Arsenal wasted the chance to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool when they fell at home with a shock 1-0 defeat at home at West Ham.
A Jarrod Bowen header at the tranquility turned out to be the difference on a frustrating afternoon in Mikel Arteta, who ended the game with ten men after Myles Lewis-Sklly was replaced.
The result means that the Gunners have missed the opportunity to reduce Liverpool’s lead to five points and make site in the title race of this season.
For West Ham, however, the victory will be a welcome boost for new boss Graham Potter, who has had difficulty changing the fortune of the hammers since he took over at the beginning of January.
Leave Noord -Londs with three points 😃 pic.twitter.com/aogqgjvawz
– West Ham United (@westham) February 22, 2025
How the action unfolded
The Gunners started the All-London affair clearly, but failed to cut a Stern Hammers defense.
Frustration seemed to crawl while Arteta’s side struggled to break the impasse. Mikel Merino could not turn Thomas Pardeny’s ball, while Martin Odegaard shot from the edge of the box.
The visitors grew steadily in the game and had their own chances when Tomas Soucek could not get in the target twice.
Then, in 44 minutes, West Ham silent the home crowd after Bowen met the cross of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from the right and buried the ball in the net with a dive head.
Jarrod Bowen’s strike against Arsenal means that he now has 50 Premier League goals.
He is the second West Ham player to hit the milestone, behind only Mikhail Antonio (68) 👏 pic.twitter.com/6wnkfypqef
– Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 22, 2025
The match started after the break, with Bowen close to the doubling of the visitor’s benefit.
It was an afternoon of missed opportunities for Arsenal, and their frustration was exacerbated when replacement Lewis-Skell was rejected after he had brought down Mohammed Kudus in 73 minutes.
The teenage defender was initially shown a yellow card, but the decision was upgraded to a red after a VAR check.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Arsenal shot forward in search of an equalizer. But Potter’s side held up to include a famous road victory.
While the minutes crashed and the Gunners threw bodies on the field, Arteta cut an increasingly brave figure on the touchline, knowing that an important chance had gone into the title race.
