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With Arsenal's 1-0 loss to West Ham, is the Gunners' title challenge now officially over?
By any means necessary, Arsenal had to beat West Ham at the Emirates to heap a load of pressure on Liverpool who are away to Manchester City.
But Mikel Arteta's side never looked like beating the 16th-placed Hammers, who were injury-riddled. The lack of attacking options up front, coupled with a lack of creativity, doomed the Gunners on their own deck to a 1-0 defeat.
Jarrod Bowen's header just before halftime sucked any and all energy out of the Emirates as the crowd knew what was unfolding. Then Myles Lewis-Skelly's red card for being the last man as Arsenal chased the game, ended any thought of an unlikely turnaround.
The Gunners managed 20 shots on the West Ham goal, but here is that theme of the year again: Arsenal managed just five on target to see their title hopes, which were hanging by a thread, now at the mercy of Liverpool.
With the backlash on social media intense, many are now doing away with the Gunners and their title chances and if City to beat Liverpool, it will rub salt into the wounds as this was a massive chance that was once again wasted.
“We’re really disappointed,” Martin Odegaard said via arsenal.com. “It felt like we had a good chance today but the overall performance wasn’t good enough and that’s a big blow for everyone.
You hit the nail no the head, Martin.
Given what was at stake here, the performance was horrible, and it will be a big blow to the Gunners if Liverpool do take care of business against City.
The lack of forward options again doomed Arsenal and perhaps the more worrying thing was that few clear-cut chances were created from the hosts.
With a chance to put the pressure on Liverpool, perhaps for the first time all season, Arsenal laid an egg and at home mind you, against a West Ham team languishing in 16th in the table.
You're right, Martin, not good enough.
The Gunners will now have to pick up the pieces of what was a woeful performance and go again midweek at Nottingham Forest, which will be no easy task, and considering how low the confidence levels could be, the hosts might fancy their chances to drive a stake through Arsenal's title challenge.
Is it over? My word, it's awfully close.