LONDON – Arsenal‘s bid to reclaim the top spot in the Premier League hit a roadblock on Thursday as they suffered a 2-0 defeat against West Ham at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, who were at the summit at Christmas for a second consecutive year, now trail leaders Liverpool by two points at the halfway mark of the season.
West Ham’s Tomas Soucek opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a close-range finish following a pass from Jarrod Bowen.
The goal was confirmed after a lengthy VAR check to determine if the ball had gone out of play.
Former Arsenal player Konstantinos Mavropanos added to the visitor’s lead with a bullet header off the crossbar from James Ward-Prowse’s corner.
Despite dominating possession and creating several chances, Arsenal lacked a cutting edge in the final third.
West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola made a crucial save from a Bukayo Saka header, while Gabriel Jesus missed key opportunities with his head.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his disappointment after the match, stating, “We want to be at the top, and today we are very, very disappointed. We had so much dominance in the game. We are in a really good position. Today is a disappointing night. We have to pick ourselves up for a big game against Fulham.”
Arteta acknowledged the effort put in by his players but emphasized the need to improve in certain areas.
“This is football; we have to improve in certain areas,” he added.
On the other side, West Ham manager David Moyes celebrated his team’s climb to sixth place in the table, highlighting their continuous efforts to grow and compete.
“We are not one of the top teams,” Moyes told Amazon Prime.
“We are trying to get up and grow the team. For West Ham to be in Europe (they topped their Europa League group) is a great period.”
Arsenal’s defeat leaves them in second place with 40 points, one ahead of Aston Villa and three clear of Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
Despite the setback, the Gunners remain in a strong position as they look to regroup for their upcoming fixture against Fulham in just 72 hours.
