Arsenal failed to pile pressure on Premier League title rivals Liverpool on Saturday as they were beaten 1-0 by London foes West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal knew they could close the gap on league leaders Liverpool to just five points with victory but found themselves behind at the break. Jarrod Bowen's header stunned the home faithful following some surprisingly lethargic defending from the division's sternest backline.
The Gunners were unable to find an equaliser after the half-time whistle as attacking injuries rendered them ineffective in the final third, with Myles Lewis-Skelly also sent off during a miserable afternoon for Mikel Arteta and his team.
How the game unfolded
After his heroics from the bench against Leicester City last weekend, orthodox midfielder Mikel Merino was chosen to lead the Arsenal line against the Hammers. But with a host of attacking injuries restricting their options in the final third, the hosts looked unsurprisingly blunt in the early stages with some enticing crosses the best they could muster.
West Ham occasionally offered a glimpse of their attacking threat on the counter-attack but didn't do enough to force David Raya into action during the opening half-hour. Bowen fired wide from a promising angle and Tomas Soucek produced an uncharacteristically wayward header after finding room in the penalty area.
But one of West Ham's forays forward eventually paid dividends on the cusp of half-time. Aaron Wan-Bissaka burst down the right-hand side and dinked a delightful cross into the six-yard box, with Gabriel and William Saliba nowhere to be seen as Bowen headed home from close range.
West Ham had impressed in their own defensive third throughout the first half and they were similarly defiant after the restart. Their compact rearguard knew it was capable of frustrating the injury-stricken hosts, who showed few signs of being able to carve open a stubborn low block.
Arsenal's hopes of a comeback evaporated in the 72nd minute as substitute Lewis-Skelly received his marching orders. The left-back, who was unjustly sent off at Molineux earlier this term, was booked after pulling down Mohammed Kudus on the halfway line, but his yellow card was upgraded to red after a VAR intervention as he was deemed to have denied a goalscoring opportunity.
Lewis-Skelly's dismissal took the sting out of proceedings for the Gunners, who limped to a disappointing and frustrating defeat on home soil. They could finish the weekend 11 points behind top dogs Liverpool should the Reds beat Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
Player ratings
Check out the player ratings for Arsenal 0-1 West Ham here.
Arsenal spurn glorious title opportunity
With title rivals Liverpool having dropped points at Villa Park on Wednesday ahead of crunch clashes with Man City and Newcastle United, Saturday felt the perfect opportunity for Arsenal to apply serious pressure in their bid for first place.
Victory would have seen them close the gap to five points before Liverpool's trip to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, forcing doubts to creep into the minds of Arne Slot's squad. However, their tepid defeat to the Hammers will only spur the Reds on ahead of their meeting with the reigning Premier League champions.
Attacking injuries were always likely to make Arsenal's life difficult but the Emirates crowd would have expected more from their team, who lacked any rhythm and consistency throughout. Some slack defending allowed the Irons in front and the home side rarely threatened Alphonse Areola's goal afterwards.
Ultimately, this may be the day Arsenal surrendered another title fight.
Lack of firepower proves costly for Gunners
Arsenal had little choice but to field an unconvincing forward line, with Merino starting between Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri in the wide positions. The Spaniard's brace at the King Power Stadium earned him his place in the starting XI, but the summer signing was unable to produce the same output at the Emirates - rather unsurprisingly, it must be said.
Trossard was lively in spurts but struggled to find any consistent space within the penalty area. Similarly, Nwaneri, who was excellent last weekend, failed to play with his usual swagger in and around the box. The fact that Raheem Sterling started on the bench speaks volumes about his woeful loan spell with the Gunners.
Arsenal's failure to reinforce their attacking unit over the winter window looks more foolish with every passing week as injuries halt their title charge, and Arteta will be understandably frustrated with those in the boardroom not loosening the purse strings.
West Ham secure enormous scalp
There have been evident signs of improvement for West Ham since the arrival of Graham Potter, even if results haven't necessarily followed. But Saturday was the culmination of that hard work on the training ground as the Irons took full advantage of their toothless hosts.
The decision to leave both Danny Ings and Evan Ferguson on the bench was justified by the intensity and speed of Bowen and Kudus, both of whom caused Arsenal's usually stern backline all manner of problems. Neither are natural centre-forwards but they made an enormous and defining impact - Bowen scoring the winner and Kudus getting Lewis-Skelly sent off.
Defensively, West Ham were remarkably resolute. Arsenal may be missing a number of attacking stars but take nothing away from the organisation and rigidity of their visitors. They closed any gaps as midfield reinforcements helped a back three, with both wide full-backs dazzling, too.
They came to the Emirates with a game plan and they executed it to perfection
READ THE LATEST PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS, RUMOURS & GOSSIP
feed
