West Ham United 2-2 Arsenal: Gunners surrender two goal lead as Hammers claim an important point

West Ham United fought back to hold Arsenal to a draw as the result sees drama at both ends of the table.

West Ham United 2-2 Arsenal: Gunners surrender two goal lead as Hammers claim an important point
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 16: Bukayo Saka of Arsenal reacts after missing a penalty kick during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Arsenal FC at London Stadium on April 16, 2023 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)
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By Edward Moss

West Ham United and Arsenal played out a dramatic 2-2 draw at the London Stadium, in a match which will have huge effects at both ends of the Premier League table. 

Mikel Arteta's men were flying when Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard gave them a 2-0 lead inside 10 minutes, however the Hammers refused to lie down and fought back for a point with goals from Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen at either side of halftime. 

The result mirrors Arsenal 2-2 result at Liverpool last weekend where the Gunners threw away a comfortable two goal lead at Anfield.

David Moyes' side now sit four points clear of the danger zone, whereas the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the table becomes even heavier, with Manchester City just four points behind the Gunners with a game in hand. 

  • Story of the Match

The hosts made an aggressive start to the match, but it was Arsenal who carved out the first real chance of the game when Gabriel Magalhaes' glancing header flew just wide after a good cross from Gabriel Martinelli

It took the Gunners six minutes to get on the scoreboard as Odegaard slipped Benjamin White through to the byline with a defence splitting pass, who then squared the ball to Jesus for a simple tap in.

Arsenal kept their foot on the gas and doubled their lead just before the 10 minute mark - Martinelli delivered a great ball towards the back post where he found Odegaard in acres of space, who simply stroked the ball past Lukas Fabianski.

West Ham began to pose a threat going forwards as Michail Antonio got on the wrong side of Rob Holding and forced the centre half to give away a free kick down the left flank, however the Gunners were able to defend the set piece well. 

The Hammers grew into the game and got their first goal on the half hour mark when Lucas Paqueta was clumsily brought down inside the penalty box by Gabriel, with the referee awarding a penalty which Benrahma cooly converted, sending Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way.

With the wind in their sails and the visitors on the back foot, West Ham pressed for an equaliser, and nearly had one when Tomas Soucek's effort from a corner was deflected just wide of the target.

On the cusp of halftime Kurt Zouma nearly grabbed a leveller when the ball rebounded to him inside the six yard box, but the Frenchman couldn't direct the ball on target.

Arsenal began the second half on top, and had a golden opportunity to extend their lead when Antonio handled the ball inside the West Ham penalty area, however Bukayo Saka was unable to score from the resulting penalty, sending his effort off target.

Just three minutes after Arsenal's penalty miss, West Ham got themselves level when Bowen latched onto a long ball into the box and smashed the ball past Ramsdale at the near post, with the momentum of the game  clearly swinging in favour of the home side.

Arsenal came close to retaking the lead just past the hour mark when Kieran Tierney did well to flash the ball across the West Ham penalty area from the left, however it was just out of reach of the inrushing Jesus.

The Gunners had another good chance on the break, with Saka having options in to pass to, however the 21-year-old opted to go it alone and fired his shot straight at Fabianski who made a comfortable save.

West Ham came agonisingly close to taking the lead with 10 minutes to go after Antonio leapt to get on the end of a good cross, however his header crashed off the outside of the woodwork.

Arsenal looked desperate to find a winner, with their last chance coming in the form of a tame Holding header deep into added time, however the Gunners were unable to find a breakthrough.

Despite some late attacking changes by Arteta, the Hammers were resilient at the back and able to hold on for a massive point in their bid for Premier League survival.

  • Player of the Match: Michail Antonio

Despite not getting on the scoresheet, Antonio made a huge nuisance of himself all afternoon and was integral in West Ham's hard earned point.

The Gunners' defence struggled to deal with the Jamaican forward, who was able to draw plenty of fouls throughout the match. 

The 33-year-old was unlucky not to score, having multiple good chances, even hitting the woodwork towards the end of the second half.