The Gunners’ chances of winning the Premier League title were hampered as a result of West Ham’s stunning victory over Arsenal, which was their third consecutive victory in the league.
West Ham put on a merciless performance, as they were able to put two of their three attempts on target. Arsenal, on the other hand, failed to capitalise on a number of opportunities, which resulted in them missing the opportunity to move to the top of the league.
The goal was scored by Tomas Soucek after Jarrod Bowen’s cutback, and although there was a possibility that the ball had been out of play throughout the buildup, the video assistant referee did not find sufficient evidence to overturn the goal.
This resulted in West Ham gaining a lead in the first half, which was further increased when former Arsenal center-back Konstantinos Mavropanos skillfully headed in a corner kick in the 55th minute.
Arsenal was unable to get a reaction despite having a lot of possession and being under a lot of pressure. In addition, their miserable evening was almost made even more miserable as Declan Rice handed away a penalty kick in the very last minute of injury time. However, David Raya was able to save the shot that was taken by Said Benrahma.
West Ham finishes the year with 33 points, which is their greatest total at the midway stage of a Premier League campaign. The result places Mikel Arteta’s Gunners in second place in the rankings, two points behind Liverpool, who are the leaders of the league. The downfall of Arsenal resulted from their failure to convert possession and dominance into goals.
Their inability to exploit as the match progressed only resulted in growing frustration, both on the pitch and in the stands of Emirates Stadium, where fans grew weary and the atmosphere waned.
Rice, a former captain of West Ham, subsequently missed the bar with a shot, and Alphonse Areola, the custodian for the Hammers, denied Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard.
In stark contrast to West Ham’s performance, the visitors expertly repelled countless attacks through altruistic defence.
A lack of ruthlessness on the part of Arsenal could have severe consequences, given that five teams are separated by a mere six points atop the Premier League. Little space exists for error.
The December results for West Ham have been a delight for the holiday season, as Moyes’ squad followed up an impressive victory at the Emirates against Manchester United with this astounding result.
This places them sixth in the standings, well within the qualifying round for Europe, after a month in which they recorded four victories, one draw, and one loss in the league.
Despite losing England midfielder Rice in the summer, who made his debut for Arsenal against his former club, West Ham have amassed the most points in the first half of the season as a result of their development and maturation.
However, the extent of Lucas Paqueta’s injury will remain a source of concern until further notice; the Brazilian midfielder was substituted in the 31st minute with ice applied to his left leg, despite having warmed up in the warm-up prior to being risked anyway.