Credit: Imago and The Rest is Football

Daniel Lewis

Mon 11 May 2026 9:10, UK

West Ham United fans will likely be in agreement with Micah Richards over his assessment of Sunday’s defeat to Arsenal.

The Hammers were beaten 1-0 at the London Stadium through a late Leandro Trossard strike, although that is only half the story.

Callum Wilson thought he had scored the most dramatic of levellers, only for VAR to intervene and adjudge that Pablo had blocked David Raya from getting to the initial corner into the box.

That decision has certainly dominated the football news agenda on Monday morning, but that has clouded over what was perhaps a wasted opportunity for the Hammers.

And in the view of Richards, Nuno Espirito Santo‘s choice of tactics should also be questioned in West Ham’s loss to Arsenal.

West Ham try to be too cute vs Arsenal

In a different world, Mateus Fernandes would have scored his big chance against Arsenal, West Ham would have won and the Premier League looks a lot different today.

But Fernandes saw his one-on-one saved by David Raya, Trossard scored up the other end and then came the VAR drama right at the end.

As pointed out by Richards, though, West Ham seemed to be far too patient when it came to finding a goal – even if the Hammers did think they had scored.

“I just couldn’t understand what West Ham were doing,” he said on The Rest is Football podcast. “They fought well all the way until Arsenal scored.

“But they tried to play out from the back – I don’t understand. Get the ball out as quickly as possible. Arsenal weren’t going with an aggressive, high press.

“I couldn’t understand the tactics. It was strange. I felt a bit sorry for West Ham given all the effort, then Fernandes going through.

“It was an unbelievable save from Raya, but surely [Fernandes] has got to take a touch to the right and go to the far corner?”

West Ham suffer four-month first with Arsenal loss

West Ham’s loss to Brentford last weekend could be seen as the moment they were relegated.

It left the Hammers needing to avoid defeat against leaders Arsenal, ideally speaking, ahead of Tottenham’s home clash with Leeds United on Monday.

Nuno will have to shoulder some of the blame for relegation if it does happen, even if he has made the Irons a far better side in recent months.

Indeed, the losses to Brentford and Arsenal marks the first time West Ham have lost back-to-back Premier League matches since their first two games of 2026.

It also ends a streak of six home games without defeat in the league, which was actually their longest top-flight unbeaten run at the London Stadium.

If Tottenham beat Leeds to go four points clear, you have to wonder if it was all in vain.