Arsenal were determined to win against West Ham to reclaim the top spot, the home team poured forward to attack after the opening whistle. When Arsenal's strikers had not yet really threatened the visitors' goal, they unexpectedly conceded a goal.
In the 13th minute, Gabriel missed the opponent's cross, causing the ball to bounce off Zinchenko. Bowen quickly passed the ball back for Soucek to finish from close range, sending the ball into the home team's net.
Soucek scored the opening goal against Arsenal (Photo: Getty).
The ball happened so quickly that Raya couldn't block it, the Spanish goalkeeper was frustrated with his teammate's mistake. VAR stepped in to determine whether the ball was out of the field before Bowen passed the ball. Because the ball was in the air when Bowen passed it back, it was difficult to determine accurately with the naked eye, and in the end, VAR awarded the goal to the away team.
VAR checks whether the ball is in or out of play when Bowen passes the ball (Photo: Getty).
After conceding the goal, Arsenal rose strongly, the home team created some clear scoring opportunities. In the 30th minute, Jesus passed the ball accurately for Saka to jump high and head in the center of the penalty area, unfortunately the English player sent the ball straight to Areola, the West Ham goalkeeper jumped up and pushed the ball out.
In the 36th minute, Martinelli found space in the center of the penalty area, the Brazilian player fired a decisive right-footed shot but the ball went wide of the goal. In the 42nd minute, Saka got down to receive the ball and shot from a tight angle, the ball hit the post and bounced out.
Entering the second half, the home team continued to attack, but before they could equalize, they conceded a second goal. In the 55th minute, Mavropanos jumped high to head the ball into Arsenal's net from a corner kick. The Greek player did not celebrate after scoring against his former team.
Mavropanos jumped high to head the ball home from a corner kick (Photo: Getty).
Conceding two goals left Arsenal extremely stunned, which affected the home team's confidence. Therefore, despite continuously creating opportunities, Arsenal still could not score. In the 66th minute, White crossed the ball accurately for Jesus to head from less than 5m away, without anyone marking him, but the Brazilian player sent the ball over the bar.
Arsenal almost conceded a third goal in stoppage time. In the 90+4 minute, Rice fouled Emerson in the penalty area when the English midfielder's attempt to clear the ball sent the sole of his boot straight into the opponent's ankle. However, on the 11m mark, Benrahma could not beat Raya.
However, the 2-0 victory was enough for West Ham. After round 19, Arsenal has 40 points, ranked 2nd, 2 points behind the leader Liverpool. West Ham reclaimed 6th place, with 33 points, pushing Man Utd down to 7th.
Line-up
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko (Nelson, 64'); Rice, Odegaard, Trossard (Smith Rowe, 79'); Saka, Jesus, Martinelli (Nketiah 64').
West Ham: Areola; Coufal, Ogbonna, Mavropanos, Emerson; Alvarez, Soucek, Ward-Prowse; Kudus, Bowen, Paqueta (Benrahma, 33').
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