Marko Arnautovic now has to do it again against Arsenal after silencing the critics by firing West Ham to victory over Chelsea
- Marko Arnautovic scored an early winner as West Ham beat Chelsea on Saturday
- The Austrian's strike gave David Moyes his first win in charge of the Hammers
- West Ham will want another high-intensity performance against Arsenal
When West Ham lost 3-0 at home to Brighton, Marko Arnautovic bore the brunt of the criticism, especially from those covering the game for Sky.
Not only was the Austrian taken to task for the poor quality of his play, he was also accused of not trying.
Personally, I thought the second part of the criticism was unfair. Arnautovic is a player who, even by the standards of most forwards, relies on confidence.
Marko Arnautovic runs over to celebrate giving West Ham victory on Saturday
Arnautovic exchanged passes with Manuel Lanzini before firing past Thibaut Courtois
When he first emerged at Stoke two seasons ago, the 28–year-old hit a rich vein of form, but even during that spell, he would call members of the Stoke coaching staff at night seeking reassurance he was doing the right things.
Arnautovic may look arrogant and aloof but underneath the posturing he is a player who seeks constant validation, which will challenge David Moyes as he looks to consistently get the best out of the club's record signing.
Arnautovic took his goal against Chelsea beautifully: the drop of the shoulder that enabled him to find space and time to shoot was something you can't teach.
Moyes cannot carry any high-profile passengers and it will be interesting to see if Arnautovic can put in another high-intensity performance against Arsenal on Wednesday.
Arnautovic scored the only goal of the game and produced a great performance
The former Stoke man was questioned by David Moyes but responded brilliantly
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