Arsenal fans are notorious for their sleuthing capabilities and as the training pictures from this week’s sessions at London Colney a whole host of Twitter PIs all noticed the exact same thing.
As it was a tight hamstring meant that Arsenal were going to be without one of their most important players this season, creating plenty of concern going into the game among the same supporters who had spotted it days prior.
They needn’t have been though as Rob Holding was ready and waiting.
Whenever he’s been called upon this season – which he would probably admit is nowhere near as much as he would have liked – Holding has been ready, and on just his second start since January the 26-year-old was as switched on as ever.
Holding won all six of his aerial duels on the day – no mean feat when you consider that Michail Antonio was on the pitch for the last 20 minutes.
He also produced a goal saving block from Said Benrahma to prevent Arsenal from going behind, which when you consider the Gunners have only come back from a deficit to win once this season, cannot be understated in terms of performance.
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Had you not known which of the two Arsenal centre backs on the day had made just six starts all season in the Premier League you probably would have been forgiven for thinking that it was Gabriel, rather than the former Bolton man.
Speaking after the game Mikel Arteta reiterated his gushing praise of Holding’s profesionalism in the face of limited opportunities this year.
The Arsenal fans were also full of admiration for the centre back singing the now increasingly common tune of “He’s better than Cannavaro” as the Gunners players came over at the full time whistle to celebrate just the right amount.
“I haven’t heard that song!” the Arsenal boss said.
“Let’s not compare. Rob Holding is really good being Rob Holding and he needs to be really happy with what he’s done today for the team.” He famously may not have cost £50 million, but if he helps his team qualify for the Champions League then he could be worth even more to the Gunners.
Much like with Rob Holding, people have had their doubts about Eddie Nketiah.
The 22-year-old has had sporadic chances in the Arsenal team, but has only really ever seemed to deliver against lower quality opposition.
Thrust into the side for crucial games against Chelsea, Manchester United and now West Ham, he is starting to slowly turn plenty around.
On top of that though, the England under-21 international was a threat in transition, running into the channels and acting as a release valve to some of the intense pressure that the Arsenal backline was under in the second half.
It is this variation in his game that sets Nketiah apart from Alexandre Lacazette, and you get the feeling he will keep the Frenchman out of the starting line up in the remaining four games of the season.
With each passing game he is maturing, and there is now even a bit of needle to the 22-year-old’s game as evidenced by his late scrap with Declan Rice and Aaron Cresswell.
There are still some things that aren’t perfect in his game.
It begs the question whether Arsenal are making a mistake letting him go if this is what he’s shown he can do when his request for a run in the team is finally met.
Nketiah will still likely leave North London this summer in the knowledge that the Gunners are planning on bringing in a striker who could well be Gabriel Jesus.
After nearly five months, it was great to see Takehiro Tomiyasu back in the starting line up for the trip to West Ham.
Almost instantly you were reminded of what he offers to the team as the Japanese international won an early aerial duel to set Arsenal off on the counter attack.
It’s speaks volumes that Said Benrahma was practically anonymous in the game, and the one time the Algerian was able to pull away, Tomiyasu simply used the extra gear of pace he has in his back pocket to catch up and smother him.
The Japan defender ended the game with three clearances, three tackles and one interception, and just seemed to put everyone at ease with his solidity down the right flank.
When Arsenal win you can look back and laugh at how crazy a player Nuno Tavares is to watch.
There were times in the second half where the Portuguese full back would burst away from West Ham defenders with his blistering pace in transition, only to wildly misplace his final ball.
The 22-year-old’s laid back approach to defensive positioning is always likely to cost the Gunners at one point in a game, and on Sunday it came in the build up to the Hammers‘ goal.
As Declan Rice ‘s switch dropped to Vladimir Coufal, Tavares ambled over seemingly in slow motion to allow the Czech full back to put in the cross that Jarrod Bowen eventually turned home.
This prompted a furious reaction from Rob Holding who instantly yelled “Nuno” before thrusting his hands together to indicate that the left back should have been over to press Coufal far more intensely.
Thankfully after the game Mikel Arteta was able to reveal that the problem was not as serious as it appeared.
With tight games like this one likely to be a regular feature between now and the end of the season, having someone with the defensive solidity of Tomiyasu is going to be invaluable.
His trustworthyness at the back does also provide an important platform for Tavares to get forward and support the attack.
Still though the stylistic contrast between Arsenal’s current two starting full backs remains an amusingly bizarre oddity.
While Arsenal’s last two matches have been barnstorming, box office bonanzas, this game was not one for the neutral.
Having failed to really create too many chances through patterns of play, Arsenal’s two goals came from corner routines worked out the training ground.
Edu and the board have received plenty of praise for the success of bringing in Odegaard, Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Nuno Tavares and Albert Sambi Lokonga, but snapping up set piece coach Nicolas Jover from Manchester City may have been the best business of the bunch.
Set piece goals alone have been worth a whopping 16 points for Arsenal this season.
For a team that lacks a clinical edge up top they are a hugely important way to gain advantages in games, and the fact that the Gunners are still yet to concede from a corner this season is indicative of how crucial they’ve been at the other end of the pitch too.
“It’s a process, a process that the players are really involved in,” said Mikel Arteta when asked about improvements from dead ball scenarios earlier in the season.
“They know that attacking and defending is vital in the game and they are so decisive and treat them like what they are. It’s another big part of the game and when they help you to win matches, it’s really important.” The Spaniard is not wrong, and that summer transfer may well be the most important one of his managerial career.