Sky Sports pundit blown away by what Wan-Bissaka did to Calafiori in West Ham win
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was the standout performer for West Ham as they secured a crucial three points at the Emirates.
West Ham picked up only their second win under Graham Potter with a 1-0 victory away to Arsenal on Saturday afternoon (22 February) with their game plan working perfectly.
Potter opted to go with a back five for the Irons, in an attempt to subdue any attacking threat posed by the hosts and it did exactly that.
The Gunners failed to carve out any real goalscoring opportunities with the West Ham defence showcasing their solidity, with one man standing out in particular.
Wan-Bissaka impresses v Arsenal
Ever since arriving at the London Stadium, Wan-Bissaka has been a real positive in what has been a largely underwhelming campaign.
Even throughout the misery of the Julen Lopetegui days, his quality still shone through with Sky Sports pundit Dougie Critchley impressed with what he saw at the Emirates.
| Arsenal v West Ham (FotMob) | Assists | Duels (Won) | Dribbles (Completed) | Passes (% completion) |
| Aaron Wan-Bissaka | 1 | 14 (9) | 4 (3) | 20 (80%) |
Arsenal simply couldn’t get anything out of him throughout the clash, with his delightful cross resulting in the only goal of the game for West Ham.
Taking to X after the game, Critchley said: “Heavily criticised, often unfairly, during his time at Man United, Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s attacking game has exploded at West Ham.
“Only one defender (Ait-Nouri) has completed more dribbles in the League this season. He gave Calafiori a horrible time yesterday.
“Love a turnaround!”
With these levels of performances, West Ham appear to have made one of their best signings in recent years and credit is certainly due.
Potter must use momentum boost from Arsenal win
Since arriving in January, there have been some early concerns regarding Potter, though they may be curtailed if the Irons can replicate results like the one against Arsenal.
At this stage in the campaign, with little to play for, West Ham just need to build a strong foundation that they can work from starting next season to give themselves the best chance of success.
The quality is already there across the majority of the squad, but additions in the summer will be a necessity if they are to progress and get back to challenging for European qualification.
As for now, the aim has to be to finish the season as high as possible and give a good account of themselves after what was a dismal first half of the campaign.