Arsenal lost crucial ground to Liverpool in the Premier League title race with a surprise defeat to West Ham at the Emirates Stadium.
Jarrod Bowen’s header just before the break secured all three points for the visitors, who executed their gameplan to perfection with Arsenal left to mull over a series of mistakes.
It was a toothless and disjointed display from the north Londoners, with Mikel Merino struggling up top and the likes of Declan Rice, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard failing to run the show in midfield.
Things went from bad to worse after the hour mark when Myles Lewis-Skelly, who had not long been introduced from the bench, was sent off for an ill-judged challenge on Mohamed Kudus.
He was initially shown a yellow card but was rightly given his marching orders for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity following a VAR intervention.
Arsenal‘s latest slip-up means Liverpool could go 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League table with victory at Manchester City on Sunday.
Express Sport brings you the Arsenal player ratings on a day to forget for the Gunners…
Arsenal player ratings vs West Ham
David Raya – 6
Could not have done much about the opening goal, with most of the blame falling on his defenders. Did not have a great deal of action apart from that.
Jurrien Timber – 5
Was relatively anonymous throughout, failing to set the world alight at either end of the pitch. Struggled to move the ball quick enough when there were opportunities to attack down the right flank. Not his best performance.
William Saliba – 5
Did his defensive duties well enough but was too slow on the ball, often leaving himself with a lack of passing options. Fell short of his usual standards but was far from the worst player on the pitch.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 5
Could have shown more awareness in the build-up to West Ham’s opening goal, but was not predominantly at fault. Missed a huge chance to score in the closing stages but got his bearings wrong.
Was often slow to track back, leading to him being caught out of position at times. Failed to stop the cross which led to Bowen’s opener just before the break. Not good enough.
Thomas Partey – 5
Did the basics well enough but was too pedestrian on the ball and struggled to impact the game in the way he would have liked. Could also have been quicker to track back when West Ham were looking to break.
Declan Rice – 4
Failed to get close enough to Bowen for the opening goal, allowing his former team-mate a free header. Should have stayed with him rather than slowing up on the edge of the box. A critical mistake which cost Arsenal the points.
Martin Odegaard – 5
Lacked an end product in the final third, giving the ball away too many times and firing some half-hearted shots at goal. Often picked the wrong passes, leading to possession being lost. Nowhere near his brilliant best.
Ethan Nwaneri – 6
Looked lively at the start, using his quick feet to find space on the edge of the box. Went a bit quiet after the opening 20 minutes when he stopped getting the service from his team-mates. Showed flashes of quality until he was replaced late on.
Leandro Trossard – 6
Tried hard to make things happen, twisting and turning to get himself into crossing positions, but was let down by his team-mates failing to make the right runs. Was probably Arsenal‘s best attacking player despite not scoring or assisting.
Mikel Merino – 4
Deployed as the lone striker out of necessity. Struggled to impose himself and did not seem to know which runs to make, leaving Arsenal without a cutting edge in attack. Their decision not to sign a striker in January looks more baffling by the day.
Substitutes
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 3
Introduced in place of Riccardo Calafiori on the left side of defence. Only lasted 17 minutes before he was sent off for a silly challenge on Mohamed Kudus while trying to recover from his own error. Brainless.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 5
Came on for Declan Rice just before the hour mark but was unable to help Arsenal turn the tide. A muted display.
Raheem Sterling – n/a
A late addition, replacing Ethan Nwaneri for the closing minutes.
Ben White – n/a
A late addition, coming on for William Saliba.
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