West Ham 2-2 Arsenal: 3 talking points as Gunners crumble again

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<p>&mdash; Arsenal (@Arsenal) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/16/west-ham-2-2-arsenal-3-talking-points/3/"https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1647615144720039936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>April 16, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/16/west-ham-2-2-arsenal-3-talking-points/3/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <p>Just minutes into the second half, Arsenal was given a penalty after Michail Antonio handballed in the area. Bukayo Saka stepped up but put his effort wide as West Ham dodged a bullet.</p> <p>The penalty miss was costly as just minutes later, Jared Bowen equalised for the Hammers with a fine finish.</p> <p>Arsenal couldn&rsquo;t find the winner as they had to settle for a point after being pegged back from 2-0 up for the second time in two weeks.</p> <h2>West Ham 2-2 Arsenal: 3 talking points as Gunners crumble again</h2> <p>The game provided plenty of talking points; here they are.</p> <h2>1. Advantage City in title race</h2> <p>It could prove to be a pivotal two weeks in the title race, as Arsenal have just two points to show after being up 2-0 in back-to-back games.</p> <p>With City continuing on their rampaging ways, the Gunners could ill-afford any slip-ups, and in two weeks, they have slipped up twice.</p> <p>The title race isn&rsquo;t over, but it definitely feels like advantage City now.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide&#8230;</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/16/west-ham-2-2-arsenal-3-talking-points/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;Talking Point #2 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_133683" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-133683 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/16/west-ham-2-2-arsenal-3-talking-points/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_972,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1482605413.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="972" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1482605413.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1482605413-768x467.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1482605413-268x162.jpeg 268w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Arsenal were once again pegged back after taking a 2-0 lead. (Photo by Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>2. Gunners didn’t learn from Anfield mistakes</h2> <p>Arsenal were 2-0 and cruising at Anfield before Granit Xhaka’s incident with Trent Alexander-Arnold got the home crowd involved, and it was a tidal wave of emotion from then on.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">2 – Arsenal have given away a penalty in consecutive Premier League matches for the first time since September 2019 (three games in a row). Panic. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/16/west-ham-2-2-arsenal-3-talking-points/3/"https://t.co/XcOyAb4iDY">pic.twitter.com/XcOyAb4iDY

<p>— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/16/west-ham-2-2-arsenal-3-talking-points/3/"https://twitter.com/OptaJoe/status/1647594659911196675?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>April 16, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/16/west-ham-2-2-arsenal-3-talking-points/3/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <p>Against West Ham, Arsenal again were 2-0 up, with the Hammers able to get nowhere near the Gunners until a sloppy passage of play allowed Declan Rice to snatch the ball away that then resulted in the penalty that followed.</p> <p>The Gunners gave the Hammers life in a game they had no interest being in.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/16/west-ham-2-2-arsenal-3-talking-points/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Talking Point #3 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_133691" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-133691 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/16/west-ham-2-2-arsenal-3-talking-points/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1066,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1251880491.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1066" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1251880491.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1251880491-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Will Arsenal come to rue these dropped points? (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>3. Defining moment in the season… and not in a good way</h2> <p>This is eerily similar to last season when the Gunners had a top-four spot all but secured, only to collapse down the stretch. This feels the same.</p> <p>After having an eight-point lead, in two weeks, Arsenal has thrown away six points in what could prove to be City’s path to yet another title.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="d82qoDbHdc"><p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/16/west-ham-2-2-arsenal-3-talking-points/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/16/west-ham-2-2-arsenal-player-ratings/">West Ham 2-2 Arsenal: Player ratings as Gunners’ title hopes dealt blow</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/16/west-ham-2-2-arsenal-3-talking-points/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/16/west-ham-2-2-arsenal-player-ratings/embed/#?secret=d82qoDbHdc" data-secret="d82qoDbHdc" width="500" height="282" title="“West Ham 2-2 Arsenal: Player ratings as Gunners’ title hopes dealt blow” — Pain in the Arsenal" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div> <p>All the good work previously is being thrown away at the most inopportune time. It’s not over, but securing the title looks like a tall order for the Gunners now.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">