FROM LONDON STADIUM - After 25 minutes at the London Stadium, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal appeared to have everything under control.
They surged into a 2-0 lead against West Ham United with to goals from Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard after just ten minutes, effectively winning the match. Reminiscent of last Sunday, when the Gunners led Liverpool by a pair of goals, albeit not quite as early.
Arsenal played with ease, their passing was accurate, and their confidence seemed unstoppable against a squad that had only 11 days prior been humiliated 5-1 by Newcastle on the same field. It was far too simple.
A win would have given Arsenal a six-point advantage over Manchester City in the Premier League standings, preparing the ground for an exciting heavyweight match on April 26 at the Etihad Stadium.
Yet Arteta's team hadn't read the winning script for the second week in a row. Instead, they retreated inside themselves and committed both individual and group errors, letting West Ham, supported by a boisterous home crowd, overwhelm them. In the end, they managed to pry a draw from the jaws of victory.
The fact that Arsenal's demise was entirely their own fault may have been the most upsetting thing for Arteta.
The pass from Kieran Tierney to Thomas Partey was tentative, and the Ghanaian's response to it was similarly careless. Declan Rice picked his pocket, and Gabriel quickly struck Lucas Paqueta in the shin to give up a stonewall penalty kick.
"We once again got off to a great start, controlled the game and the field, and scored two stunning goals. We then made a terrible error. We ceased playing for the same reason, "In his post-game press conference, Arteta lamented. Certainly they had.
As Said Benrahma converted the aforementioned penalty to make the score 2-1, Arsenal appeared to relax and let the game go.
The Spaniard continued, lamenting his team's inability to regain control, "We need that ruthless mindset in that moment to go and kill a team, when a team is there for their taking, you have to kill the game and we haven't done it."
blogpay
Total Comments: 0