Danny Murphy warns West Ham, says they cannot do this against Arsenal

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The midfielder-turned-pundit has advised the Hammers on how to secure a result against the Gunners.

Pundit Danny Murphy has written in the London Evening Standard that West Ham United must keep their discipline and resist the urge to attack to eagerly if they are to avoid defeat against Arsenal this weekend.

The Hammers host the Gunners at their new London Stadium home for the first time in Saturday’s late kick-off looking to secure just a fourth Premier League win of the season.

To do so they will have to become the first team to beat Arsenal in the league since the opening day. Though they lost at home to Southampton to crash out of the EFL Cup in midweek, Arsene Wenger’s side are unbeaten in 12 league games since the home loss to Liverpool on the first day of the campaign.

West Ham have struggled to adapt to life at their new home, but will be encouraged by the fact that they are unbeaten in four in all competitions in front of their own fans.

Last weekend, the Hammers earned a spirited 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford, and Murphy believes they must take some of the lessons from that game into this weekend’s clash.

The former midfielder stressed that Slaven Bilic’s side must keep their discipline and cannot afford to be too gung-ho in attack if they are to secure a positive result.

Murphy wrote in the Standard: “West Ham need to show the same discipline they did at Old Trafford last weekend, where they drew 1-1. They need the same defensive organisation and caution as in an away game against one of the top teams.

“When you’re at home, you can feel an obligation to attack. That is exactly what Arsenal will want West Ham to do, because of their pace and creativity. West Ham cannot fall into that trap.

“West Ham played well in their last two league games against high-quality opposition — Tottenham and United. Okay, they got only one point from those matches but it should have answered some questions for Slaven Bilic.”

Bilic’s side will be desperate to secure another London derby victory at home after their EFL Cup win over Chelsea six weeks ago.

They need a win, too. The Irons have not tasted victory in the league since beating Sunderland 1-0 just three days before that triumph over the Blues.