Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes dealt blow following shock home defeat against West Ham

Arsenal missed out on the chance to regain top spot in the Premier League after suffering a surprise 2-0 home defeat to West Ham on Thursday.

Arsenal missed out on the chance to regain top spot in the Premier League after suffering a surprise 2-0 home defeat against West Ham on Thursday. Tomáš Souček’s first-half goal gave the visitor the lead against the run of play, before Arsenal’s misery was compounded by former defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, who rose highest from a corner to seal West Ham’s victory in the second half. The scoreline could have been even worse for the Gunners but David Raya saved Said Benrahma’s penalty deep into stoppage time. However, as has been the case on so many occasions this season, VAR was again a major talking point. After reviewing the build-up to Souček’s opener, it was deemed there was no conclusive evidence to rule out the goal despite Arsenal’s claims the ball had gone out of play as Jarrod Bowen cut the ball back for his teammate. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was far more measured in his response to the decision than he was when a similar incident occurred earlier this season that led to a Newcastle goal.