Arsenal lost at home for the first time since May on Thursday as Mikel Arteta’s squad was defeated 2-0 by West Ham, denying them the opportunity to take back the top spot in the Premier League.
Together with a strong defensive effort, goals from former Arsenal player Konstantinos Mavropanos in the 55th and 13th minutes of play, respectively, earned West Ham the victory at Emirates Stadium and ended the Gunners’ midseason slump.
Arsenal, which was leading the league at Christmas, has only won once in its last four league games. To maintain that lead going into 2024, Arsenal must defeat Fulham on the road this Sunday. Arsenal is currently two points behind Liverpool, who isn’t scheduled to play again until New Year’s Day, in second place.
In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Said Benrahma’s penalty was saved by Arsenal custodian David Raya, which might have meant an even larger victory for West Ham.
The first goal caused some discussion because it was unclear from the footage whether Jarrod Bowen’s pass back into the box allowed Soucek to score or not. The best view of whether any ball was in play was obscured by Bowen’s leg, thus the referee stuck with the on-field determination to award the goal.
A similar incident happened when Arsenal played Newcastle at St. James’ Park on November 4. Anthony Gordon’s goal came from a cross that was in play, although there was controversy around whether or not the ball was in play at the time.
Just after the half, Lucas Paqueta of West Ham, who had been doubtful before the game, appeared to have injured his left hamstring. Despite this setback, the visitors continued to play well.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka struck the post, but the home team lacked its customary intensity in attack and lost again when Mavropanos, whose celebration was subdued due to his past connections to Arsenal, flicked James Ward-Prowse’s corner home off the underside of the crossbar.
When Arsenal last lost at home to Brighton in mid-May, it seemed all but certain that Manchester City, not the Gunners, would win the title the previous year.
West Ham overtook Manchester United and moved up to sixth place.