The portents are not good when a title chasing team blow a two goal lead two weeks in a row. Whereas last week the question was whether it was a point gained or two points lost, this week it is undoubtedly two points gone astray.
Similar to last week the team lacked a ruthlessness required to kill a game when an opponent were looking as vulnerable as West Ham did. With the crowd getting on the players back, West Ham resembled a whipped dog cowering from the possibility of another beating. But Arsenal succeeded in transforming them into a savage beast through their own haplessness and lapses of concentration.
Here are my ratings:
Ramsdale (6) Should have done better with the second goal and made a couple of flaps at the ball. This gave the opponents a smell of blood and offered the Hammers hope when we needed to quell it.
White (6) Great assist for the goal, but from there on offered very few contributions to the attack. Was occasionally out of position in defence.
Holding (6) Worked manfully to hold the fort when the team were under pressure. Has done well since coming in, but it’s still hard to dispel the feeling that there’s a mistake looming.
Gabriel (6) Got through another immense amount of work due to the midfield going missing. Was naive to go to ground for the penalty and can partly share the blame for the Bowen goal. Nevertheless made some very important interventions and handled Antonio well.
Tierney (6.5) Had the inevitable task of dealing with an in form Bowen and was equal to it. Made quite a few meaty tackles to stop the West Ham winger. Lost concentration for the goal though. Couple of nice deliveries when on the front foot.
Party (4) Had a nightmare. I’ve mentioned it multiple times, but when this man ticks the whole thing runs smoothly. Unfortunately the reverse is also true and he can carry the bulk of responsibility for inviting West Ham back into the game.
Xhaka (6.5) Had a lot of dirty work to get through as the team collectively collapsed. Was plugging holes all over the place thus negating his attacking contributions.
Odegaard (4) Hasn’t returned from Norway after the international break. Took his goal well, but was almost a liability there after as his passing was unusually awry.
Martinelli (6) Lovely assist for the goal and contributed his usual effort in defence and attack. But you can’t do it on your own, and that was how it looked at times as he was the only forward offering threat.
Jesus (5.5) When he scored it looked set up for an exhibition of the Arsenal box of tricks. But when the game turned was incapable of affecting the game in any fashion. Spent more time in deep midfield than as a striker such was his desperation to make something happen.
Saka (4.5) Quite possibly his poorest game in an Arsenal shirt. Definitely his poorest of the season. Was ineffective from the tenth minute on.
Although it was a poor result in the context of the game, what was more worrying was that it was an even poorer performance. But then maybe it’s exactly what they needed?
It’s definitely All or Nothing from here on in.
I’m interested to hear how you rate it. ….
Peter Doherty