West Ham 2-2 Arsenal: Gunners slip in title race, blow away another two-goal lead

Arsenal's title aspirations took another hit as they squandered a two-goal lead, drawing 2-2 with relegation-threatened West Ham at the London Stadium.

The Premier League frontrunners appeared to be in control with early goals from Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard, reminiscent of their recent clash with Liverpool.

However, just like that encounter, they failed to maintain their advantage.

West Ham comeback.

Despite a lacklustre season, few anticipated a West Ham comeback.

Nonetheless, goals from Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen, along with a missed penalty by Bukayo Saka, salvaged an unexpected point for the Hammers and cast further doubt on Arsenal's title hopes.

Arsenal's opening goal came after just six minutes of play, with Thomas Partey and Saka working in tandem before feeding Ben White, whose cross set up Jesus for an easy finish.

Shortly after, the Gunners doubled their lead as Martinelli provided a perfect cross for Odegaard to volley past Lukasz Fabianski.

However, West Ham clawed their way back into the game, capitalizing on a poor clearance by Partey. After Gabriel fouled Lucas Paqueta in the box, Benrahma confidently converted the penalty to give the hosts a lifeline.

The Hammers' newfound momentum nearly resulted in an equalizer, but Aaron Ramsdale was on hand to deny Michail Antonio's header.

Second Half

The second half saw Arsenal concede another penalty, with Saka failing to capitalize as he sent his shot wide.

Seizing the opportunity, West Ham equalized through Bowen's well-taken strike from Thilo Kehrer's delivery. Saka later had a chance to secure victory for Arsenal, but his weak effort was easily saved by Fabianski.

In a frantic finale, Antonio nearly snatched all three points for West Ham, but his header struck the crossbar, leaving both teams to settle for a draw.