Arsenal's Premier League title hopes suffered a significant setback as Mikel Arteta's side fell to a 1-0 defeat against West Ham, leaving their manager "very, very angry" about the performance that may have dealt a fatal blow to their championship aspirations.
The Gunners entered Saturday's match knowing that a victory, combined with a Liverpool loss to Manchester City on Sunday, would have put them within striking distance of the Premier League leaders with a game in hand. However, they delivered what Arteta described as a "nowhere near" performance, managing just two shots on target against a West Ham team they had previously beaten 5-2 in November.
Jarrod Bowen's first-half strike proved decisive, and Arsenal's hopes of a late comeback were further diminished when Myles Lewis-Skelly received a red card with 17 minutes remaining. The dismissal came after VAR upgraded an initial yellow card to red, ruling that Lewis-Skelly had denied Mohammed Kudus a clear goalscoring opportunity.
"It's not in our hands," Arteta conceded when questioned about his team's title prospects. "I'm really, really annoyed with the things that are in our hands - which is the performance and the result. [We were] nowhere near the levels that we have to hit to have the opportunity to win a Premier League. I'm very much responsible for that, so I'm very, very angry."
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard echoed his manager's frustrations, telling BBC Sport: "It's a big blow. The performance today wasn't good enough. We have to see the game back and analyse it, but it wasn't good enough."
The defeat marked Arsenal's first loss in 16 Premier League games, but with Liverpool enjoying a 22-match unbeaten run, Saturday's result could prove decisive. Data analysts Opta now project Liverpool to finish top with 86 points, eight clear of Arsenal, with the Gunners' title chances dropping from 15.13% to 8.14%.
Arsenal's struggles were compounded by the absence of key players Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Gabriel Jesus due to injury, though Arteta refused to use this as an excuse. "I refuse that completely," he stated. "I'm talking about the standards of the players and the team we played today, me included."
The red card situation has become a concerning trend for Arsenal, who have now dropped 10 points in games where they've had a player sent off this season. Previous incidents involving Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard, and William Saliba have all proved costly in their title pursuit.
As Liverpool's favorable March schedule approaches, featuring just one league game at home to Southampton, Arsenal's title hopes appear increasingly remote. Former England players Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy, speaking on Match of the Day, have already declared the title race over, with Murphy noting, "I don't see Arsenal winning all of their games so Liverpool can have the odd hiccup. And when they play badly they still pick up points."
