Vladimir Coufal: West Ham found way to hurt Arsenal in draw that dents title bid

Mon, 17 Apr, 2023 - 13:29

By Andy Sims, PA

Vladimir Coufal revealed West Ham found a way to “hurt” Arsenal after putting another dent in their Premier League title bid.

The Hammers, still embroiled in the relegation battle, fell two goals behind against the leaders after just 10 minutes.

But Said Benrahma’s penalty and Jarrod Bowen’s volley – either side of a missed spot-kick by Bukayo Saka – secured an unlikely 2-2 draw as the Gunners slipped up in the title race again.

West Ham United v Chelsea – Premier League – London Stadium — Vladimir Coufal helped West Ham snatch a point. Photo: Mike Egerton/PA.

“It was an unbelievable team performance,” said Czech right-back Coufal.

“We were 2-0 down against one of the best teams in the world and it’s finished 2-2 so I am very grateful for every person from our team.

“We were 2-0 down with nothing to lose and there was one situation where we pressed them and suddenly the crowd pushed us. We turned the game, we scored and we were pushing, pushing, pushing.

“Suddenly, we were 2-2 and it was perfect. From this situation we found it is possible to play against them, it is possible to press them, it is possible to hurt them. We did it and we have to play like this from the beginning.

Pure tension 😬 pic.twitter.com/9IIBnTcsoG

— Premier League (@premierleague) April 17, 2023

“For us, it’s very important that we’re not in the relegation zone. We go step-by-step, game-by-game.

“It’s important we are four points clear but we have to keep going like this until the end of the season.”

Goals from Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard had put Arsenal in control but for the second game running they blew a 2-0 lead, having been pegged back at Liverpool last weekend.

Their lead at the top of the table is now down to four points over Manchester City, who have a game in hand.

West Ham United v Arsenal – Premier League – London Stadium — Bukayo Saka fired his penalty wide. Photo: Adam Davy/PA.

“Once again, the three points were in our hands,” Jesus told the club website.

“Obviously the game is 90 minutes, it’s not 20. As a team, we have to raise the level and come back to our principles.

“We know our strength, we know what we can do. Where we want to attack the opponent, in the first 10 to 20 minutes we did so good, after that we dropped our level and that obviously cannot happen if you want to fight for the title.”