Arsene Wenger refused to single out goalkeeper Petr Cech as being at fault for the goals conceded during Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to West Ham.
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West Ham United midfielder Reece Oxford, who became his club’s youngest ever first-team player on Sunday, said he was rejected by Tottenham Hotspur before he joined the Hammers at the under-13 level. He failed to deal with Dimitri Payet’s free kick in the build-up to Cheikhou Kouyate’s header before being beaten at his near post by Mauro Zarate’s low strike.
West Ham’s win echoed Aston Villa’s 3-1 success at the Emirates on the first day of the 2013-14 campaign and enabled Slaven Bilic to crown his first league game as manager with a famous victory.
Following an impressive pre-season and victory over Chelsea for the FA Cup holders in the Community Shield at Wembley, hopes had grown Wenger’s men could again mount a long-overdue sustained challenge for the title. “It is good, he was great, so me being compared to him is an honour really“.
However Cech, who moved to the north London outfit following his transfer from Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea earlier this summer, is unfazed by his forgettable league debut for Gunners and is raring to make amends. Before the season started, they were one of the favourites to win it and they still can do that.
Bilic said: “No matter what you do the players have to believe in your work”. This is a very good start for us’. “That’s reality now. It’s a massive loss for us because we had great confidence and now it’s time for us to settle down, stay healthy and look forward to next Sunday”.
“The best player might be sitting in the stands this afternoon, even if I do say so myself”. We talked the night before but it wasn’t like, “let’s sit in a dark room, I have to tell you something Reece, you’re going to play“. I expect more from him and boss games.
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But West Ham, knocked out of the Europa League in the third qualifying round by Romanian side Astra Giurgiu on Thursday, snatched the lead in the 43rd minute when Kouyate made the most of Cech’s error of judgement.
