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Arsenal saw their Premier League title aspirations take a dramatic hit on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium in North London, suffering a gutwrenching 1-0 defeat to 16th-place West Ham.
The Gunners gave up a late first-half goal to Jarrod Bowen and could never find an equalizer despite controlling 68% of the ball and generating 20 shots. However, just two found the target. Unfortunately, Myles Lewis-Skelly was also handed a red card in the 73rd minute, which certainly didn't help Arsenal in their pursuit of a lone point, at the very least.
Following the match, manager Mikel Arteta was visibly upset after his side failed to grab a much-needed victory as the campaign slowly winds down.
Via Fabrizio Romano:
“Obviously very disappointed, obviously very angry,” Arteta said. “I think you have to congratulate West Ham for the victory and the game that they played but I think a lot from our side that we never got right and didn't allow us to get enough momentum and obviously trying to play with positive action that we could deliver into situations of threat and even though all the ball that we had and 20 shots, I never felt at the standard and the level we needed to have more threat.”
Liverpool now sit eight points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table and can extend their lead to 11 points if they beat struggling Manchester City on Sunday. Injuries have certainly hit the North Londoners hard, with Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Jesus all sidelined at the moment.
Red cards have been an issue as well. This was their fifth of the season and second for the young Lewis-Skelly, who was also sent off in January against Wolves. With minimal time left in the campaign and the Merseysiders riding high, Arsenal may need to settle for yet another runner-up finish for the third season in a row.
