Arsenal Vs. West Ham Deal Blow to PL title hopes

Arsenal wasted the opportunity to leapfrog Premier League leaders Liverpool as they suffered a surprise 2-0 home defeat to West Ham.

A frustrating first half for Arsenal began with controversy when Tomas Soucek put West Ham ahead. The ball appeared to have gone out of play in the build-up, but a lengthy VAR check found no conclusive evidence and the goal stood.

READ : Who would be your club’s perfect January transfer window signing?

Mikel Arteta’s side did much more with their possession in the second half, but they fell further behind when former Gunner Konstantinos Mavropanos climbed highest to head home from a corner.

David Raya (5/10):

Had very little to do apart from twice picking the ball out of his net. Couldn’t do anything about either goal.

Read Also: The end Of Cristiano Ronaldo Era 

Ben White (5/10):

Strayed out of position in the build-up to West Ham’s opener which forced Saliba to cover and leave space in the middle for Soucek to score.

William Saliba (5/10):

Lacked his usual composure when scrapping for second balls, but didn’t do anything massively wrong.

Gabriel (5/10):

Mixed bag. Slow to react and attempt to block Soucek’s goal and beaten in the air by Mavropanos. Good on the ball and made a few good clearances.

Oleksandr Zinchenko (4/10):

Did little when tucking into midfield and made a couple of poor tackles when asked to defend.

Declan Rice (7/10):

Yet another supremely composed performance at the heart of the team. Arsenal’s best player, though the injury-time penalty he conceded took the shine off his evening.

Martin Odegaard (7/10):

Started the game with his usual understated style but became a little sloppy on the ball in the second half. Still created a few chances, but not at his extraordinary best.

Leandro Trossard (6/10):

Always tried to make things happen but lacked the extra bit of quality to do so.

Bukayo Saka (7/10):

Forced some good saves out of Areola and was unlucky to smack the post just before the break. Created some decent chances but none were taken.

Gabriel Jesus (5/10):

Pressed well and used his body excellently in build-up play, but squandered two great headed chances with his side 2-0 down. Arsenal need a reliable goal scorer.

Gabriel Martinelli (5/10):

Lost his personal battle with Vladimir Coufal and was substituted with 25 minutes left. Made little impact from the left flank.

Reiss Nelson (5/10):

Replaced Martinelli on the left flank for the final 25 minutes but made no more impact.

Eddie Nketiah (4/10):

Invisible until he tried a timid late bicycle kick.

Emile Smith Rowe (5/10):

Earned 15 minutes to continue his recovery from injury but did nothing of note.

Mikel Arteta (6/10):

Didn’t rush into changes just because his side were losing – they played well for much of the game. Switched things up to try and find a way though but his subs had little impact.