Nketiah shows Arsenal what they lacked

Eddie Nketiah did not score but he did pretty much everything else; running in behind, coming short to hold the ball up, hustling, harrying and generally making a nuisance of himself.

It was Arsenal's defensive resilience that pulled them through at the London Stadium on Sunday but the 2-1 win over West Ham owed just as much to Nketiah's all-round performance. "The best player on the pitch," said Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness.

By the end, the 22-year-old had taken more shots, attempted more passes, had more touches and made more ball recoveries than Alexandre Lacazette has managed in any game all season.

A player who had gone a year without starting a Premier League fixture before Arsenal's trip to Southampton three weeks ago suddenly looks key to their hopes of securing a top-four finish.

What happens beyond that remains to be seen. Nketiah is fast approaching the end of his contract at Arsenal and the club have so far been unsuccessful in their attempts to tie him to a new one.

What's certain, though, is that he is making an invaluable contribution in the here and now.

His double against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge provided the spark for Arsenal's recent resurgence and his display on the other side of London on Sunday was arguably even better.

Nketiah's willingness to stretch West Ham's defence gave Arsenal a "different dimension", according to Jamie Redknapp, one which was most evident during the second half, when West Ham were chasing the game and Arsenal were looking for opportunities to break.

Nketiah was up against a formidable opponent in Kurt Zouma but he caused the West Ham centre-back major problems, timing his runs in behind intelligently and showing speed, strength and composure to carry the ball forward