Arsenal vs West Ham LIVE: Premier League updates, latest team news, lineups TV, prediction

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Evening Standard

·22 février 2025

Arsenal vs West Ham LIVE: Premier League updates, latest team news, lineups TV, prediction

Gunners bid to cut Liverpool lead to five points in title race

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

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Arsenal face West Ham looking to turn up the pressure on title rivals Liverpool. After Liverpool were held to a draw at Aston Villa on Wednesday, Arsenal can cut their lead at the top of the Premier League to five points before the leaders travel to Manchester City on Sunday.

The Gunners are missing a number of key attacking players due to injury but Mikel Arteta knows this is a huge opportunity for his side as they bid to hunt down Liverpool. On what could be a big day in the title race, Arteta has made a big decision and started Mikel Merino as a makeshift striker after his two goals off the bench at Leicester last weekend.

West Ham have managed just one win in five Premier League games since Graham Potter took over last month and the Hammers have been weakened by the loss of star man Lucas Paqueta, who suffered an ankle injury in training this week. Follow the game LIVE below with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog!

Live updates

2 minutes ago

Dom Smith at Emirates Stadium

It's certainly a brave move from Arteta to change tack again and select Mikel Merino up front, but there is certainly good reason for the decision.

Merino was the hero off the bench in a 21-minute cameo against Leicester last weekend, and his all-round game was impressive for a player so unused to playing in the attack, let alone as a focal-point No9.

Keeping Leandro Trossard in the team perhaps allows some positional flexibility between himself and Merino, but the Spaniard will be the main man.

Having made it count off the bench, now to do so from the start this afternoon.

10 minutes ago

For West Ham, 19-year-old Ollie Scarles makes his first Premier League start.

His only previous start for the Hammers came in the FA Cup.

James Ward-Prowse also comes into the team for his first West Ham start of the season, having returned from his loan spell at Nottingham Forest.

17 minutes ago

So Mikel Merino starts as a makeshift striker for Arsenal.

Merino scored two goals off the bench as an emergency frontman at Leicester last weekend and comes into the Arsenal team in place of Raheem Sterling, who drops to the bench.

Mikel Arteta has made two changes from the team that beat Leicester.

Riccardo Calafiori comes in at left-back, with Myles Lewis-Skelly dropping to the bench.

23 minutes ago

Merino starts for Arsenal

Arsenal XI: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Nwaneri, Trossard, Merino

Subs: Neto, White, Tierney, Lewis-Skelly, Zinchenko, Kiwior, Jorginho, Butler-Oyedeji, Sterling.

West Ham XI: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Cresswell, Scarles, Ward-Prowse, Soucek, Alvarez, Bowen, Kudus

Subs: Fabianski, Soler, Mavropanos, Guilherme, Ings, Rodriguez, Emerson, Ferguson, Irving

34 minutes ago

Team news is coming up from Emirates Stadium in the next 10 minutes.

Mikel Merino is on the cover of today's programme, so will he start?

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

43 minutes ago

Arteta surprised by Nwaneri

Ethan Nwaneri is likely to have a key role to play for Arsenal this afternoon.

The 17-year-old has shone in recent weeks and Mikel Arteta says he is developing faster than Arsenal expected.

“It (Nwaneri’s development) is probably much faster than we all expected,” said Arteta.

“I think what is surprising is probably the confidence and his decision-making, especially in ball possession.

“The risks that he takes, the initiative that he takes and how clever he is about ‘ok, what is the situation? If somebody is more open’. I love that in a player and now he needs to do it consistently, every three days.”

Arteta says Arsenal want to give Nwaneri the freedom to express himself on the pitch.

“For sure,” said Arteta. “Especially a player with that talent.

“Get him very, very far from thinking mode, let him express himself. Put him in the environment, put him in the context that he can exploit his qualities as often as he possibly can, surrounded by players that fit his qualities.

“There are certain duties in a collective sport that you have to be able to do, and do with the right timing as well. Because that is essential, especially in football.

“But then they have the freedom to express their creativity within certain spaces, with certain connections that are developed within the team. That are thought and agreed to improve a player’s qualities.”

52 minutes ago

Arsenal cruised to victory the last time they play West Ham.

In the reverse fixture at the London Stadium in November, the Gunners scored five goals in the first half.

1 hour ago

White return leaves Arteta with Arsenal selection dilemma

Now Ben White is fit again, Mikel Arteta has a selection headache over who to start at right-back.

Jurrien Timber has been one of Arsenal’s most consistent performers and can play on the other flank.

Simon Collings assesses the selection dilemma facing Arteta here.

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

1 hour ago

Antonio could make astonishing West Ham return

Some really positive news out of West Ham after it emerged Michail Antonio could be back training with his team-mates next month, in what could be an astonishing recovery from the car crash on December 7 that left him with a broken leg.

It was initially feared Antonio might never play again. But he has been in light training in Dubai and could even return to action this season.

Providing an update on Antonio this week, Graham Potter said: “He’s recovering. He’s been in Dubai and it’s been good for him to get that work in.

“He’s not at that level of kicking a ball yet. It’s just a case of slowly getting back on the pitch in probably a slightly warmer environment than our training ground here in February.”

Asked when he could be back training with the squad, Potter said: “I wouldn’t be thinking anything this side of the international break for sure.”

And what about a Premier League return this season?

Potter said: “I wouldn’t want to put any time on it because it’s not fair on him. We just take it day-by-day and see.”

Getty Images

1 hour ago

Arteta: Arsenal ‘really need’ Sterling

Mikel Arteta has called on Raheem Sterling to rediscover his form to ensure Arsenal keep the pressure on Liverpool in the title race.

Injuries to Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli leaves only Leandro Trossard, Ethan Nwaneri and Sterling as the recognised forwards available.

Sterling has started just four league matches and scored only once this season - in a Carabao Cup win against Bolton at the Emirates in September.

But asked if Sterling could still have a big impact on Arsenal's campaign, Arteta said: “He has to have it because we really need him.

“Raheem is so experienced, and like many other players, we know that what you did yesterday is not whether it was really good or not. That could be relevant to the next game, to the next action. He's fully focused, he's trained really well this week, and he is ready to go again.”