Hope is a murderer. In recent weeks, Liverpool has opened the door, very slightly, to Arsenal in the race for the title.
Here in the Emirates, Mikel Arteta closed it suddenly in his own faces.
Arsenal had the opportunity to reduce Arne Slot's advantage only five points against West Ham. They did not take it, since Jarrod Bowen's goal assured West Ham a transcendental victory.
If Liverpool wins at Manchester City on Sunday, they will open a margin of 11 points at the Premier League summit.
Even the most optimistic gunner would surely admit defeat in those circumstances, even if they have a game in hand. If that happens, Arsenal just has to blame.
Credit to hammers. They were diligent and brave; Well it is worth its three points.
Title of Arsenal candidates have lost at home in the Premier League for the first time this season
Jarod Bowen scored with a diving heading when West Ham United surprised his London rivals
The impact of Graham Potter since his appointment has been greatly encouraging.
But these were 90 minutes that brutally exposed the Arsenal deficiencies; or more relevantly your list of weakening injuries in the attack.
Premier League title races are implacable. They offer little sympathy for such ailments: Arsenal learned in the difficult way here in the afternoon of punishing.
They enjoyed a lot of possession but very little avant -garde.
It was similar last week in Leicester until Mikel Merino emerged as the unlikely hero of the team.
Merino's orthopedic device as an impromptu striker in the king's power earned him a beginning in the head of the Arsenal attacking trio when Arteta dropped Raheem Sterling.
It is difficult to know what to expect from Merino in his unknown role as the NO 9 of Arsenal.
Arteta clearly sees the potential. His double last weekend suggests that Arteta's surprise decision to display his midfielder as a central striker is more than a hopeful whim.
However, his exhibition here shouted the control of reality. It almost reached the end of two high passes from Declan Rice and Thomas Party, but it is hardly good enough for Arsenal at this time.
Midfielder Mikel Merino (right) began as an impromptu striker for Arsenal due to an injury crisis
The Spanish Merino touched the ball 35 times, but could not register a single shot in the target
As expected, the gunners dominated the ball. West Ham was completely happy to let that happen safe knowing that Max Kilman and Jean -clair Todibo, and then Mavropanos Konstantinos, had Merino under control.
Ricardo Calafiori requested the hand of Alphonse Areola with a sweetly hit effort from the edge of the box before the rice was frustrated by an excellent defense of Kilman when England's midfielder saw Areola's eyes.
But West Ham threatened when they broke, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, in particular, a danger from the Arsenal left.
The former Manchester United destroyed the right flank to prepare Bowen, who should really have reached the goal in the 26th minute before Tomas Soucek headed little on the Mohamed Kudus cross bar.
So it was not surprising that Wan-Bissaka instigara the winner of West Ham with another explosion for the flank before Bowen nodded home from short distance.
It was Bowen who began the movement, driving forward from the edge of his own box before liberating Wan -Bissaka, who was causing Calafiori, restored to the team ahead of Myles Lewis -Skellly, endless problems.
In fact, it was not a surprise when Calafiori was hooked to be replaced by Lewis Skelly only 10 minutes in the second half.
However, there was a shock in Arteta's decision to replace rice with Oleksandr Zinchenko, a particularly irritating substitution for Arsenal's midfielder when he considers the opposition.
The result of Saturday left the arsenal of Mikel Arteta eight points behind the leaders of the Liverpool League
West Ham's first victory in five games took them to 13 points in the descent zone
As you can imagine, the visual end led Glee to Rice's early departure. The fact that his last star of the Ollie Scarles Academy, which is stepping on the same path as Rice was to have an assault game simply increased his delight. The 19 -year -old looks like a perspective.
But any shame that Rice could have felt was of little concern for Arteta, since the game reached the last 30 minutes.
Arteta thought was clear; Zinchenko's invention and eye for a pass, in theory, would offer Arsenal a different dimension.
However, it was an additional indication of how stretched the arteta team in terms of attack options.
If Zinchenko, a left side by trade, is the man who are fixing your hopes to change the course of a race for the title, then you are grabbing straws.
Leandro Trosssard tried Areola in the 63rd minute with a low effort well saved by the hammer guard when the local side recovered.
Arteta tried to encourage but you felt her frustrations. You also detected a concern over the natives.
That restlessness rose to Fury in the 73rd minute when Lewis-Skelly was sent, after a VAR call, for knocking Kudus on the midline after the Hammers attacker caught him in possession.
Originally, the referee Craig Pawson wielded a yellow, but after consulting his screen he improved his punishment to a red after concluding that Arsenal's young man had denied Kudus a clear goal chance.
Domestic support was incandescent. Only a few weeks after Lewis-Skelly was mistakenly sent to Wolves, 'Agenda' cried again. But there was no schedule here.
The gunners finished the game with 10 men after the substitute Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent
Craig Pawson initially issued only one yellow card, but changed its decision after a VAR review
Lewis-Skelly was caught and paid the price.
The kitchen sink followed: the Ben White who returned showed a vicious impulse through the goal.
However, in the end it was another case of IF, Buts, Maybes for Arsenal.
Maybe the city beat Liverpool; If that happens, this result will not feel half demoralization.
Until then, however, Arsenal has no choice but to endure and fear the worst.