Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, has acknowledged that his team’s performance was not up to the mark after the Gunners surrendered a two-goal lead against West Ham at London Stadium in a 2-2 draw on Sunday. Arteta, however, did not agree that the pressure of the Premier League title race was responsible for their setback. He urged his side to develop a “ruthless mindset” in their remaining games to secure maximum points till the end of the season.
Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard scored two quickfire goals to give Arsenal a 2-0 lead in the opening 10 minutes. But the Gunners failed to capitalize on their dominant start and allowed West Ham to get back into the game. Said Benrahma pulled a goal back for the Hammers with a 33rd-minute penalty, and Bukayo Saka missed a spot-kick for Arsenal seven minutes into the second half. Two minutes later, Jarrod Bowen scored an equalizer for West Ham.
This was Arsenal’s second successive game where they had let a two-goal lead slip. Last week, they had also surrendered a 2-0 lead to draw against Liverpool. Arteta denied that the pressure of the run-in was affecting his players, saying that the team started well and dominated the pitch from the beginning. He attributed the setback to a lack of purpose and misunderstanding of the game’s requirements, urging his players to maintain a “ruthless mindset” when the opportunity arises to “kill the game.”
Odegaard concurred with Arteta, saying that Arsenal made “a lot of stupid things on the ball” after going 2-0 up, allowing West Ham to play on their strengths and dictate the pace of the game. With just four games remaining, Arsenal sits fourth in the Premier League table with 58 points, four ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool but having played a game more. They face a crucial test away at the Etihad Stadium against champions-elect Manchester City in ten days’ time.
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