A 0-0 draw with West Ham United means it is now three Premier League games without a win for Arsenal.
Below are four talking points from the London Stadium.
1. West Ham dig deep to record another positive result
West Ham were responsible for the shock of the Premier League weekend last time out, beating defending champions Chelsea thanks to Marko Arnautovic’s early strike. They were not able to make it back-to-back victories in front of their own supporters - although they came close to a late winner when Javier Hernandez hit the bar - but this was another positive result in the Hammers’ battle against the drop.
Few would have predicted that David Moyes’ men would pick up four points from meetings with Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, but that is exactly what they have managed. After giving Pep Guardiola’s side arguably their toughest test of the season so far, the Hammers have subsequently reproduced the same level of defensive discipline and organisation.
They successfully frustrated Arsenal on Wednesday night and, despite still being in the bottom three, can take plenty of positives from their recent outings.
2. Wilshere shines on return to Premier League XI
Handed his first Premier League start of the season - and only his second for Arsenal since May 2015 - Jack Wilshere was his team’s standout performer at the London Stadium. Although the midfielder spurned one of the Gunners’ most presentable opportunities, blazing over after Olivier Giroud knocked the ball down in the box, he was the man who looked most likely to make something happen.
Nominally playing alongside Granit Xhaka in a two-man midfield, Wilshere regularly took up advanced positions, even breaking beyond Mesut Ozil at times. Some of his first touches to escape opposition pressure were brilliant, while he also did well to find space between the lines.
Wilshere has been linked with a January move to West Ham, but Arsene Wenger will almost certainly be keen for him to stick around until the summer.
West Ham 0-0 Arsenal 👍
David Moyes reveals the simple message he had when he joined West Ham and it's clearly working. 👊
3. Different Hammers approach needed in upcoming games
Moyes will be delighted with consecutive clean sheets against Chelsea and Arsenal, particularly as West Ham have suffered some hefty home defeats to members of the big six since their relocation from Upton Park. The hosts once again sat deep here, allowing their opponents to dominate possession and only sporadically counter-attacking through Arnautovic and Michail Antonio.
Such an approach has brought success in the last few days, but the game plan will have to change going forward. West Ham’s next fixtures pit them against Stoke City, Newcastle United, Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion; they then travel to Wembley to face Tottenham Hotspur, before locking horns with Huddersfield Town, Bournemouth (again), Crystal Palace, Brighton and Watford.
It is not an exaggeration to say the Hammers’ fate could be decided in those matches, and it will be interesting to see how Moyes opts to approach them.
4. Arsenal’s away form a concern
This was another flat display on their travels from Arsenal, who have won just twice away from home in the league this term. Wenger’s charges were fortunate to pick up a point against Southampton on Sunday, and although they did not deserve to lose this encounter, they certainly could have done more in search of the victory.
With Manchester City having already locked down one of the Champions League places, competition for the other three will be extremely tight. Arsenal must improve on the road if they are to return to the top four this season.
