Arsenal is still clear in the Premier League after two rounds. Coach Mikel Arteta’s team played a very mediocre game on Saturday-evening against fellow-city player West Ham United, but finally pulled out the win five minutes before time via substitute Eddie Nketiah: 2-1. The 21-year-old striker was in the field only eight minutes before he became match winner. Arsenal, together with Everton and Crystal Palace, will lead England for the time being; West Ham is in the relegation zone after the second defeat in a row.

Arsenal won last week on the opening game day 0-3 from Fulham, while West Ham lost in-house 0-2 to Newcastle United. The Gunners the game started as a huge favorite, but the difference on the field was minimal. Arsenal’s position play was mediocre and West Ham hardly got into trouble. Nevertheless, the home side managed to find an opening in the defense in the middle of the first half. The Hammers: Alexandre Lacazette made it 1-0 with his head after a cross from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s left.

After half an hour of playing soccer, Arsenal seemed to escape a penalty kick. Gabriel Magalhães got the ball in his own sixteen unlucky on the arm, but arbiter Michael Oliver and the video referee (VAR) did not think it necessary to put the ball on the dot. West Ham nonetheless got better and better in the game, forcing an equaliser in the last minute of the first half. The David Moyes team set up an excellent attack, after which Michael Antonio tapped a low cross from Ryan Fredericks in the opening goal: 1-1.

Shortly after the break, Antonio was close to his second goal of the evening, but the striker was just short to complete a cross by Arthur Masuaku. Arsenal played dramatically and escaped again halfway through the second half: an Antonio header landed on the bar. Bernd Leno blundered into the rebound by releasing the ball, but then made up for his mistake by turning a bet from Jarrod Bowen with his feet. In the last twenty minutes Arsenal looked for a winning goal, but Arteta’s team looked uninspiring and seemed to have to settle for a point. In the 85th minute, however, Nketiah shot Arsenal to the rescue after Dani Ceballos laid the ball aside unselfishly.