West Ham went into half-time level with Arsenal after surviving an opening 30 minutes of relentless pressure from Mikel Arteta’s side at the London Stadium. It was backs-to-the-wall stuff for long periods as the Gunners dominated territory, possession and attacking momentum, but the Hammers gradually grew into the contest and finished the half looking far more threatening.
Nuno clearly set his team up to stay compact and frustrate Arsenal rather than engage in an open contest. From the very first minute, it was obvious West Ham were prioritising territory over possession, with Mads Hermansen launching long kicks downfield rather than attempting to play through Arsenal’s press.
That approach almost unravelled early on as the visitors repeatedly targeted West Ham’s right flank. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was under constant pressure while Jean-Clair Todibo and Konstantinos Mavropanos were both dragged into emergency defending during a difficult opening spell.
West Ham survive Arsenal onslaught
The Hammers owed a huge debt to Mavropanos during the first half after the Greek defender produced a goal-saving block on the line following more dangerous Arsenal pressure. Hermansen also came to the rescue with a point-blank save from Leandro Trossard after West Ham needlessly conceded possession from poor defending.
For long periods, West Ham simply could not get out. Crysencio Summerville was barely involved during the opening 20 minutes while Taty Castellanos looked painfully isolated up front, often finding himself defending deeper than attacking.
Castellanos also flirted with danger after picking up a needless yellow card before continuing to angrily remonstrate with the referee, briefly raising fears he could talk himself into even more trouble.
Signs of life before the break
However, the game slowly began to change after the half-hour mark. Summerville started carrying the ball with more confidence while Mateus Fernandes finally managed to break Arsenal’s lines with an outstanding long-range pass towards Wan-Bissaka.
Jarrod Bowen also began finding pockets of space and linked nicely with Summerville as West Ham finally managed to relieve some pressure.
And right before half-time, the Hammers almost stole the lead when Castellanos forced David Raya into action with a diving header from an excellent Wan-Bissaka delivery.
After spending much of the half under siege, West Ham suddenly headed into the break looking like they might just have a route back into this game.