Arsenal 0-2 West Ham United: All you need to know

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 28: Konstantinos Mavropanos of West Ham United controls the ball whilst under pressure from Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and West Ham United at Emirates Stadium on December 28, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Last night, Arsenal suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat against West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium, missing the chance to return to the top of the Premier League table. The match report of the game reveals that West Ham executed a perfect smash-and-grab performance to secure a victory against their London rivals.

The game started with controversy as Soucek opened the scoring for West Ham after just 13 minutes. The goal came under scrutiny as VAR and referee Oliver concluded that Bowen had kept the ball in play when setting up his midfield teammate. This decision mirrored a similar one that Arsenal had suffered earlier in the season against Newcastle. However, despite this setback, Arsenal remained determined and went close to equalizing through Saka, who hit the post before halftime.

In the second half, Jesus had two good chances to level the score for Arsenal but failed to convert them into goals. As fate would have it, Mavropanos, who was playing against his former club, headed in a goal to extend West Ham’s lead to 2-0. Despite their best efforts, Arsenal could not find a way back into the game.

The match also saw Benrahma miss a penalty in stoppage time, which was saved by Raya. Although this did not affect the final result, it added another twist to an eventful evening at Emirates Stadium.

With this defeat, Arsenal remains two points behind league leaders Liverpool and missed an opportunity to reclaim their position at the top of the table. Currently sitting in second place with 40 points after 19 league games in this 2023/24 campaign, Arsenal will be eager to bounce back in their next fixture against Fulham on Sunday.

Looking ahead, West Ham’s victory propels them up to sixth place in the league standings. Their next challenge will be against Brighton at home on Tuesday.

As we bid farewell for now and reflect on this disappointing result for Arsenal fans, it is clear that there is still work to be done for Mikel Arteta’s side if they are to mount a serious title challenge this season. The loss against West Ham serves as a reminder that consistency and resilience are crucial qualities needed for success in such a competitive league.