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Sunday 9 August 2015

Arsenal 0-2 West Ham: New Season, Same Old Arsenal! Cech Endures Nightmare Emirates Debut

Kouyate rises high to beat summer signing Petr Cech to the ball and head the visitors into a 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute
And so it turns out, there is more to winning the title than signing a goalkeeper from the champions. Who would have thought it?
After spending £10million on Petr Cech from Chelsea, the optimism was high. When Arsene Wenger beat his nemesis Jose Mourinho in the FA Community Shield, it went a little higher still.
Arsenal had finished the last campaign in such terrific form, bagged another FA Cup and Wenger had preached about the value of continuity and cohesion through pre-season.


West Ham turned up, with a new manager and a new muscular presence, Cheikhou Kouyate and Mauro Zarate scored either side of half-time, and a very different mood descended upon the Emirates Stadium.
Old problems linger on. Vulnerable at the back, lacking punch up front with Alexis Sanchez and with the unquestionably gifted Mesut Ozil neutralised by a 16-year-old making his debut.
Then there was Cech...
It was not like this at Stamford Bridge, where his goal area was so well insulated.
Cech was exposed more times in 90 minutes than he would expect to be in a month at Chelsea, and yet he must hold up his hands and accept some of the responsibility for goals which were soaked in defensive sloppiness.
The first was a free-kick, well delivered by Dimitri Payet and converted by a firm header by Kouyate, who escaped Nacho Monreal with minimal effort.
When he clocked the danger, Cech charged 'Superman' style from goal but was beaten to the ball and left to flounder around on the turf, somewhere near the penalty spot, as the ball settled into his net.
For the second Arsenal struggled to take the ball from Aaron Cresswell and, when they did, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was easily dispossessed by Zarate.
No-one closed him down, so Zarate, ridiculed for his lack of fitness on loan at QPR last season, took aim from 20 yards and found Cech napping on his line.
The ball flashed inside the post as the 'keeper dived too late.
'Super, Super Slav…' and 'We're going to win the league' sang the West Ham fans. After their feeble surrender in the Europa League, no-one had predicted this.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger complains about a decision on the touchline during a goalless first half in north London

Arsenal 0-2 West Ham: Cheikhou Kouyate and Mauro Zarate on target as Petr Cech endures



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