Arsenal takes all three points against a dogged West Ham United.
It was not the most entertaining game and there was some frustrating moments to be sure but a win is a win and the three points are priceless in the battle to claim an unlikely Champions League spot.
West Ham was tough all game and they never gave up, they fought for every ball and could have easily grabbed a goal, however, while this was certainly not a vintage Arsenal performance it was a sturdy one.
There was a lack of energy in the first half and too often West Ham was allowed to get into some threatening positions and you just knew early on that this would be a battle of attrition.
And so it proved to be and it was Arsenal that came out on top, a goal that was confirmed by VAR after yet another prolonged and unnecessary delay.
Alexandre Lacazette was the beneficiary and his belated celebrations showed how much the goal meant to him.
West Ham kept on pushing forward and a combination of poor finishing and some Bernd Leno shot-stopping kept the visitors at bay.
There is still a lot of work that Mikel Arteta has to do with this squad but when you can claim a win when you are not playing at your best then that in itself is still progress.
There were some disappointing performances and the team could certainly have played better but it really was one of those games where either team could have won and persistence and resilience were going to be the difference and Arsenal had that more than the Hammers today.
