'Just look': BBC pundit spotted what Arsenal's players did after Gabriel headed in winner at West Ham

By Lee Connor

Arsenal kept their Champions League hopes firmly alive as they held on to beat West Ham United 2-1 today.

The Gunners had to battle their way through a tough 90 minutes but did enough to win the three points thanks to goals from defensive duo Rob Holding and Gabriel Magalhaes. With the pressure being on after Tottenham’s win earlier in the day, it was exactly what Mikel Arteta would have been looking for.

Watching the game for the BBC was former Arsenal man, Matt Upson. And he was quick to pick up on the reaction of Arsenal’s players right after Gabriel had headed past Lukasz Fabianski.

“Just look at the celebrations from the Arsenal fans and players. They know how big a game this is for their Champions League hopes. West Ham had gone to sleep; Gabriel stays at the back post and as the cross comes in, he arrives,” Upson said on BBC Five Live.

“It isn’t a great header; it is straight at Fabianski. It hits him on the knee and goes into the roof of the net.”

For West Ham, the focus will now shift soley to their Europa League semi-final clash. As for Arsenal, the dream of getting in the top four remains firmly alive. Indeed, the Gunners could even catch up with Chelsea, who sit just three points ahead.

TBR’s View: Arsenal Players Showed Bottle At West Ham

Arsenal have been labelled a soft touch more than once in the past but today they showed just why they are fighting for the top four.

The Gunners battled hard for the win and showed they can win in difficult circumstances when the pressure is on. Players like Holding, Gabriel, and Xhaka all did well in that respect, while Aaron Ramsdale made a crucial save as well.

Arsenal can easily make the top four, albeit the game with Spurs gets bigger by the day.