Arsenal let dominance slip against West Ham

West Ham 2 Arsenal 2. Arsene Wenger's side came off the worst after a curious match of two halfs in yesterday's London derby saw them cruise through the first half then take their foot off the gas after the interval, when they could have pushed on to post a hammering, with predictable results.

Having watched his side forced to settle for a draw after dominating early on for the second consecutive game, Wenger will know that it is important that his young Gunners assert themselves for the visit of Liverpool in the Carling Cup this Wednesday, or else all the early season promise and optimism at the Emirates could begin to evaporate.

''It's a major missed opportunity and, in our job, you don't have the luxury to miss opportunities," the Frenchman said last night, mindful that a win would have put Arsenal just a point behind Manchester United and three behind table-toppers Chelsea with a game in hand. "You need to get points when you deserve to get them and, sometimes, when you don't deserve them. We didn't get them here when we deserved them."

Arsenal started this game against the second-from-bottom Hammers in top gear, with Robin Van Persie breaking through to almost score within the first minute, fluffing his header from eight yards after a delightful chip from Alexandre Song had played him in. The Dutchman was well denied by Robert green in the West Ham goal minutes later, and it looked a question of when not if the Arsenal goals would flow.

But the hosts were proving a handful for the Gunners up front, as Scott Parker orchestrated the Hammers midfield. Jack Collison looked to have scored a shock opener after his shot at Vito Mannone rebounded and looked set to bobble over the line, but referee Chris Foy called offside. For all their forward endeavour, a piece of atrocious defending by West Ham gifted Arsenal their first goal, when Van Persie tapped in after Green and his defender James Tomkins collided on fifteen minutes.

Worse followed for West Ham with ten minutes of the first half to go, as a Van Persie corner was turned in by William Gallas, who had all the time in the world to outjump the home defence. As the teams emerged for the second half, the likelihood was that any more goals would be rained in at Green's goal, but an astute and daring substitution by Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola turned the game around.

Replacing midfielder Mark Noble with striker Alessandro Diamanti, the home side pushed on, and Arsenal were under siege as the game entered the final 20 minutes. Mannone could only parry from a Diamanti free kick, and the loose ball fell to Carlton Cole to head home with a quarter of an hour to go. Roared on by the Upton Park faithful, West Ham continued to attack and a poor challenge by Song on Cole brought a penalty that Diamanti converted amid rapturous scenes. ·