There are 5 West Ham stars who give Arsenal every reason to be hopeful of a last day title win this weekend.
You hear a lot about integrity in sport and particularly in the Premier League.
It is the foundation of what has made English football great over the years.
Arsenal will be hoping there is plenty of it on show when West Ham go to Manchester City on Sunday.
Many Arsenal fans will feel there was a complete lack of it when their bitter rivals Tottenham played City on Tuesday night.
Spurs fans cheering Man City scoring and conspiracy theories about Son Heung-min’s desire to score when through one-on-one late on with the score at 1-0.
The 2-0 win for Pep Guardiola’s side means Arsenal must beat Everton at home on Sunday and hope West Ham can do them the biggest of favours at the Etihad.
Traditionally West Ham and Arsenal have never shared any big rivalry. Helped of course by a mutual dislike of the other team from north London.
But the £105m deal which took Declan Rice from West Ham to Arsenal has created one of sorts.
Hammers fans have been goaded by some of their Gunners counterparts over the capture of Rice on a weekly basis.
Rice said he left West Ham so he could compete for and win the biggest titles.
So there is a delicious irony that West Ham now hold that very title in their hands.
5 West Ham stars give Arsenal every reason to be hopeful
Unfortunately for Arsenal the signs aren’t good.
West Ham are already on the beach, have nothing but pride to play for and David Moyes has already had his big send-off.
The Hammers have a woeful defensive record in the Premier League this season, shipping 71 goals so far – their worst ever.
And Man City have won 13 of the last 16 league meetings between the two sides, with three draws.
Many West Ham fans won’t want to see Rice lifting the Premier League title with Arsenal.
But the rivalry is nowhere near as intense as that shared with Tottenham, so there is hope for the Gunners.
Especially as Arsenal only need West Ham to draw in order for them to take the title on goal difference.
The way Man City’s players and manager celebrated the win over Spurs suggests they think the job is done.
That tells you exactly what they think about playing West Ham on Sunday.
It was bordering on disrespect. But Man City have the record against the Hammers – and indeed most teams – to back up their arrogance.
There are 5 West Ham stars who give Arsenal every reason to be hopeful of a last day title win, though.
Jarrod Bowen
One of the best players in the Premier League this season, Jarrod Bowen is always a threat.
Bowen makes West Ham tick and has always stated his huge respect for Moyes, meaning he will want to send the Scot off on a high.
Bowen is looking to add to the 20 goals and 10 assists which have made him a serious contender for the England squad at the Euros.
He knows Gareth Southgate will be watching closely so Arsenal fans can rest assured there will be no let up at all from Bowen, who is good friends with Rice.
Mohammed Kudus
West Ham’s Ghanaian star boy Mohammed Kudus has been an absolute revelation at the club.
He is the only player in Europe’s top five leagues to have completed over 100 take-ons this season. Kudus also broke the Premier League record for the most take-ons in one game against Chelsea a few weeks ago.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and his players may like to hear that Kudus is very much due a goal. He has been playing like a man on a mission recently, taking on all-comers. With him and Bowen in the side West Ham are always a threat, especially on the counter attack.
Lucas Paqueta
West Ham’s Brazilian has not been so magnifico in recent months.
Many West Ham fans believe Lucas Paqueta has been coasting ahead of an expected move to Man City this summer.
But his poor performances have seen some question whether Guardiola will still want to sign him.
So Paqueta could well be auditioning for that move at the Etihad and that might not be a bad thing for Arsenal as everyone knows what the playmaker is capable of on his day.
By the same token does he really want to rock up at the Etihad as the man who cost his new team the title?
Alphonse Areola
One thing that is absolutely certain on Sunday is that West Ham will have very little of the ball and number one goalkeeper Alphonse Areola will be the busiest man on the pitch.
The good news for the Gunners is that the France ‘keeper is one of the best shot stoppers in Europe.
Areola has been one of West Ham’s top performers all season and was in the running for the club’s Hammer of the Year award.
That went to Bowen – much to the disappointment of Areola and his wife it seems.
If there is goalkeeper capable of single-handedly getting his team a draw or win then it’s big cat Areola.
He has pulled off an insane number of saves in single games this season and has featured in nearly every one of the Premier League’s save of the month votes.
Michail Antonio
More good news for Arsenal comes in the shape of Michail Antonio. The burly striker is back to something like his best of late.
He has been scoring and impacting games in the way he used to.
Antonio recently admitted his latest injury lay-off back in November made him appreciate football again.
The 34-year-old is also playing for his future with a new manager coming in.
He can give the best of defenders a tough time on his day and, like Kudus and Bowen, is a big threat on the counter attack.
Having said all of that, the grim news for Arsenal is that West Ham’s team simply isn’t functioning defensively this season.
And Konstatinos Mavropanos is expected to be missing again.
So while these five Hammers stars give the Gunners hope, it’s perhaps best not to get those hopes up too much.