Premier League: Arsenal must stop squandering points, says Gabriel Jesus

Arsenal was rampant early on and looked well placed to restore their six-point cushion over Manchester City after Jesus tapped home in the seventh minute.

Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal warms up prior to the Premier League match against West Ham United at London Stadium on April 16, 2023.

Arsenal must maintain the intensity for a full 90 minutes if it is to challenge for the Premier League title, forward Gabriel Jesus said after the Gunners squandered a two-goal lead in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at West Ham United.

Arsenal was rampant early on and looked well placed to restore their six-point cushion over Manchester City after Jesus tapped home in the seventh minute and Martin Odegaard doubled their lead with a volley three minutes later.

However, Arsenal then lost its momentum and the host fought back through Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen. Bukayo Saka missed a second-half penalty for Arsenal, who lead Manchester City by four points but has played a game more.

Arsenal also let a 2-0 lead slip against Liverpool earlier this month and Jesus told the club’s website they had to stop letting opponents off the hook.

“Once again, the three points were in our hands,” he said. “The game is 90 minutes, it’s not 20, in this case, today, 30 minutes. As a team, we have to raise the level and come back to our principles.

“We know our strength, we know what we can do. Where we want to attack the opponent, in the first 10 to 20 minutes we did so good, after that we dropped our level and that obviously cannot happen if you want to fight for the title.”

Arsenal hosts Southampton on Friday before travelling to second-placed City on April 26.