A first home London derby awaits Danny Ings on Sunday afternoon.
Arsenal head to London Stadium full of confidence, although West Ham United will be out to take a further step towards survival at the expense of the Gunners’ title hopes.
Make no mistake, a tricky test awaits the Hammers, however. Arsenal have lost just three league games this season – no side in the top flight has fallen to fewer defeats. They have scored 72 goals in 30 games too.
The Hammers, meanwhile, will be hoping to stretch an unbeaten run to three games in all competitions.
“Arsenal a brilliant team,” stated Ings, who scored his third West Ham United goal in the 1-1 draw with KAA Genk on Thursday. “The way they play is really nice to watch. They have got a great manager. And you can see the team all buy into his philosophy.
“But we have to ensure we go into the game with full commitment and confidence. We can’t look at some games and say we have more of a chance of winning that. Because it doesn’t work like that. This is why this league is so special. Every week you see results that you don’t expect.”
West Ham’s impressive home form in 2023 will be tested with Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal still to visit London Stadium. But Ings hopes for a positive start to a tricky run of fixtures against the Gunners.
Of course, it has been a while since the Hammers beat Arsenal. Over four years in fact.
Declan Rice was on the scoresheet in January 2019 when the skipper’s neat finish decided the 1-0 scoreline, although Ings is confident his side will grind out much-needed results regardless of opponent between now and the end of May.
With six points separating Crystal Palace in 12th and Nottingham Forest in 18th, the league has never felt closer, and wins and points of such importance as they do right now.
It is a strange one, Ings admitted. West Ham’s win over Fulham took them to 13th; a defeat could have sent them into the bottom three.
Ings explained: “The league is in such a strange position [with the teams being so close on points] that every win and point is vital.
“It’s a new experience for us as players. I don’t think it has happened before where it has been so tight [at the bottom of the league and with as many teams involved]. It just means you can’t look at the league at what other teams are doing. It’s a cliché but it’s about taking it game by game. I genuinely feel like that.”
Importantly, the Club bounced back from defeat by Newcastle United with a solid showing at Fulham. The Hammers’ fourth clean sheet in six games in all competitions moved West Ham away from the bottom three. It was not pretty game of football but Ings was clear it was the sort of performance needed at this stage of the season.
“It was scrappy at times,” Ings said, “but you did see a team sticking together, grinding out a really important win.
"The result [at Craven Cottage] shows how together we are as a team. To have that reaction, when Fulham are having a really good season as well, will only help our confidence grow.
“Finding rhythm as a team is hard when you are in this position. But as we showed last weekend, you just have to stick together and grind out results. We have done that a few times this season. We showed a good reaction against Fulham. And we will be confident we can get something from Arsenal.”
And while the new No18 is clear that performances and results have been inconsistent in recent weeks, he is proud that the Hammers’ character has shone through regardless of the scoreline.
A move in January is always tough for any player. But Ings is focused on getting the Club over the line come May.
“I’ve played in really important games that we have won,” the 30-year-old stated, “and I have played in games that we have not done well in.
“When you are in these situations it is not about how you are playing as an individual it is about the team picking up points.
"We need to fight first and foremost. That is the minimum. We showed we have the fight in us against Fulham. And we just have to keep fighting.
“It might not be the prettiest football, but the points are all that matter at this stage.”
