Theo Walcott's Goal Made the West Ham Keeper Look Like Bill Buckner

Theo Walcott came to the rescue Thursday for Arsenal against West Ham. Walcott scored twice in the second half to put the Gunners up 2-1 following a surprise goal from Carlton Cole. Walcott doesn’t score a ton for Arsenal, but when he does he has the habit of doing it in bunches.

Walcott’s first goal made West Ham’s Spanish keeper Adrian look a lot like a baseball fielder booting a ground ball. Maybe it took a slight deflection, or perhaps the keeper anticipated the ball hitting a leg instead of coming clean through on it. It was a tough break for Adrian, who’d made a fine double-save earlier in the second half which kept the game scoreless at the time.

If Arsenal — now ahead 3-1 with 10 minutes to play — hold on to take all three points it ensures that Manchester City cannot overtake first place with a win vs. Liverpool in the final game of the crowded Boxing Day schedule. Either way, it’s some nice fight for Arsenal. The rally liked caused a few writers to delete the ledes to their “Same Old Arsenal” screeds.