Despite Arsenal getting off to a promising start to the game, it was West Ham who opened the scoring, against the run of play, in the 13th minute through Tomáš Souček, amid more Video Assistant Referee (VAR) controversy.
Many thought that the ball had gone out of play in the build-up to the goal but, without having a clear angle of the incident, VAR decided that the footage was inconclusive and the goal, aided by some calamitous defending, stood.
West Ham went on to control much of the half, as Arsenal remained wasteful going forward and were unable to carve any clear openings.
The second half saw much of the same and, in the 55th minute, former Gunner Konstantinos Mavropanos headed home to double the Hammers' advantage.
Arsenal did take some control in proceedings from here on out but were unable to find a goal despite taking 21 shots in the second half.
To make things worse, Declan Rice gave away a penalty against his former club deep into stoppage time, though thankfully David Raya saved it, salvaging some degree of dignity for the hosts.
As we look back at the eventful evening, here are the four things we learnt from Arsenal's defeat to West Ham.
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A striker is non-negotiable for Arsenal
When Arsenal signed Gabriel Jesus for £45m from Man City back in 2022, fans rejoiced as the club finally seemed to have replaced Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.
Since then he has endured injuries and poor form, scoring just 14 goals in 40 Premier League appearances - which is not the record of a striker looking to win the league.
We saw much of the same against West Ham, with the Brazilian failing to convert a number of huge chances which, among other things, scuppered the Gunners' hopes of a comeback.
If the North Londoners are serious about competing for major silverware, then addressing this problem will be paramount, but financial fair play (FFP) could prevent such a solution in January - which could spell trouble for the rest of their season.
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Doubt David Moyes at your own risk
Throughout the start of this season and the end of the last, many fans of West Ham, and other clubs, have sometimes doubted whether David Moyes is the right man to lead to Irons forwards.
Even after winning the club's first European trophy in 58 years, he still faced some pressure, though most factions of the fanbase began to unite behind him.
If there was any lingering doubt, that should have now been well removed, given that the club are sixth in the Premier League and topped their UEFA Europa League group.
Moyes has shown that he is undoubtedly the right man for West Ham, and his ability to power through tougher times and prevail soon after is a remarkable asset to behold.
There is no telling just how far West Ham could go under his management, but the sky looks to be the limit as far as success is concerned.
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Ticketing fiasco is costing Arsenal on the pitch
Last season saw a new era for Arsenal, in more ways than one. Results on the pitch picked up and, as they enjoyed more success, so too did the atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium.
But this season saw the introduction of a new balloting system for tickets, which was intended to be a fairer and easier way for fans to get tickets.
The reality is that these intended benefits have not been realised, and the unintended consequences of the new system have seen the atmosphere inside the stadium this season fall off a cliff.
This has also almost certainly hurt the team, which is a big problem.
The solution to this issue, especially mid-season, is not exactly an easy one, but something definitely needs to be done if the club want to see a return to the great atmosphere that they enjoyed last season - to drive the team all the way as they look to earn major honours.
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Technological short-comings are unacceptable
The Premier League's most recent TV deal was worth a reported £6.7B and yet, despite this vast sum of money, the game is still being failed by technology or, in some cases a lack thereof.
Last night saw another prime example of this as, for the second time this season, Arsenal conceded after the ball had seemingly gone out of play - with the first time coming away to Newcastle.
VAR deemed that their available camera angles were inconclusive, which meant that the goal stood. This begs the question - why are there no cameras along the sidelines, or even hawk-eye to prevent these exact situations?
Arsenal are not the only team to have been failed by the limitations of our current technology this season, but this was yet another reminder that more needs to be done to improve the situation of our beautiful game.
