Arsenal players ‘have been a bit low’ recently – Ljungberg

Freddie Ljungberg says it “means so much” to the Arsenal players after they beat West Ham 3-1 at the London Stadium on Monday night.

The Gunners looked on course for yet another defeat as they fell behind to a fortunate Angelo Ogbonna goal at the London Stadium – but they rallied after the break to record a fairly comfortable victory.

It was the first win under the guidance of interim head coach Ljungberg, who was rewarded for starting Gabriel Martinelli and Nicolas Pepe as both got on the scoresheet before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang added the third.

“It means so much for the players,” Ljungberg told Sky Sports.

“They have been living under enormous pressure and you see it in their performances. I could feel West Ham getting tired and our passing getting crisper. The boys did amazing.

“The players responded to the early setbacks and dealt with it. We tried to play and the boys stepped up in the second half. They worked so hard and that’s something we talked about.

“This is down to the players. I’m just there to guide them.

“You can see the players have been a bit low and you see in the dressing room the relief and how happy they are. We enjoy tonight and we continue working tomorrow. We have to work on our belief – that was the difference.

“It’s a great feeling and it’s a lot better to win than lose. We shouldn’t get carried away.”

On goalscorer Pepe, Ljungberg added: “Nicolas is an amazing footballer. It’s not easy to come here from the French league. He worked his socks off and he will get better and better.”