Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has made an absolutely huge West Ham admission after Arsenal’s season ended in a damp squib.
West Ham may not have had the best season in the Premier League, but they’re on course to do something the likes of Arsenal didn’t manage – win a trophy.
Arsenal mounted a shock title challenge this season and had an eight-point lead at the top of the table just a little while ago.
West Ham meanwhile have been battling relegation while juggling their Europa Conference League campaign having made the semi-finals of the Europa League last season.
The Gunners ran out of steam as Man City came good. And West Ham managed to eventually get the balance right, getting the points on the board to secure safety and making a first European final for 47 years.
West Ham vs Arsenal proved a huge result for both clubs for very different reasons
One of West Ham’s most crucial Premier League points came against Arsenal at the London Stadium one month ago.
Losing 2-0 after just 10 minutes, West Ham looked set for a humbling and Arsenal to re-establish a gap over City at the top of the table.
The Hammers came roaring back, though, to secure a 2-2 draw and put a dent in Arsenal’s title bid.
It came a week after the Gunners threw away a lead at Liverpool to draw and before a draw with all but relegated Southampton.
But a point at Anfield is a good result at any time and it was the West Ham fightback which officially enabled Man City to go above Arsenal with their game in hand.
And so it proved.
The tribal nature of football means some West Ham fans have taken pleasure in having a say in denying a London rival the title. Even if it would have been better for the Premier League as a competition given Man City’s recent dominance.
Now Mikel Arteta has made an absolutely huge West Ham admission after Arsenal’s season ended in a damp squib.
Mikel Arteta makes absolutely huge West Ham admission after Arsenal’s season ends in damp squib
The Gunners were beaten 1-0 at Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening to officially hand Man City a fifth title in six seasons.
And speaking after the game Arteta admitted the West Ham game was a pivotal moment which cost Arsenal the Premier League.
“It’s a really sad day and there are a lot of difficult emotion,” Arteta said in his press conference, as quoted by Sky Sports.
“Obviously because we lost the game and we lost the championship after 10 and a half months fighting for it.
“I know that we have built an illusion, enthusiasm and belief that we could go all the way and win it, and we fell short.
‘That’s going to change it’
“So, congratulations to Manchester City, they’re the champions and they deserve to be the champions. They’ve done it for 38 games and we haven’t been able to do that…
“It started (to go wrong) with what happened at Anfield in the 90th minute. We give it away and then you go to West Ham and you can make it 3-1 and that’s going to change it.”
Arteta will now be looking for a measure of revenge on West Ham by taking their best player and beloved captain Declan Rice this summer.
Earlier this week a top journalist claimed West Ham could accept an imminent low-ball Arsenal offer for Rice on one condition.
One thing is for sure, had Arsenal had Rice over the last month they would probably be getting ready to parade the Premier League trophy around London.
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