2/6 duels, 0/6 crosses: £30m star was Arsenal’s worst player alongside Rice, lost the ball 20 times – opinion | OneFootball

Arsenal suffered their third defeat of the Premier League campaign after a 1-0 loss to West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The Gunners had a slow start to the London derby and lacked the cutting edge in the final third without a specialist striker in the matchday squad.

The Hammers came close to scoring on a couple of occasions and eventually found the back of the net through Jarrod Bowen before the break.

Arsenal were disappointing after the interval too. They played with 10 men for the final 25 minutes, with Myles Lewis-Skelly being sent off.

The Gunners had just two shots on target from 20 attempts yesterday. It was a dreadful performance.

Declan Rice was primarily responsible for the Hammers’ goal after failing to spot the run of Bowen.

However, Odegaard was equally ineffective in the final third. The captain won just two out of six duels, losing possession on 20 occasions.

None of his six crosses found a teammate in the box. The £30 million signing made four key passes but no clear-cut chances were created.

Odegaard’s form has dipped over the past few weeks. Manager Mikel Arteta will be concerned, considering the lack of creativity in the squad.

With Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus all injured, Odegaard has added pressure to make things happen upfront.

Instead, the club seem to be relying on 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri for moments of individual brilliance.

Arsenal are eight points behind leaders Liverpool after yesterday’s setback. They face a tough outing at Nottingham Forest on the road midweek.

Stats from Sofascore.com