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Arsenal blew a two-goal lead for the second game in a row as Bukayo Saka’s penalty miss proved crucial in the Premier League leaders’ damaging 2-2 draw against West Ham.
Mikel Arteta’s side struck twice in the first 10 minutes at the London Stadium thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard.
But just seven days after squandering a 2-0 advantage in their 2-2 draw at Liverpool, the Gunners again cracked under the pressure of the title race.
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Said Benrahma’s penalty reduced the deficit for West Ham before the interval and after Saka fired his spot-kick wide early in the second half, Jarrod Bowen volleyed in an equaliser for the struggling hosts.
It was a hammer blow for Arsenal, who sit four points clear of second-placed Manchester City but have ceded the title race momentum to Pep Guardiola’s team.
“It started extremely well again. We scored two beautiful goals. After that we made a big mistake to not play with purpose to score the third and fourth,” Arteta said.
“We just thought we could play around them and keep the result. That gave them hope.” City had closed within three points of the Gunners after beating Leicester 3-1 and it is the champions who have the destiny of the title in their hands despite trailing Arsenal for much of the season.
City, who have won their last 10 matches in all competitions, have a game in hand on Arsenal.
With a home game against Arsenal looming on April 26, City know they will lift a fifth title in six seasons if they win their remaining eight matches.
By the time Arsenal travel to the Emirates Stadium they will be seven points clear of City if they beat bottom-of-the-table Southampton.
Yet that gap would still look uncomfortably small to Arsenal fans fearing their team are in the process of wasting a golden opportunity to win a first title since 2004.
While City are battle-tested in handling the tension of the title race, Arsenal’s young squad look to be suffering an ill-timed attack of nerves.
“My worry is after 2-0 we made that huge mistake,” Arteta said.
“We didn’t understand what the game required in that moment. We need that ruthless mindset to go and kill a team.”
Arsenal needed just seven minutes to take the lead as Odegaard’s deft pass found Ben White, who delivered a low cross that Jesus slotted home at the far post.
Jesus’s fourth goal in his last three games was followed by the Gunners’ second three minutes later as they ruthlessly punished West Ham’s woeful marking.
Gabriel Martinelli’s pin-point cross found Odegaard in acres of space and the midfielder blasted a volley past Lukasz Fabianski from an acute angle six yards out.
The turning point came in the 33rd minute when Arsenal, looking a little over-confident after such a swaggering start, needlessly conceded a penalty.
Thomas Partey surrendered possession to Declan Rice and when the West Ham midfielder picked out Lucas Paqueta’s run, Gabriel Magalhaes’ mistimed sliding tackle was correctly ruled a penalty despite Arsenal appeals for handball.
Mohamed Salah had missed a penalty against Arsenal last weekend, but they were out of luck this time as Benrahma sent Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way from the spot.
Saka should have eased Arsenal’s mounting anxiety when Antonio conceded a 50th minute penalty with an outstretched arm that blocked Martinelli’s flick.
But instead Saka spiked the tension level even higher with a woeful spot-kick that completely missed hit the target, a costly blunder that recalled the England forward’s Euro 2020 final penalty shoot-out failure against Italy.
Saka held his head in his hands and with Arsenal clearly rattled, David Moyes’ side snatched an equaliser in the 54th minute.
Thilo Kehrer guided the ball into the Arsenal area and Bowen was just onside as his volley ricocheted off the turf and skidded past Ramsdale’s despairing dive.
Michail Antonio nearly won it for West Ham in the closing stages, rising to head Benrahma’s cross against the bar.
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MAN UTD’S BIG BOOST AS FOREST MANAGER BLASTS ‘TERRIBLE’ VAR CALL
Meanwhile, injury-hit Manchester United beat relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest 2-0 to strengthen their push for a top-four Premier League finish.
Erik ten Hag’s men took full advantage of defeats for rivals Newcastle and Tottenham the previous day to climb to third in the table, courtesy of goals from Antony and Diogo Dalot.
The teams had already met three times this season, including in a two-legged League Cup semi-final — with United winning on each occasion.
Injured United central-defensive pairing Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez were replaced by Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, while Dalot came in for Tyrell Malacia.
The visitors, also missing top-scorer Marcus Rashford, were forced into a late change when midfielder Marcel Sabitzer was injured in the warm-up and replaced by Christian Eriksen, making his first start since January following an ankle injury.
Forest, who had not won in their past nine games, made four changes. United were quickly out of the blocks and Jadon Sancho had a strike blocked in the opening moments.
The visitors dominated possession but Steve Cooper’s Forest were a menace from set-pieces.
Forest goalkeeper Keylor Navas saved from Bruno Fernandes before a VAR check for a potential penalty at the other end after the ball hit Maguire’s arm from a corner.
“Harry Maguire’s was a definitely penalty [for handball],” Nottingham manager Cooper said post-game.
“Then a second yellow card and red. A terrible decision. How have VAR not picked up on that? Another call and apology from them then, which won’t help.”
United took the lead in the 32nd minute when Antony poked home after Navas parried a powerful shot from Anthony Martial.
Dalot almost gifted Forest an equaliser shortly before half-time after some sloppy play but Taiwo Awoniyi smashed the ball well over.
Fernandes put a header wide from the centre of the box just before the break. United continued to dominate in the second half, with Fernandes and Eriksen pulling the strings.
Portugal international Fernandes produced a stunning curling effort from the left of the box that was pushed on to the bar by Navas and Antony fired just wide.
Martial missed a glorious chance to extend United’s lead when he headed wide with 20 minutes to go before Forest defender Felipe nodded over from close range.
United finally got the reward their dominance deserved in the 76th minute when Dalot burst into the box to meet a pass by Antony to score his first Premier League goal.
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The win leaves United three points clear of fourth-placed Newcastle after 30 games, and six clear of Tottenham, in fifth.
“Solid win,” Ten Hag told the BBC.
“Really focused and concentrated from start to finish.”
The United boss remarked on a “really solid performance from all on the pitch today”, singling out Maguire and Lindelof for praise.
“Last week I had nine fit top defenders, now I have four,” he said.
“We need all our players — we are still in three competitions. We need all the players to form a top team.”
The Red Devils have surpassed last season’s Premier League points tally with eight matches still to play as they turn their attention to this week’s Europa League and FA Cup clashes.
Forest remain in the bottom three and are in serious danger of returning to the Championship after just one season in the English top flight.
