Coufal given a harsh red, West Ham fall to Arsenal

Arsenal won their home game against West Ham 2-0 thanks to goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith-Rowe. Czech international Vladimír Coufal was shown a red card.

Granit Xhaka had the first chance of the match in the tenth minute, but from a direct kick he only hit the wall. The first thirty minutes did not offer much of interest, in the 28th minute Gabriel Martinelli and Alexandre Lacazette fired, but both attempts were blocked by the visiting defence.

The Hammers responded in the 35th minute when Pablo Fornals narrowly missed the back post. Five minutes later Kieran Tierney had a goal on his hands, but Lukasz Fabianski flashed an excellent save.

Then the Polish goalkeeper also cleared a shot from Lacazette, with Martinelli’s finish blocked by Craig Dawson.

After the change of sides, the score was already changing. In the 48th minute, Lacazette found Martinelli and he sent the ball to the back post. In the 53rd minute, Jarrod Bowen almost equalised but Aaron Ramsdale made a great save.

In the 67th minute, a double penalty for the visitors. Vladimir Coufal fouled Lacazette in the whitewash and the referee awarded a penalty. The Czech international also saw a second yellow card and the match ended prematurely for him.

The tackle itself was on the edge of the box as Coufal hit the ball first. He did not understand the referee’s decision. The ball was then taken by the fouled Lacazette, only for Fabianski to confirm his great form with a successful save.

The Gunners then had several opportunities to break the match definitively, but West Ham’s stoppers continued to take shots. It wasn’t until the 88th minute that Emile Smith-Rowe took advantage of a breakaway chance with a shot to the near post.

Source: Premier League