Arsenal’s Premier League title ambitions took a major hit on Saturday, as a 1-0 defeat to West Ham at the Emirates left them eight points behind leaders Liverpool.
Manager Mikel Arteta didn’t hold back in his post-match assessment, criticising his players for failing to meet the standards of a title-winning side.
Jarrod Bowen’s first-half header sealed the victory for West Ham, while Arsenal’s evening got worse when Myles Lewis-Skelly saw red with 18 minutes remaining—the club’s fifth dismissal this season.
Liverpool had shown signs of vulnerability in recent weeks, dropping points against Everton and Aston Villa, but they now have the chance to go 11 points clear when they face Manchester City on Sunday.
Arteta admitted that Arsenal’s fate in the title race is no longer in their control.
“It’s not in our hands,” said Arteta. “I am annoyed with the things that are in our hands—which are the performance and the result—and we didn’t do that as well as we possibly could.
“I am very disappointed and very angry as well. Even though we had 20 shots, I never felt that we were at the standard and the level that we needed.”
Arsenal’s challenge has been severely hampered by injuries to key attackers Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, and Bukayo Saka, forcing Arteta to deploy midfielder Mikel Merino as a makeshift centre forward.
Despite this, Arteta refused to use absences as an excuse. “I refuse that completely because I am talking about the standards of the players and the team that we played today, me included,” added the Spaniard.
With Liverpool and Manchester City still to play this weekend, Arsenal’s fate could be further out of their hands by the end of the round.
The defeat was also Arsenal’s first at home this season, and unless they recover quickly, their 21-year wait for a league title could extend for another season.
