This was meant to be the Christmas when Arsenal tightened the screws on Manchester City, a chance to distance themselves from Pep Guardiola’s squad while the Premier League winners were elsewhere in the Middle East.

While City has been defeating Everton at Goodison Park and winning the Club World Cup, Arsenal will enter the New Year with four points from their last four games.

Daylight? On goal differential, City will really be ahead of Arsenal if they win their remaining match.

What a period of stagnation for Mikel Arteta’s team. How much harm could this still do to a season that offers them so much? This hopeless outcome might help Arteta’s position during the January transfer window. He really needs a center forward. Apart than that, though, it was a painful night that revealed past inadequacies. A surplus of football and insufficient merchandise. Too fragile in the back, where Gabriel, the center defender, was responsible for both of West Ham’s goals. Hurt.

For their part, West Ham performed admirably and are currently just four points out of a Champions League spot in sixth place in the table. Despite the absence of several important players and the loss of their master craftsman Lucas Paqueta to a calf injury after thirty minutes, they prevailed thanks to goals from Tomas Soucek and Greek central defense Konstantinos Mavropanos in each half.

Konstantinos Mavropanos, centre left, scored on his return to Arsenal to secure a 2-0 victory

Tomas Soucek’s opener was awarded after VAR was unable to prove the ball crossed the byline

Jarrod Bowen crossed for Soucek to score with Arsenal appealing the ball had crossed the line

It makes sense that their manager, David Moyes, became rather emotional towards the finish. At the completion of the current campaign, he will depart from West Ham. There isn’t a fresh contract offer available. Sometimes what a bizarre world football can be. It’s said that his squad doesn’t play football with enough flair. Well, this effort must have been respectable to the throngs of away supporters gathered in one part of the Emirates.

The 13th-minute goal by Soucek had to be confirmed by VAR because it appeared as though the ball might have crossed the byline before Jarrod Bowen did. However, it was impossible to know from the replays, so the goal was rightfully declared valid.

Naturally, Arteta’s team experienced this when they were defeated at Newcastle in November. That weekend, Arsenal made a statement expressing their grief. They would be better off doing nothing this time. Instead of referee Michael Oliver and his crew, Arsenal’s defense was the weak point in this game.

This time, Arsenal weren’t that bad. They’ll perform worse and prevail. These occurrences are possible. In the minutes that followed Mavropanos’s spectacular header from a corner in the 55th minute, Gabriel Jesus squandered two excellent opportunities and Bukayo Saka struck the post at 0-1.

Still, the Emirates were uneasy here. Recall that we are only halfway through the season. Still, Arsenal has had a gloomy Christmas this year. When it comes to taking advantage of weaknesses, Guardiola and his City team don’t have to think twice, and Arsenal is beginning to show signs of doing so.

This is not the moment for hasty decisions. A match against Fulham on New Year’s Eve awaits Arsenal, who is in second place. They are competitive and have had a successful Champions League season so far.

West Ham were eventually awarded the goal following a lengthy check by the VAR officials

The visitors suffered the blow of losing Lucas Paqueta to injury during the first half

Bukayo Saka went closest for Arsenal in the first half as the hosts sought to an equaliser

Mavropanos outjumped Gabriel to glance in James Ward-Prowse’s corner off the crossbar

Here, things doubtless would have been different had they scored amid a period of early pressure. But a Saka shot and header were the only efforts that needed saving either side of West Ham taking the lead.

Paqueta had struggled at one point during the warm-up and it was no surprise when he eventually succumbed and hobbled off. But the pass he played to release Emerson down the left in the build-up to the goal was pivotal.

The cross from the West Ham left-back should have been dealt with by Gabriel but in attempting to hook the ball clear it struck his team-mate Oleksandr Zinchenko. It was this ricochet that allowed Bowen to cross and from there Soucek ran in unmarked and scored first time from ten yards.

For all the questions about the legality of the goal, it was still an awful one for Arsenal to concede even if their response was spirited and intense.

Martin Odegaard was the prime mover of Arsenal’s attacks but against West Ham’s packed ranks it was unremitting and largely unrewarding toil. Saka curled a shot wide from distance and then Ben White loped forward to glance a header from a free-kick a little closer to the goal.

There were other moments of promise, too. Gabriel Martinelli shot wide after Jesus dummied a Saka pass and it was Saka himself who was to come closest before half-time, running on to a cute Odegaard pass to drive a low shot against the inside of the near post. Three inches to the left and the ball was in the net.

At half-time there was concern but no crisis. Arsenal pushed and pushed as the rain began to fall. Declan Rice skimmed the top of the bar from 25 yards before Martinelli chipped a cross to the far post only for nobody in red to react.

And then, out of nowhere once again, West Ham scored their second goal.

Moyes’ team won a corner and when James Ward-Prowse delivered an in-swinger, Mavropanos outjumped Gabriel to glance a header across goal and in off first the underside of the bar and then the far post.

Arteta looked aghast and no wonder. Moyes, meanwhile, celebrated only mildly, perhaps aware of the barrage to come.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta appeared aghast after West Ham doubled their lead at the Emirates

Former West Ham star conceded a penalty by fouling Emerson in second half stoppage time

David Raya’s saved from Said Benrahma in  one of few positives for the home side

Rice tasted defeat against his former side as Arsenal suffered a setback in the title race

West Ham boss David Moyes celebrated the first away win of managerial career over Arsenal