Pain in the Arsenal
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3 standout players from defeat in Carabao Cup

By William Upton

West Ham United's Mexican midfielder #19 Edson Alvarez (L) vies with Arsenal's German midfielder #29 Kai Havertz (R) during the English League Cup fourth round football match between West Ham United and Arsenal at The London Stadium, in east London, on November 1, 2023. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
West Ham United's Mexican midfielder #19 Edson Alvarez (L) vies with Arsenal's German midfielder #29 Kai Havertz (R) during the English League Cup fourth round football match between West Ham United and Arsenal at The London Stadium, in east London, on November 1, 2023. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Arsenal were handed their second loss of the season at the hands of West Ham United, eliminating them from the Carabao Cup.

It was a disappointing performance from the Gunners but it was not disastrous and the score line was kind to West Ham, even with Martin Odegaard’s late consolation.

Arsenal dominated possession for the entire game except for about fifteen minutes at the start of the second half when the Hammers had a purple patch and scored two goals.

The first goal came from an unlucky own goal courtesy of Ben White, who headed in from a corner despite no West Ham pressure. Aaron Ramsdale was clearly fouled by Tomáš Souček but the referee didn’t see it and there was no VAR.

Overall, I think the performance and result weren’t as bad as people are making out. Although it would be nice for Arsenal to be competing in all competitions, avoiding more fixture congestion is a good thing.

I also think that there weren’t any disastrous performances and it was just one of those days where all the 50/50s went in West Ham’s favour. I would argue that Arsenal were the better team, albeit lacking in incisiveness.

Jorginho had a surprisingly good game but the midfield felt quite imbalanced. Martin Odegaard’s cameo, with an extremely tidy finish, was very encouraging.

3 standout players from Carabao Cup defeat at West Ham

Let’s get into the player who particularly stood out for me in our defeat to West Ham.

1. Jakub Kiwior

Asked to play as a right centre-back, Jakub Kiwior had a very encouraging performance. The defender was aggressive as well as composed. He won four out of four aerial duels and played confidently throughout.

His passing was very good, with a 92% pass success rate. Of course, it seems odd to compliment a defender who conceded three goals, but I thought he was very good.

In the last decade or so, I have seen many Arsenal centre-backs look jittery, uncomfortable, swallowed up by the occasion and with glaring faults. Kiwior didn’t have any of these problems.

He looked good on the ball, fast, physical and he could be very important in the season, especially if William Saliba or Gabriel get injured.

Continued on the next slide…

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