Typical Arsenal: Arsene Wenger’s side look like title winners only when it’s too late

With thoughts of a title challenge faded, the European challenge fizzling out and all that is left to play for is qualification for next season’s Uefa Champions League, Arsenal have come into their own.

Olivier Giroud, left, got things started for Arsenal, scoring the first goal in their 3-0 victory over West Ham United. John Sibley / Reuters

LONDON // There are few things more seductive than Arsenal at this stage of the season.

When thoughts of a title challenge have faded, the European challenge has (probably) fizzled out and all there is to play for is qualification for next season's Uefa Champions League, Arsenal come into their own.

This victory was their fifth in a row and cemented them in third in the Premier League, six points clear of Liverpool in fifth, who play at Swansea City on Monday.

There is even, almost unthinkably, an outside chance they could reel in Chelsea and mount an implausible title challenge, although the leaders are six points clear with two games in hand.

Second-placed City, 1 point ahead, perhaps represent a more likely target.

Realistically, though, everybody knows this is simply the same pattern repeating, Arsenal producing the late-season surge that means they keep the Champions League revenues flowing and ensure the new season starts with a sense of optimism.

Even Arsene Wenger seemed to be pursuing that line when he was asked if Arsenal are in the title race.

“Not at the moment,” he said.

“But we just can keep going. We have won eight of the last nine and we are stronger today than we were at the start of the season.

“The players understand each other better than six seven months ago and that makes everybody more dangerous.”

This was a comfortable enough victory, goals arriving towards the end of each half just as a sense of anxiety might have been starting to build.

“Overall, it was a good performance,” Wenger said. “In the first half, we created many chances but couldn’t score.

“In the second half, coming out of dressing room, I thought that we were a bit short of energy and West Ham were on top for a period.”

In that sense this was typical Arsenal. They were neat and purposeful.

Had it not been for the wastefulness of Theo Walcott, still rusty as he continues his rehabilitation, and the excellence of Adrian in the West Ham United goal – his string of saves made all the more remarkable by the fact he dislocated a finger in the warm-up – they could have had the match won by the break.

Their pressure did tell eventually, though, Olivier Giroud finishing off an intricate move with a superb finish in first-half injury time.

“It was the sort of goal we like to score,” Wenger said. “A fantastic goal – the consequence of a fantastic combination just before and on top of that the finishing was great.”

The rhythm Arsenal had built up was rather disrupted by the break, but West Ham, ravaged by injury and having won just one of their last 12 games, rarely looked as though they had the wherewithal to take advantage.

Tellingly, Sam Allardyce did not attend the post-match news conference, sending his assistant Neil McDonald. “He’s trying to pick the players up and angry at conceding the two goals towards the end,” McDonald said.

Aaron Ramsey made the game safe with nine minutes remaining following a smart one-two with Giroud, and the big forward was involved in the build-up to the third, releasing Santi Cazorla to cross for his fellow substitute Mathieu Flamini to score.

Giroud was excellent, as he has been in every game he has played since his dismal display against Monaco, and he will presumably start in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Even his form, though, feels like part of the old pattern: Arsenal dismissing the lower two-thirds of the Premier League without ever being able to impose themselves on the best sides or under the heaviest pressure.

This was a job competently done, but what happens as they look to overhaul a 3-1 first-leg deficit in Monaco will be far more significant.

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