The midfielder became the second-youngest player to start a Premier League match on Sunday and made the most of his opportunity, as Petr Cech endured a top-flight debut to forget for Arsenal.
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West Ham defender Winston Reid has saluted his side’s 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium today and warned the Hammers can get even better.
After barely misplacing a pass and earning the free kick from which West Ham went ahead, Oxford, who was given a standing ovation after being replaced in the 79th minute, could barely stop smiling.
The layers say the Gunners are the surest thing this weekend on the Premier League coupon at no bigger than 3/10 but all the pre-season optimism now ends and cold, hard results are required. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain provided at least some pace and urgency but the West Ham defence was entirely comfortable until the later stages, when the hosts chucked in the kitchen sink as well as Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott.
“You are never surprised in the Premier League“.
Petr Cech insists he will come back stronger after dropping a howler in his first Premier League appearance for Arsenal.
West Ham claimed their first victory over the Gunners in 8-years and it took them 16 attempts to do it. Arsenal FC failed to live up to their billing of title contenders.
Ten minutes after the restart, Giroud ripped an angled shot into the side-netting and, shortly afterwards, the Frenchman let fly with a low effort that Adrian gratefully gathered at the base of his left-hand post. After nearly giving his new side the lead with a 25-yard strike, the French playmaker played a part in the goal as his free-kick drew Cech off his line for Kouyate to head into an empty net. Slaven Bilic’s energetic West Ham ensured an early-season sleepless night at the Wenger household after downing the Gunners 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsene Wenger tells his team’s news site that it is critical to come with a big win in week one. We gave ourselves a mountain to climb.
The youngster continues a proud tradition of youth development and is a ball-playing centre-back who can also operate in midfield. We just put Reece in the team because I wanted to combine this game between him and Kevin Nolan.
The boss said, “I couldn’t ask for a better preparation”.
West Ham, meanwhile, come into this clash on the back of a loss to Astra in their Europa League qualifier on Thursday evening.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, who along with Adam Lallana and Jordon Ibe was one of six Englishmen in the starting XI, said: “I always had belief in our forward players to create chances, we have that much quality”.
“On top of that, I feel we gave two very cheap goals away”.
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“We also wanted a player who can turn and make good passes and we picked him because he has got it all – he is tall, he is strong, he can run, he is quick, he can head a ball and is good in a duel, he can pass the ball and he can turn”.
