Arsenal had high hopes of winning a trophy this season, especially after Manchester City’s unexpected exit in the previous round. However, David Moyes’ West Ham had other plans when they faced off at the London Stadium. The Hammers took the lead early on due to an own goal by Ben White.
Mohammed Kudus further extended their advantage early in the second half, and Jarrod Bowen sealed the victory at the hour mark. Arsenal managed to pull one goal back through Martin Odegaard, but it came as late as the 96th minute.
This result occurred shortly after Arsenal’s dominant performance against Sheffield United, where they scored five goals without conceding, propelling them to second place in the Premier League standings.
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal’s manager, expressed his disappointment after the defeat in East London, taking responsibility for the subpar performance.
He emphasized that the team didn’t compete effectively and that he had tried to warn the players about the importance of the match in the preceding 48 hours.
Arteta acknowledged that the team fell significantly short of the required level and recognized that every game in football is distinct.
He highlighted the need for improvement and stressed the importance of moving on from the past match against Sheffield United. He felt that Arsenal didn’t pose enough of a threat in the game and expressed his desire to see more from his team.
Arteta’s focus shifted to using this defeat as a learning experience to prepare for the upcoming match against Newcastle on Saturday.
He emphasized the need to feel the disappointment and use it as motivation to progress and perform better in the next fixture.