Arsenal blew a two-goal lead for the second sport in a row as Bukayo Saka’s penalty miss proved essential in the Premier League leaders’ damaging 2-2 draw in opposition to West Ham on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta’s facet struck twice in the primary 10 minutes on the London Stadium due to objectives from Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard.
But simply seven days after squandering a 2-0 benefit in their 2-2 draw at Liverpool, the Gunners once more cracked below the strain of the title race.
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Said Benrahma’s penalty decreased the deficit for West Ham earlier than the interval and after Saka fired his spot-kick huge early in the second half, Jarrod Bowen volleyed in an equaliser for the struggling hosts.
It was a hammer blow for Arsenal, who sit 4 factors away from second-placed Manchester City however have ceded the title race momentum to Pep Guardiola’s group.
“It began extraordinarily effectively once more. We scored two lovely objectives. After that we made a giant mistake to not play with function to attain the third and fourth,” Arteta said.
“We just thought we could play around them and keep the result. That gave them hope.”
City had closed inside three factors of the Gunners after beating Leicester 3-1 on Saturday and it’s the champions who’ve the future of the title in their arms regardless of trailing Arsenal for a lot of the season.
City, who’ve received their final 10 matches in all competitions, have a sport in hand on Arsenal.
With a house sport in opposition to Arsenal looming on April 26, City know they’ll elevate a fifth title in six seasons in the event that they win their remaining eight matches.
By the time Arsenal journey to the Emirates Stadium they are going to be seven factors away from City in the event that they beat bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Friday.
Yet that hole would nonetheless look uncomfortably small to Arsenal followers fearing their group are in the method of losing a golden alternative to win a primary title since 2004.
While City are battle-tested in dealing with the stress of the title race, Arsenal’s younger squad look to be struggling an ill-timed assault of nerves.
“My fear is after 2-0 we made that vast mistake,” Arteta said. “We didn’t understand what the game required in that moment. We need that ruthless mindset to go and kill a team.”
– Arsenal nervousness –
Arsenal wanted simply seven minutes to take the lead as Odegaard’s deft move discovered Ben White, who delivered a low cross that Jesus slotted dwelling on the far publish.
Jesus’s fourth aim in his final three video games was adopted by the Gunners’ second three minutes later as they ruthlessly punished West Ham’s woeful marking.
Gabriel Martinelli’s pin-point cross discovered Odegaard in acres of area and the midfielder blasted a volley previous Lukasz Fabianski from an acute angle six yards out.
The turning level got here in the thirty third minute when Arsenal, wanting slightly over-confident after such a swaggering begin, needlessly conceded a penalty.
Thomas Partey surrendered possession to Declan Rice and when the West Ham midfielder picked out Lucas Paqueta’s run, Gabriel Magalhaes’ mistimed sliding sort out was appropriately dominated a penalty regardless of Arsenal appeals for handball.
Mohamed Salah had missed a penalty in opposition to Arsenal final weekend, however they had been out of luck this time as Benrahma despatched Aaron Ramsdale the fallacious method from the spot.
Saka ought to have eased Arsenal’s mounting nervousness when Antonio conceded a fiftieth minute penalty with an outstretched arm that blocked Martinelli’s flick.
But as a substitute Saka spiked the stress degree even larger with a woeful spot-kick that utterly missed hit the goal, a pricey blunder that recalled the England ahead’s Euro 2020 last penalty shoot-out failure in opposition to Italy.
Saka held his head in his arms and with Arsenal clearly rattled, David Moyes’ facet snatched an equaliser in the 54th minute.
Thilo Kehrer guided the ball into the Arsenal space and Bowen was simply onside as his volley ricocheted off the turf and skidded previous Ramsdale’s despairing dive.
Michail Antonio practically received it for West Ham in the closing levels, rising to go Benrahma’s cross in opposition to the bar.
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