwegian captain managed to pick out nearly every pass perfectly as he slipped several balls behind the back line, with one in particular finding Saka to level the scores. Assisted the first and third goals. EPA

Bukayo Saka – 8. The Englishman equalised in the second half with a tidy finish into the bottom left corner. He did bag another earlier on in the game, but it was ruled offside. EPA

Gabriel Martinelli – 8. The young Brazilian consistently drove forward along the left, which helped to make a number of chances. He then scored one for himself with a low driven shot at the front post. Getty

Eddie Nketiah – 7. The 23-year-old looked energetic and helped to generate several shots. He claimed a goal in the second half by turning and firing into the bottom corner. Took his long-awaited chance in the absence of the injured Gabriel Jesus. EPA

Oleksandr Zinchenko (Tierney 72') – 6. The Ukrainian left-back kept the ball in the opposition half and joined in several attacks, slipping great ball through to Martinelli in the box. Getty

Fabio Vieira (Martinelli 87') – N/A. The winger came on late in the game and only had one run at the defence before being tackled by Dawson. Reuters

Mohammed Elneny (Partey 94') – N/A. The midfielder came on for less than a minute and had no time for an impact. PA

WEST HAM PLAYER RATINGS: Lukasz Fabianski – 5. The veteran goalkeeper was called upon multiple times to punch the ball away and deal with dangerous crosses. However, he was beaten too easily in the second half. AFP

Vladimir Coufal – 6. The fullback made a number of tackles to deny the opposition, including a sliding tackle on a through ball aimed towards Tierney. Reuters

Craig Dawson – 7. The 32-year-old made several important blocks as he kept Nketiah at bay, standing up to him on many occasions, as well as diving to block the forward's goal-bound shots. AP

Thilo Kehrer – 6. The German defender put in a number of good clearances to protect his side’s lead. He also made a vital tackle to stop Nketiah in his tracks, but he was turned too easily for the third goal. Reuters

Aaron Cresswell – 6. The left-back performed well defensively, sliding to block White’s cross in the first half. He also led many counter attacks, charging along the left side. AP

Declan Rice – 7. West Ham’s captain led by example, putting in some strong tackles, including one in the box to stop Saka from having a shot on goal. Getty

Tomas Soucek – 6. The Czech midfielder helped to apply pressure on Arsenal’s defenders in the attacking third. EPA

Said Benrahma – 7. The 27-year-old converted from the spot to give his side the lead after having an earlier long shot saved. His pace and energy helped to drive his side forward. AFP

Lucas Paqueta – 6. The Brazilian produced some brilliant diagonal balls towards Antonio as he helped his side transition to attack on the counter from their own half. Reuters

Jarrod Bowen – 7. The English winger won his side a penalty after being clipped in the box, and this was backed up by some of his good crosses later in the game. AP

Michail Antonio – 7. The strong striker held the ball up well for his side as they transitioned from defence to attack quickly. He displayed a sharp first touch and had a few shots fired just wide of the goal. Getty

SUBS: Pablo Fornals (Soucek 77') – 6. His side lacked the possession needed to allow him to impact the game in attack, with his only chance being a well taken shot that was saved. PA

Divin Mubama (Antonio 86') – N/A. The young striker came on too late, barely touching the ball as his side admitted defeat. Reuters

The Hammers, who finished seventh last season, are down in 16th place, and manager David Moyes has called on his players to stand up and be counted.

"The manager is always responsible, but I've got to say, sometimes you’re looking at the players and saying ‘come on then, are you going to stand up and accept your mistake and what are you doing about it so it won’t happen again?’" Moyes said.

"So, we've got to make sure that we get back to that, being hard to play against and hard to beat, a bit more resilient away from home, because we have to start winning some games away from home."

West Ham are back in action on Friday with a home match against Brentford, while Arsenal travel to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.