Arsenal suffered a disappointing defeat to West Ham United in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday, losing 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium. The result ended their hopes of winning the domestic cup competition for the first time since 2015 and exposed some of the weaknesses in their squad.
West Ham punish Arsenal’s mistakes
The Gunners started the game brightly and took the lead in the 18th minute through Gabriel Martinelli, who scored his sixth goal in seven games. However, they failed to build on their advantage and allowed West Ham to equalize just before half-time. Jarrod Bowen pounced on a poor clearance by Rob Holding and fired a low shot past Aaron Ramsdale.
In the second half, Arsenal continued to dominate possession but lacked creativity and penetration in the final third. They were punished for their wastefulness in the 77th minute, when Michail Antonio headed in a cross from Said Benrahma to give West Ham the lead. Arsenal tried to respond but could not find a way past Lukasz Fabianski, who made some crucial saves to deny Bukayo Saka and Alexandre Lacazette.
Arteta rues missed opportunities
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was frustrated by his team’s performance and lamented their inability to take their chances. He said: “We had enough opportunities to win the game comfortably. We didn’t take them and we gave them two goals that are unacceptable at this level. We have to be more ruthless and more clinical.”
Arteta also admitted that his team lacked confidence and composure in front of goal. He said: “We have to improve that aspect of the game because it’s costing us points and games. We have to be more relaxed and more decisive when we have those opportunities.”
Arsenal face tough fixtures ahead
The defeat to West Ham was Arsenal’s second consecutive loss after they were beaten 4-0 by Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday. The Gunners are now sixth in the table, 10 points behind leaders Manchester City, and face a challenging run of fixtures in December.
They will play Everton away on Thursday, followed by home games against Southampton and West Ham. They will then travel to Leeds United and Norwich City before hosting Manchester City on New Year’s Day. Arsenal will need to bounce back quickly from their Carabao Cup exit and show more consistency and resilience if they want to challenge for the top four.
West Ham reach first semi-final since 2016
West Ham, on the other hand, celebrated their first Carabao Cup semi-final appearance since 2016, when they lost to Manchester United over two legs. The Hammers are enjoying a remarkable season under David Moyes, who has transformed them into a formidable and well-balanced team.
They are fourth in the Premier League, four points behind City, and have also qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League. They will face Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, with the first leg at home on January 5 and the second leg away on January 26.
Moyes praised his players for their performance against Arsenal and expressed his delight at reaching the last four. He said: “I’m really pleased for the players because they’ve worked incredibly hard. They showed great character and resilience to come back from a goal down. It’s a great achievement for us to get to the semi-finals.”
