Arsenal Hand Title Onus To City With Drub 2-2 West Ham Draw

Arsenal dropped points again on Sunday from a leading position for the second consecutive match to hand the onus to Manchester City in the Premier League title race.

Arsenal played relegation contender West Ham United on Sunday and raced to a 2-0 lead within 10 minutes courtesy of goals from Gabriel Jesus (7’) and Martin Ødegaard (10’) and looked like bouncing back from their last match’s 2-2 draw against a resurgent Liverpool team.

However, as the match progressed, the Gunners seemed overconfident from such a bright start as they needlessly conceded a penalty. Thomas Partey squandered possession to Declan Rice and when the West Ham midfielder picked out Lucas Paqueta's run, Gabriel Magalhaes' mistimed sliding tackle was ruled a penalty despite Arsenal appeals for a handball.

Said Benrahma was on hand to strike home from the spot to make it 2-1. That appeared to be the turning point, however, later on, when presented with a similar opportunity from the spot to extend their lead, Arsenal fluffed their lines.

On the 50-minute mark, Bukayo Saka was presented with an opportunity from the spot following Michail Antonio’s handball to make it 3-1 in favour of Arsenal. However, Saka missed his penalty kick to keep the scores at 2-1.

But that was not for long as tensions rose in the London Stadium and West Ham United went on to score at the other end to make it 2-2. Thilo Kehrer lofted the ball into the Arsenal area and Bowen stayed just onside as his volley ricocheted off the turf and skidded past Ramsdale.

The match ended at 2-2 and Arsenal dropped points for the second match in a row. Before Manchester City’s next Premier League match, Arsenal will play bottom club Southampton on Saturday and will have the chance to extend their lead to seven points with a win.

However, Manchester City, who do not play this week due to their UEFA Champions League commitments, will have two matches in their hand and can cut the gap to just one point with victories. City who are tested team in the title run-ins will have the upper hand with the two table toppers clashing on April 28 for the match being touted as the title decider.

Also Read: PL Round-up: Liverpool Win 2-0 Against Newcastle, Arsenal Back On Top