Arsenal's Premier League Title Hopes Dented After 1-0 Defeat to West Ham

B MANOGNA REDDY's profile image
3 min read
Mikel Arteta shows his frustration during Arsenal's Premier League defeat at home to West Ham

Image credits: Getty Images

Arsenal's 15-game unbeaten Premier League run came to an end with a 1-0 defeat to West Ham, leaving them 8 points behind Liverpool in the title race. The Gunners went into the game knowing that victory, coupled with a defeat for Liverpool at Manchester City on Sunday, would leave them within touching distance of the Premier League leaders with a game in hand. However, Jarrod Bowen's first-half strike proved the difference, while the Gunners' hopes of a late reprieve were dealt a major blow by Myles Lewis-Skelly's dismissal 17 minutes from time.

Mikel Arteta expressed frustration at his team's performance, stating that they were "nowhere near the levels that we have to hit to have the opportunity to win a Premier League." The Arsenal manager also refused to blame the team's lack of a recognised striker for the defeat, instead pointing to the standards of the players and the team as a whole. The Gunners' chances of winning the league have dropped from 15.13% to 8.14%, while Liverpool's have risen from 84.79% to 91.76%.

The defeat was Arsenal's first in 16 Premier League games, but with Liverpool on a 22-match unbeaten run of their own, Saturday's loss may have caused irreparable damage to the Gunners' title hopes. Using their projection algorithm, data analysts Opta now expect Liverpool to finish top on 86 points, eight clear of Arteta's team. Arsenal's final 12 Premier League games include matches against Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, and Liverpool, while Liverpool's final 12 games include matches against Manchester City, Southampton, and Arsenal.

Here are the match scores and upcoming schedules for both teams:

  • Arsenal 0, West Ham 1
  • Liverpool's upcoming schedule:
    1. Manchester City (A)
    2. Newcastle (H)
    3. Southampton (H)
  • Arsenal's upcoming schedule:
    1. Nottingham Forest (A)
    2. Manchester United (A)
    3. Chelsea (H)
The Gunners will still have a game in hand on Liverpool after the Reds' visit to Manchester City, but with Liverpool's lead at the top beginning to look unassailable, Arsenal's title hopes are fading fast. Arteta's team have dropped 10 points in games in which they have had a player sent off this season, and the manager feels that Lewis-Skelly's latest red card made things "even tougher" for his side as they sought to break West Ham's stubborn resistance in the second half.

The premier league title race is now looking increasingly unlikely for Arsenal, with the team's lack of consistency and quality in attack being major concerns. The Gunners' recent form has been patchy, with the team struggling to assert any sustained pressure against West Ham. Despite the sense of opportunity before them, the Gunners were curiously flat, and perhaps belief was in short supply. Creativity certainly was, with Martin Ødegaard lacking his usual guile and Leandro Trossard making too many wrong decisions.

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