A frustrating evening ended as a goalless draw on the road for our Gunners, as we were held away at West Ham United.
Our second successive draw in the Women's Super League saw us dominate possession and record 21 shots across 90 minutes, but the all-important winner remained elusive.
What happened
Frida Maanum came close in the very first minute, jumping on a loose ball and forcing West Ham keeper Mackenzie Arnold to clear her lines.
After weathering a nervy opening five minutes where the hosts' high press proved dangerous, our Gunners had the lion’s share of attacking chances in the first half.
Stina Blackstenius and Caitlin Foord linked up well down the right wing, eventually unlocking Maanum on the byline whose shot was saved.
Leah Williamson's ball distribution was spectacular all game, with the England skipper occupying the centre of midfield rather than her usual centre-back position. She unleashed a series of long-range incisive passes to Caitlin Foord down the right wing - our Aussie forward taking on defenders with her usual flair.
After the half-hour mark, Lina Hurtig skinned her defender and ran to the byline, cutting back to her Swedish teammate and Blackstenius’ effort went just over the bar.
With a perfect scoop over the backline, Williamson found Maanum in the box whose shot forced yet another good stop from Arnold in the West Ham goal. Despite the opportunities, it remained goalless at half-time.
After the break, we settled into our rhythm and looked like a revitalised side, but that clinical finish still eluded us. A triple sub from Jonas Eidevall after 60 minutes saw Katie McCabe and Laura Wienroither enter the game, with Victoria Pelova also earning her WSL debut.
Relentlessly knocking at the door in search of a breakthrough, our forward line produced some impressive link-up play and neat, rapid passes. McCabe came particularly close with a beautiful strike outside of the box that was just deflected wide.
Wave after wave of attacking play came where it looked certain that we would score, yet West Ham's backline stood firm and a frustrating evening ended as a goalless draw on the road.
What it means
Following Man United's draw with Everton earlier in the day, we remain only three points behind the Red Devils with a game in hand.
Next up for our Gunners is a Manchester City double-header: first in the Continental Cup on Wednesday evening and then again in Manchester on Saturday, February 11.
Team news
Arsenal Starting XI: Zinsberger (GK), Maritz (Wienroither, 68), Rafaelle, Wubben-Moy, Catley (McCabe, 68), Williamson, Little (C), Maanum, Hurtig (Pelova, 68), Foord, Blackstenius (Gio, 78)
Subs not used: D'Angelo (GK), Marckese (GK), Beattie, Kuhl, Agyemang
West Ham Starting XI: Arnold (GK), Smith, Fisk, Cissoko, Shimizu, Stringer (Parker, 86), Snerle, (Longhurst, 86) Brynjarsdottir (C), Filis (Thestrup, 63), Hayashi, Asseyi (Evans, 77)
Subs not used: Hillyerd (GK), Atkinson, Denton, Cooke, Flannery
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