Arteta gave Arsenal 'a shouting and telling off' to inspire win at West Ham, admits Holding

Mikel Arteta gave his Arsenal side “a shouting and telling off” at half-time during a Premier League meeting with West Ham, Rob Holding has revealed, with some harsh truths helping to inspire a much-needed 2-1 victory.

The Gunners made the short trip from north to east London for their latest top-flight fixture knowing that three points would allow them to cement a standing inside the Champions League qualification spots.

Holding’s first Premier League goal put them on their way, but Jarrod Bowen levelled shortly before the interval to leave Arteta demanding a response that saw Gabriel Magalhaes grab a match winner in the 54th minute.

Holding has stopped short of revealing exactly what was said in the Arsenal dressing room against West Ham, but admits that Arteta briefly lost his cool as derby tensions began to rise.

The Gunners defender has told Arsenal Media: “We were a bit disappointed to concede that coming in just before half time.

“It would have been nice to go in 1-0, but he [Arteta] gave us all a shouting and telling off and we came out and looked more like a team and played how he wanted to play.”

One step closer. pic.twitter.com/4WuuNYyqtP

Holding helped Arsenal to three welcome points at the London Stadium, with the 26-year-old defender breaking his Premier League goal duck at the 81st time of asking.

He has been teased over that record, along with his new hair, and is becoming something of a cult hero to Gunners supporters.

They were happy to join in with the fun against West Ham, with those in the stands jokingly calling for a man that played from the start to fill his usual impact role from the bench as Arteta’s men dug deep to secure a narrow success.

“Yeah, the fans were calling to bring Rob Holding on,