Arsenal’s title hopes hit as old boy Mavropanos seals West Ham win

This was not the reunion that Arsenal envisaged. On a night when West Ham’s discipline turned the Emirates Stadium into a pit of frustration, the narrative moved away from Declan Rice and shifted to Konstantinos Mavropanos haunting his old club with a goal that raises further questions over the hopes of winning the title.

Arsenal were desperately lacking in conviction when a win would have taken them back to the top of the league. Mikel Arteta’s side remain two points behind Liverpool and, perhaps more pertinently, only three above an apparently resurgent Manchester City.

Much more of this and the gap will soon be cut. West Ham, with goals from Tomas Soucek and Mavropanos, executed their plan to perfection. Victory, David Moyes’s first in 73 attempts away to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United, moved them to sixth and was a justified reward for an immaculate defensive display. This was West Ham at their solid, committed best – time for Moyes to be given a new deal? – and Arsenal at their nervy worst.

Arsenal were under pressure after wins for City and Liverpool earlier in the week. They were full of urgency from the start, pinning West Ham back, the attacks mainly focused down the right.

The plan – to get Bukayo Saka running at Emerson Palmieri – seemed like a good one. Even some early wastefulness from Saka, who shot straight at Alphonse Areola after being played in by Martin Ødegaard, felt immaterial.

Arsenal were making all the running, with Ødegaard at the heart of everything, and it was hard to see West Ham’s low block holding out.

The visitors, after all, had conceded five in both of their previous two away outings and were without Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma in central defence. The omens were hardly promising. Deputising were Mavropanos and Angelo Ogbonna, the same duo when West Ham were demolished by Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.

Jarrod Bowen keeps the ball in for Tomas Soucek to score. VAR could not confirm the ball was out so the referee’s decision of goal remained. Photograph: Amazon Prime

A notable feature, though, was Edson Álvarez dropping back to help form a back three. Tough and disciplined, they soon tiptoed forward. Jarrod Bowen dribbled down the left, only for Declan Rice to step in. Then Lucas Paquetá, who had started despite picking up a knock during the warm-up, took over, spinning cleverly before finding Emerson’s overlapping run.

The left-back’s cross would catch Arsenal out. Bowen missed it at the near post but Gabriel Magalhães and Oleksandr Zinchenko were in a muddle. The ball came back to Bowen, who pulled it back from the byline for Tomas Soucek to score from close range.

There would be no reprieve from VAR for Arsenal, no replay to show the ball had gone behind before being funnelled to Soucek, and the anxiety rose. The moans were loud after an overcomplicated set-piece routine.

It took Arsenal until the 30th minute to work Areola properly, Saka’s header from Gabriel Jesus’s dink drawing a stunning stop from West Ham’s goalkeeper.

Now the dynamic altered. Paquetá went down, his race run, depriving the visitors of their most accomplished player on the ball. Retaining possession was harder with Saïd Benrahma on.

Given a rollicking by Arteta, Arsenal looked to turn the screw. West Ham’s defending grew desperate, Soucek and Ogbonna making some crucial blocks, and they were fortunate not to concede.

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Gabriel Martinelli should have converted Saka’s cutback, only to blaze wide. Ødegaard released Saka, who hit the woodwork. Leandro Trossard, in for the suspended Kai Havertz, had a shot blocked by Ogbonna.

It had been 45 minutes of pure Moyesball. Mohammed Kudus had worked tirelessly on West Ham’s right, tracking back and occasionally relieving pressure with neat footwork, but surely more was required. Unless West Ham were able to pose more of a threat, the sense at the start of the second half was that Arsenal would eventually pick the lock.

But there was more angst when no Arsenal forward attacked an inviting cross from Ben White. While Rice went close from 20 yards, It needed someone to seize the initiative. The familiar complaint about Arsenal lacking a potent No 9 came to mind.

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Arsenal had to think about defending before Jesus could look to alter the narrative. West Ham mounted a rare counterattack and won a corner. James Ward-Prowse delivered and nobody stayed with Mavropanos as the defender darted across Gabriel and sent an emphatic header in off the bar.

Two-nil down, Arteta readied his changes, Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah on for Martinelli and Zinchenko. It left Arsenal with three at the back and more presence up front. Jesus, though, would soon miss two presentable headed chances.

There was still hope. Trossard turned and shot, but Areola saved with his legs. From the resultant corner the outstanding Vladimir Coufal cleared a header off the line. West Ham threw themselves in front of everything. There was still time for Rice to foul the flying Emerson and give away a penalty, only for David Raya to save Benrahma’s effort.