Arsenal ran out 5-2 winners against West Ham at London Stadium, but a lapse in concentration allowed the Hammers back into the game.
Arsenal brushed aside West Ham 5-2 at London Stadium with a blistering first 36 minutes seeing the Gunners pile on four goals to take a commanding lead.
But as we know in football, it only takes a second to score, and while the Gunners were still busy celebrating, the Hammers hit two quick-fire goals from Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson that gave the hosts life.
While Bukayo Saka shut the door on any potential comeback just before halftime after converting his penalty, that doesn't mean that Arsenal's lapse in concentration can be forgotten.
And boss Mikel Arteta hasn't, stating his side was responsible for the flurry of goals to end the half.
"We made it crazy, we played so well at the start of the game," Arteta said BBC Match of the Day via goal.com. We scored three early goals and then they score one immediately after kick-off and then another one - then it was game on. We have to manage the game - we did that really well. The last two games were tricky and to score goals is a big one."
Outstanding away support again ❤️ pic.twitter.com/5sRf5y1Tg1
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 30, 2024
With the Gunners cruising with seven minutes left in the first half, they should have shut up shop and gone to halftime with their clean sheet intact, but the lapse in concentration gave West Ham a foothold in the game they didn't deserve.
While it can be looked back on with a shrug of the shoulders, against better teams, the Gunners might find themselves in a bit more trouble.
Of course, the positive was that Arsenal was able to respond immediately to restore its three-goal buffer, but Arteta is making the point that his team shouldn't have had to.
They let the hosts get a sniff and get their confidence up when they showed next to nothing to warrant scoring two goals so quickly.
But it will be a learning experience that Arsenal will have to learn from and given that Liverpool defeated a woeful Manchester City 2-0, its lead at the summit of the Premier League is now back to nine points.
With Manchester United up next for Arsenal, that same two-minute lapse can't happen otherwise it might be on the wrong side of the result.
Yes, the game against West Ham was "crazy," but only because Arsenal made it so.