"It was terrible" - Mikel Arteta explains why Arsenal bottled 2-goal lead against West Ham

Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw in their Premier League clash at West Ham United on Sunday (April 16).

Despite taking an early 2-0 lead, the Gunners could only come away with a point from the away game. This is now the second week in a row Mikel Arteta's team squandered a two-goal lead, doing likewise against Liverpool last weekend.

The Spaniard tried to explain why his team failed to capitalise on the two-goal advantage at West Ham (via the Standard):

“Very disappointing. The way we started was superb again, to go 2-0 up we were in total control, and then, we have to blame ourselves. We lost that purpose to attack them. Instead, we kept the ball for the sake of it and gave them hope."

Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard scored for the Gunners before Said Benrahma pulled one back for the Hammers from the spot. Speaking about conceding the spot-kick, Arteta said:

“It was terrible how we gave the penalty away. And after that, credit to them. They started to play direct; we could not control those situations and got on that rollercoaster, where everything is throw-ins, corners, corners and throw-ins, and we never got away from that."

Arteta also noted that his team's performance in the second half was not up to scratch:

“What we did in the second half was not enough. The purpose we needed for third and fourth goal, I did not see it. Then we started to get sloppy and playing flicks and losing the ball inside too many times and allowing counters, and it broke our flow.”

Bukayo Saka missed a penalty before Jared Bowen equalised for the Hammers minutes later.

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Arsenal's lead atop standings down to four points

Arsenal have dropped four points in their last two Premier League games. The lackluster form has seen Arteta's team's lead atop the standings take a hit.

They now lead Manchester City by only four points, having played a game more than the Cityzens. The Gunners also have a clash against City at the Etihad looming on April 26.

Arsenal are looking to win the Premier League for the first time since the 2003-04 season. They need to buckle up and get their form back on track to end their near two-decade league drought.