EPL: West Ham Stun Arsenal 1-0 at Emirates, Dealing Blow to Gunners' Title Bid

Arsenal's title hopes suffered a significant setback as they fell 1-0 to West Ham, with Myles Lewis-Skelly's red card in the 70th minute proving costly.

Arsenal's impressive 15-game unbeaten home run in the Premier League came to an abrupt end as West Ham United secured a 1-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium. This loss deals a significant blow to Arsenal's title hopes, making their path to the championship increasingly challenging. West Ham, on the other hand, celebrated their second consecutive league win at the Emirates, a feat that will undoubtedly boost their confidence.

Arsenal's performance was lackluster, particularly in the first half, where they struggled to find their rhythm and create scoring opportunities. Their sole shot on target in the opening 45 minutes came from Riccardo Calafiori, but his effort from the edge of the box was comfortably saved by Alphonse Areola. In contrast, West Ham showed more intent and urgency, with Tomas Soucek narrowly missing the target with a couple of headers, while Jarrod Bowen also went close with a skewed shot.

The decisive moment arrived just before halftime, as West Ham's Aaron Wan-Bissaka delivered an inviting cross into the box. Jarrod Bowen met the ball with a diving header from close range, catching the Arsenal defense off guard and stunning the Emirates crowd. This goal proved to be the difference-maker, as Arsenal were unable to find an equalizer despite their efforts in the second half.

Jarrod Bowen came close to doubling his tally early in the second half, narrowly missing a dangerous ball flashed across the goalmouth. In response, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made some early substitutions, which seemed to inject some life into his team. One of these substitutes, Leandro Trossard, forced Alphonse Areola into a spectacular save with a clever reverse effort, but the English goalkeeper's outstretched leg denied Trossard's attempt.

Jarrod Bowen and @WestHam end Arsenal's 15-match unbeaten run ⚒️#ARSWHU pic.twitter.com/8UbS0lIaSS

— Premier League (@premierleague) February 22, 2025

Arsenal's hopes of mounting a comeback were dealt a severe blow in the 70th minute, however, when substitute Myles Lewis-Skelly received his marching orders. Lewis-Skelly, whose previous red card against Wolves had been overturned, was deemed to have committed a last-man foul on Mohammed Kudus near the halfway line. Following a VAR review, the referee upgraded the initial yellow card to a red, leaving Arsenal to play out the remainder of the match with 10 men. Despite this numerical disadvantage, Arsenal continued to push forward, but ultimately lacked the quality needed to overturn the deficit.

Graham Potter is a Swiftie 💃

He recently revealed he’s a big Taylor Swift fan, and said he may celebrate West Ham’s win against Arsenal with a song or two… pic.twitter.com/BKwtq3tsGv

— Premier League (@premierleague) February 22, 2025

The victory marked Graham Potter's West Ham United's second away win in eight matches, and they deservedly took all three points. The result leaves Arsenal's title hopes hanging by a thread, with the gap between them and Liverpool remaining at eight points for now. However, if Liverpool secure a win at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow, the gap would widen to a potentially insurmountable 11 points, making Arsenal's task even more daunting.