Champions League football appears to be slipping out of Arsenal’s grasp after Manchester City and Liverpool both picked up wins at the weekend.
Whatever the Gunners do, they need at least one of those teams to slip up if Arsene Wenger is to continue his run of never finishing outside the top four in his reign.
Having played so well against Tottenham last Friday, West Ham represented one of Wenger’s last hopes. If they could beat Liverpool, the race might well and truly have been on.
As it was, they were soundly beaten 4-0 thanks to a Philippe Coutinho masterclass.
Wenger could not hide his displeasure that the Hammers, with little to play for, put in such an abject performance.
While he didn’t mention them by name, it can hardly have escaped Slaven Bilic that his side were the subject of Le Professeur’s frustrations.
“When you are a manager you want your team to give everything until the last moment. You hope that results go your way,” Wenger said.
“Some teams turn up, some teams are on holiday. You just want your team to play well.
“To be professional is to do your job well until the last day of the season.
“To look into the mirror and say you did it properly is vital. If we don’t have the results I am disappointed but what is not excusable is to not give your best.”
The reality, of course, is that Arsenal only have themselves to blame for leaving themselves in a position whereby they have to rely on Liverpool and Manchester City slipping up.
To make matters worse, Jurgen Klopp’s men only have relegated Middlesbrough to play on the final day.
West Ham were disappointing, though the same could perhaps be said of Stoke, who Arsenal easily defeated on Saturday.
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