For the second straight weekend, Arsenal let a two-goal lead slip away, endangering their chances of winning the Premier League title with a crucial match against the reigning champions Manchester City still to come.
Once again on the road, Mikel Arteta’s team jumped out to an early lead thanks to Gabriel Jesus, and within ten minutes, a cross from namesake and fellow countryman Gabriel Martinelli found Martin Odegaard at the back post to make it two.
Said Benrahma’s penalty kick just before halftime was the catalyst for the Hammers’ comeback and potential victory. Jarrod Bowen, who had a field day all afternoon against the Gunners, scored the equalizer for the home team in the second half.
It came shortly after Arsenal would have been up 3-1 heading into the final 30 minutes had Bukayo Saka not missed his own penalty.
The England talisman will face a lot of criticism, especially following a particularly appalling performance, but he wasn’t the only famous person to let Arteta down at the London Stadium.
How did Thomas Partey fare in the matchup with West Ham?
Thomas Partey, who is currently the most reliable and highest-rated central midfielder for the Gunners (7.24 before kickoff) in the Premier League this season, delivered a complete disasterclass in his 67-minute outing, which is perhaps uncharacteristic.
A careless flick on the edge of his penalty area resulted in a turnover of the ball and forced Gabriel Magalhaes to make a mistake, giving Lucas Paqueta’s deft feet the opportunity to score from the ensuing penalty. In the first half, he was also penalized for a string of rash and cynical fouls.
The £230k-per-week star was given a Sofascore rating of 6.1, making him Arsenal’s worst performer. In addition to the aforementioned exploits, he was also twice dribbled past and only won three of the nine duels he engaged in, representing a failure rate of 66.6%.
The left-winger Martinelli and goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale were the only other starters who had fewer touches of the ball than the Ghanaian (50), and with what little possession he did have, the midfielder did very little as he failed to make a single crucial pass or shot and only made one defensive contribution in the form of a single tackle.
After the game, Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, appears dejected.
In his post-game column, Evening Standard journalist Simon Collings ripped into Partey, saying, “Never really looked at the races all game.” gave the ball away close to the penalty spot, which led to a West Ham penalty. Jorginho was hooked with 25 seconds remaining.
Not only was that, but Daily Telegraph reporter Sam Dean called the £45 million star “silly” and “dumb,” and Jordan Campbell of The Athletic thought he appeared “shaky” in the game’s opening minutes.
In any case, it was among the 29-year-old’s worst performances of the season, and it came just as Arsenal might have let the title slip in appalling fashion against the Irons on Sunday.
