LONDON — The result didn’t really matter for Arsenal on Wednesday but the performance does. The Carabao Cup was never going to define the Gunners’ season, yet a dreadful 3-1 defeat at West Ham raises questions that will linger beyond their fourth-round exit.
Before this game, Mikel Arteta tasked his players with demonstrating the necessary mindset to maintain a consistently high level regardless of the competition. Regrettably, they unequivocally failed, producing arguably their poorest performance of the season and casting doubt on their aspirations in the competitions they truly value.
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“What it shows you is that in football, what matters is the present moment,” said Arteta. “What you did three days ago is irrelevant, what will happen tomorrow is the most important thing.
“We have to utilize this defeat, this disappointment, to prepare for the upcoming match against Newcastle on Saturday and secure a victory.”
There was some controversy surrounding the opening goal as goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale appeared to have his shirt pulled by Tomás Soucek moments before Ben White inadvertently headed Jarrod Bowen’s 16th-minute corner into his own net.
Arsenal argued their case, but since VAR is not in use in the Carabao Cup until the semifinals, their protests fell on deaf ears.
“If there was VAR, there would definitely be no goal,” said Arteta. “I understand it’s difficult for the referees given the angle and number of people, but I don’t want to use that as an excuse.
“We could have contested the ball much better in that position. Obviously, that takes away something crucial in the game: momentum.”
The fight drained from Arsenal soon after. Bowen nearly doubled the lead moments into the second half, but Ramsdale made a good save. However, West Ham didn’t have to wait long as Mohamed Kudus showcased exceptional control and finished skillfully in the 50th minute to extend their lead.
Bowen scored a third goal 10 minutes later, which Ramsdale could have arguably saved better, even though it took a slight deflection off Jakub Kiwior. Ramsdale had been waiting for a chance to impress since the previous round at Brentford on September 27, as David Raya had been preferred in goal. However, Ramsdale did little here to strengthen his case.
Arteta believes Raya is more proficient at playing out from the back. Ramsdale had the poorest pass completion rate (74.1%) among all Arsenal players here, and West Ham only had five shots in the entire match, scoring three times.
Kai Havertz had a quiet evening after a promising start, Oleksandr Zinchenko was substituted after another shaky defensive performance, and Fabio Vieira took a step backwards following several impressive substitute appearances.
However, this night was not about individual performances for Arsenal. It was a collective failure to take responsibility that will have infuriated Arteta, reminiscent of the early challenging days of his managerial tenure when he had to win over the dressing room.
Arteta denied it afterwards, but the substitutions of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli at 3-0 down felt like a pointed message to his underperforming players. He reinforced this message 10 minutes before the end by bringing on Martin Odegaard, despite resting him last weekend due to a hip problem.
Odegaard scored a consolation goal deep into stoppage time, but it did little to conceal the chaos that occurred before it.
“I’m very disappointed,” said Arteta. “I take full responsibility for that. We’re out of the cup, and we wanted to play a completely different game. We particularly wanted to compete in a vastly different manner, as we had discussed over the past 48 hours.”
Prior to the introductions of Odegaard, Saka, and Martinelli, Declan Rice made his first appearance at the London Stadium since leaving West Ham for £105 million in the summer. His return was met with a mix of boos and applause, and those criticizing their former captain relished in the lack of impact Rice and his more renowned teammates made.
“Perhaps we’re becoming quite a strong cup team,” said West Ham manager David Moyes. “If possible, I want us to be an excellent league team. If we can’t quite achieve that, then we have to perform well in the cups.”
Arsenal has proven themselves to be a “really good league team” under Arteta. However, to uphold and enhance that reputation, nights like this must be swiftly left behind.
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