Arsenal 0-1 West Ham:

West Ham deservedly beat 1-0 Arsenal to effectively signal the end of the North Londoners Premier League title challenge, leaving Gunners boss Mikel Arteta ‘angry’.

A first half goal by Jarrod Bowen shortly before half time ensured only Pep Guardiola (8) and Jurgen Klopp (6) have won more at the ground as a visiting manager, than the Irons Graham Potter (4).

Speaking after the match, a visibly annoyed Arteta said: "[We were] nowhere near the levels that we have to hit to have the opportunity to win a Premier league. I'm very much responsible for that, so I'm very, very angry."

Mikel Merino was drafted into the side as a makeshift striker, following his two goal heroics last weekend during the 2-0 win at Leicester, with the underwhelming Raheem Sterling dropping to the bench – but while the former held the ball up well, and worked hard attempting to link play, the fact is the 28-year-old defensive midfielder is simply not a striker.

Potter made four changes from the team that surrendered to Brentford last time out, with former Gunner Konstantinos Mavropanos, and Emerson benched in favour of Todibo and Aaron Cresswell.

Teenage talent Oliver Scarles and James Ward-Prowse came into midfield, with Carlos Soler dropping to the bench with Lucas Paqueta missing out through injury.

It was a big day for Irons’ teenage talent Scarles, who made his first Premier League start for West Ham, at the ground where he excelled with the club’s U18s side to beat the Arsenal Young Guns 5-1 in the 2023 FA Youth Cup final, against a Gunners team that featured Ethan Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly.

The Gunners started the day unbeaten in 15 league games, winning ten, their longest run since a run of 16 between December 2010 and April 2011, with their last two matches against the Irons leading to emphatic 6-0 and 5-2 victories in the East End.

Yet it was the Hammers last match in N5 that arguably cost the Gunners the league title - all if, buts and maybes, but the fact is if Arsenal had beaten West Ham at home last season - instead of losing 2-0 - they would have been champions.

Such are fine margins at the top level - with the Gunners valiant title tilt now, sadly for those in red and white, merely a distant memory, after such a poor performance that essentially ended any hopes of Arsenal lifting this season’s title.

On a balmy late February’s afternoon in Islington both sides battled for supremacy in the opening stages, with Bowen firing narrowly wide on 27 minutes.

Six minutes later, the lively Mohammed Kudus crossed for Ward Prowse, whose header threatened David Raya’s goal, but landed just wide.

The dangers weren’t heeded by ponderous Arsenal, especially when attempting to combat West Ham’s pace, and with the clock approaching half time, Bowen nodded home from a flying header to make it 1-0 to West Ham, after putting the finishing touch to the impressive Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross on 44 minutes.

The opener was doubly disappointing from the home side’s point of view, after a lacklustre attempt to win the ball by Calafirori, followed by the normally resolute Gabriel and William Saliba being nowhere to be seen.

West Ham boss Potter clearly enjoys playing at Ashburton Grove, having won three of his four games against Arsenal, with the prospect of a fourth win fast approaching, as the sides went into the break with the East Londoners ahead.

The afternoon got worse for Arsenal, when substitute Lewis-Skelly - who had only come on for the disappointing Calafiori a short while before - was correctly handed a straight red card on 73 minutes. The decision coming after VAR sent referee Craig Pawson to rethink his initial decision of a caution, after the 18-year-old brought down Kudus inches into the Arsenal half.

Modest Potter said after the match that he was: “Delighted. A fantastic performance. Committed…we were playing a fantastic team so we knew we had to suffer,” while going on to praise his talented teenager Scarles.

The defeat leaves Arsenal a whopping eight points off league leaders Liverpool with only 12 games to play - and all without a recognised centre-forward.

How disappointing, for a season that held such high hopes.