Arsenal’s clash with West Ham ended in a 2-0 defeat at the Emirates, marking their first home loss this season, leaving Mikel Arteta praising their opponent.
The Gunners manager, however, refused to attribute the loss to VAR decisions, acknowledging the visitors’ superior performance, Footballrover reports.
Thomas Soucek and Dino Mavropanos secured the win for David Moyes’ side.
Dinos opens his account for the Club ???? pic.twitter.com/KtwaCSVKVp
— West Ham United (@WestHam) December 29, 2023
Soucek’s goal sparked controversy due to a possible out-of-play situation in the build-up, but VAR upheld the decision after a thorough check.
Despite Arsenal’s dominant second half, where they registered an impressive 30 shots and 77 touches in West Ham’s box, they failed to convert these chances into goals.
Souček nets his 8⃣th goal of the season! ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/dhGCcRDJ0i
— West Ham United (@WestHam) December 29, 2023
It was the 23rd time in his career that West Ham United’s manager, David Moyes, had triumphed away from home against Arsenal in any competition, recording four draws and 18 defeats.
Arteta, speaking shortly after the game, expressed disappointment at the loss and emphasized the need to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
He highlighted the necessity of creating and converting chances, citing their 30 shots as evidence of their attacking intent.
Arteta stressed the team’s focus on scoring, despite their control and box dominance against a strong West Ham side.
“But they were better than us in both boxes. They had two shots, with the penalty three. We had 30; I don’t know how many touches in the box, how many situations, or how many opportunities to score, and we haven’t done it. In football, you have to do that better if you want to win.“
However, despite the statistics favoring Arsenal’s control, they couldn’t secure the win.
77 – Arsenal had 77 touches in the opposition box against West Ham; the most on record (since 2008-09) in a single Premier League match for a team who failed to score. Blockage. pic.twitter.com/5bw9P8zGHo
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 28, 2023
This defeat halted their chance to overtake Premier League leader Liverpool in the standings.
Arsenal’s unexpected defeat to West Ham not only highlighted missed opportunities but also revealed the team’s challenge in converting dominance into goals, leaving them unable to reclaim the top spot in the Premier League from the Reds.
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