Football writer Alex Keble analyzes Arsenal’s 1-0 home loss to West Ham, leaving them eight points behind league leaders Liverpool.
For the second consecutive season, West Ham have beaten Arsenal at the Emirates, delivering another major setback to the Gunners’ title ambitions.
“Big blow,” captain Martin Odegaard admitted to BBC’s Match of the Day. “The performance today wasn’t good enough. Really disappointed.”
With another red card, attacking struggles, and a widening gap to Liverpool, Arsenal now face an uphill battle. Only twice in Premier League history has a team overturned an eight-point deficit this late in the season—Newcastle’s infamous collapse in 1995/96 and Manchester City’s dramatic 2011/12 comeback.
Arsenal need something just as extraordinary.
Blunt Attack Proves Costly
“We lacked efficiency in the final third,” Odegaard admitted. “It wasn’t good enough in front of goal.”
The Gunners registered just two shots on target—one of their lowest tallies this season—and created only one big chance, per Opta. Injuries to key forwards have taken their toll, and Mikel Merino, deployed as a makeshift striker, struggled to make an impact.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright summed it up bluntly: “Not enough creativity. It seemed like we had completely run out of ideas.”
