Goals from West Ham’s Tomas Soucek and Konstantinos Mavropanos denied Arsenal the opportunity to return to the summit of the Premier League.
Here’s how it unfolded: Arsenal 0-2 West Ham :
Thomas Soucek took advantage of Arsenal’s shaky defense to give West Ham an early lead (13′). Konstantinos Mavropanos doubled West Ham’s lead with a splendid header against his former club (56′).
After Declan Rice’s foul (90+6′), David Raya saved Said Benrahma’s stoppage-time penalty. What then is the structure of the Premier League table?
Therefore, having played half of the 2023-24 Premier League season and witnessing the first part of the campaign, it seems unlikely that the title will be decided by just 90+ points.
That is unless Manchester City re-establishes their dominance.
What modifications do you anticipate seeing in the Premier League during the second half of the season?
At this time of the year, the Premier League fixtures come thick and fast.
Luckily, you have a breather before facing another London derby as Arsenal takes on Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday, while West Ham hosts Brighton on Tuesday.
Aston Villa vs. Burnley – 3 pm GMT/10 am ET
– Crystal Palace vs. Brentford – 3 pm GMT/10 am ET
– Manchester City vs. Sheffield United – 3 pm GMT/10 am ET
– Wolves vs. Everton – 3 pm GMT/10 am ET
– Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester United – 5:30 pm GMT/12:30 pm ET (live on The Athletic)
Sunday, December 31:
– Fulham vs. Arsenal – 2 pm GMT/9 am ET (live on The Athletic)
– Tottenham vs. Bournemouth – 2 pm GMT/9 am ET
Monday, January 1:
– Liverpool vs. Newcastle – 8 pm GMT/3 pm ET (live on The Athletic)
Tuesday, January 2:
– West Ham vs. Brighton – 7:30 pm GMT/12:30 pm ET
Premier League title race ups and downs:
In recent days, the Premier League title race has become symbolic of its unpredictable nature.Firstly, on Boxing Day, Liverpool had to work hard to edge past Burnley at Turf Moor, but closing the gap at the top required an extra effort.
A few hours later, Aston Villa wanted to level the score with Jurgen Klopp’s team, but two goals from Manchester United meant that they now find themselves three points behind.
Yesterday, Manchester City lifted themselves off the canvas against Everton, ensuring that Arsenal retained their early lead in the race for the title.
After their disappointment, Liverpool leads the way at the halfway point of the season.
Ignoring VAR, souček’s goal could have been stopped:
Whether it was outside the box or not, West Ham’s opener will remain a subject of debate for a long time, but Arsenal should never have allowed the situation to reach that point.
William Saliba and Declan Rice were alert as the ball was moving towards the right-back and center-back. However, the problem was that during the build-up to the cross, Jarrod Bowen was not being tracked between Rice and Gabriel.
The misunderstanding and hesitation between the Brazilian and Alexander Zinchenko could have been avoided if a cohesive defensive unit had been formed at that moment. Instead, the ball was swiped, and West Ham capitalized.
Goals that could have been stopped have been a theme for Arsenal in 2023. Throughout the calendar year, they have suffered due to switching off at crucial moments. These mistakes become even more apparent as Arsenal offers very few opportunities for opposing teams to counterattack. However, these mistakes often feel like one of the main issues holding them back.
Where Trossard had to compete, Smith Rowe made an impact:
Another candidate for Arsenal’s left-number 8 spot is Emile Smith Rowe, and Mikel Arteta recently spoke enthusiastically about him. Before the PSG draw, he said: “The way he has reinvented himself, I have never seen him do it before, as he has done this time. You have seen the reaction of his teammates to his comeback, which is genuinely positive. When we give him the chance, he’ll be much better.”
Asked whether it was a physical or mental aspect of the midfielder that made him effective against West Ham, he said: “Both. It’s not the first time it’s happened, and sometimes restarting that process is not easy. When he was getting some rhythm, and he started looking better again, he showed that it could be effective. Now it’s about putting him on the pitch when he has the opportunity to do it, showcase his performance, and bring changes to the team.”
In one of the night’s most exciting moments, Smith Rowe took Trossard’s place in the 78th minute and immediately created a problem by sprinting back to deliver a cross for Odegaard. The possibility of Højbjerg’s return against Fulham is there, but more consideration is needed for who will fill that spot when the German is not called upon.
Trossard, despite leaving West Ham behind with his suspension, struggled to move forward where he left off.
The 29-year-old was utilized in that role at the beginning of the season, but the results were far from satisfying. Initially taking a position similar to Odegaard, he either mishandled passes to his captain or started taking shots quickly, resulting in less-than-desirable outcomes.
Disappointment increased when he started asserting control in the right areas. His execution let him down, especially when he pulled Martinelli wide to allow entry into the box, only to be unable to dribble when the ball reached him.
However, the symbol of frustration came a moment before the end of the first half. After Rice’s excellent work to provide Arsenal with a final attack opportunity, Trossard advanced with multiple passing options but failed to convert with high and wide shots.
The lack of creativity added to Arsenal’s frustration. In the early exchanges, Arsenal showed promise, with Martin Odegaard taking the lead within the first five minutes, creating a favorable situation for Bukayo Saka with a clever backheel after outsmarting a West Ham defender.
Discussing Lucas Paqueta’s injury during the Amazon Prime Video post-match interview, David Moyes commented, “He got the knock in the warm-up, and when he came in, we had to make a decision. He just felt something behind his knee. He improves our team and is a very talented player. It was tough because maybe in the dressing room, we could say, ‘Let’s change it now.’ Thank goodness he came out.”
Addressing the January transfer window, Moyes added, “Injuries will always play a part. We don’t have enough balance, in my opinion. January is never an easy window. We need to look at how the window looks like. It will be a loss for us as we are going to the Africa Cup of Nations with Mohammed Kudus. He’s been excellent for us.”
Odegaard was questioned about West Ham’s first goal during the Amazon Prime interview: “I think it was a close call.I hope that was the appropriate choice for him to make. After that, we had enough chances to win the game.”Regarding Arsenal’s missed opportunities, the post-match comments shared a common theme: “It’s one of those nights.We had numerous opportunities, and despite our best efforts, it was not successful in the box. We take good things and learn from the things we didn’t do well.”As for Arsenal’s position halfway through the Premier League season, the sentiment was optimistic: “It’s not bad.
There we are, engaged in combat. . By the end of this season, we expect to have used the knowledge and experience we obtained from the previous one.”
Praying for his players to produce a “fantastic defensive display,” Moyes praised Mavropanos and Ogbonna in particular.
Hehighlighted the importance of playing with organization and discipline and complimented West Ham for keeping Arsenal from scoring despite having numerous opportunities.
Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, said, “They won the game, and congratulations to them, but what happened on the pitch shows that we deserved much more than we got.” Arteta agreed that his team should have won the game. He bemoaned Arsenal’s failure to score from opportunities despite their having thirty shots to West Ham’s two goals.
