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Arsenal were held to a disappointing 2-2 draw by West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday, April 16. Despite dropping two points, the visitors still top the standings by four points.
The Gunners have won four of their last five games in the league, with their last outing being a tough 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Anfield. Despite leading 2-0 for most of the game, Arsenal slipped up and dropped two invaluable points. However, Mikel Arteta and his team were raring to go as they looked to make amends. He named a strong lineup as Kieran Tierney replaced Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The Hammers, on the other hand, have won just two of their last five games across competitions. Their last game was a 1-1 draw against Gent in the UEFA Conference League quarter-final first leg. They were just three points above the relegation zone prior to kick-off and were desperate to win points as David Moyes named a strong lineup.
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Arsenal made a lovely start to the game and raced into a two-goal lead within just 10 minutes of play. Gabriel Jesus scored the opening goal to cap off a well-worked move by the Gunners to find space between West Ham's lines. Captain Martin Odegaard then doubled his team's lead with a clinical volley to make it 2-0 just three minutes later.
The Hammers were handed a lifeline midway through the first period as Gabriel Magalhaes conceded a penalty for a foul on Lucas Paqueta. Said Benrahma stepped up and scored to make it 2-1 after 33 minutes. The hosts fought hard in search of an equalizer but were unable to find one as Arsenal led by a goal at the break.
Arsenal made a good start to the second half and had a big chance to restore their two-goal advantage just eight minutes after the restart. Michail Antonio handled the ball in the box and a penalty was awarded, which Bukayo Saka failed to convert as his shot sailed wide. Jarrod Bowen then brought West Ham back on level terms with a composed finish to make it 2-2 after 54 minutes.
Both managers turned to their respective benches as they looked to inject freshness into their teams to try and win the game. However, despite decent attacking moves from both Arsenal and West Ham, neither team was able to score. The game ended in a 2-2 draw and on that note, here are the five talking points.
#5. Arsenal made a formidable start to the game
Having seen chasers Manchester City dismantle Leicester City in the first half yesterday, the Gunners were under pressure to match the result with their own win. They started off in style, scoring twice in the opening 10 minutes of the game.
Ben White assisted Gabriel Jesus, who finished off a smoothly worked move to make it 1-0 to Arsenal after seven minutes. Captain Martin Odegaard then volleyed home a cross from Gabriel Martinelli in the 10th minute to make it 2-0.
The Hammers were unable to get close to the Gunners' players as they struggled to keep up with their swift and intricate movements. The visitors' defenders also did well to nullify the threat posed by Michail Antonio's direct runs.
#4. West Ham were handed a lifeline by Said Benrahma
Lucas Paqueta made his way into Arsenal's box and looked to get onto the ball but was tackled and tripped by Gabriel Magalhaes. The referee showed no hesitation before pointing to the spot as he awarded West Ham a penalty.
Said Benrahma stepped up to score to make it 2-1 in the 33rd minute as the Gunners were under pressure before the end of the first half. The Hammers had their tails up for the remainder of the period as they looked to equalize but failed to do so despite knocking on the door for long.
#3. The Gunners failed to capitalize early in the second half
Arsenal were handed a stroke of luck as they were awarded a penalty early in the second half as Antonio handled the ball in his 18-yard box. Bukayo Saka stepped up and could have put some daylight between themselves and their hosts. However, he fired his shot wide as the stadium roared to cheers.
West Ham found a second wind following the incident and scored to make it 2-2 at the other end just two minutes later. Thilo Kehrer played a lovely lofted pass into the box, which Jarrod Bowen latched onto and scored with a volley.
#2. Bukayo Saka's missed penalty might haunt him
Saka is no stranger to the biggest stages despite still only being 21. Having missed a penalty during the shootout in the Euro 2020 final two years ago, the young winger made a brilliant recovery.
He has notched 13 goals and 10 assists in 41 games across competitions this season and has scored some delightful goals. However, Saka has seemed off-color in the last couple of games and this penalty miss might just linger on his mind longer than he would like.
#1. Four points between the title contenders promise a close finish
Following this game, just four points separate second-placed Manchester City and league leaders Arsenal. Having played one more game, the Gunners are now on 74 points from 31 games and have already bettered their tally of 69 points from last season. City have a game in hand and will need the Gunners to drop points in one more game.
The game could very well be the crunch clash between the two heavyweights as Manchester City gear up to host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday, April 27.
