Alright, let's break down that Arsenal vs. West Ham clash on the 28th of December at the Emirates Stadium. What a rollercoaster that was!
So, first things first, it's disappointing to see Arsenal lose, especially at home. I'm sure the atmosphere at the Emirates was a bit tense after this one. The Gunners started with a bang, putting on the pressure, but West Ham had other plans.
Tomas Soucek, the man of the moment, opened the scoring at the 13th minute, courtesy of Jarrod Bowen's assist. Now, I'm not one to complain, but that VAR decision on Bowen's pass was a close call. We're talking inches here, mate!
Lucas Paqueta's injury setback for West Ham was a bit of a bummer. However, they adapted, and Said Benrahma came on to fill the gap. It's always a challenge when a key player gets injured, especially mid-match.
Now, the second half was where West Ham sealed the deal. Konstantinos Mavropanos, a former Gunner, headed in a beauty from a James Ward-Prowse corner. The lad had a point to prove against his old club, and he did it in style.
Arsenal had their chances, with Bukayo Saka hitting the post just before halftime. But you know how it goes, sometimes the ball just doesn't want to find the back of the net.
And would you believe it, Gabriel Jesus missed a couple of golden opportunities with those headers! It's frustrating when you see your team getting close but not quite getting there.
The stat about Arsenal having 77 touches in the opposition box without scoring is a real head-scratcher. That's football for you, mate – sometimes it just doesn't make sense.
Props to West Ham, though. They held their ground and even had a chance to make it 3-0 in stoppage time with that penalty, but David Raya had other ideas. A save to remember!