Wenger curses Gunners’ sloppy habits

ARSENE WENGER expanded on two familiar themes as he was forced to contemplate his side’s failure to finish off a West Ham side who completed an impressive comeback thanks to a disputed penalty.

The Frenchman knows his Arsenal team should have been celebrating a fifth successive league victory that would have moved them to within one place and one point of second-placed Manchester United after establishing a comfortable two-goal lead inside 37 minutes.

Instead, they left Upton Park with a solitary point after allowing a struggling West Ham to recover with two goals in the last 16 minutes and hold on despite losing midfielder Scott Parker to a second yellow card in the 85th minute.

The first of those goals, a stooping Carlton Cole header after Arsenal keeper Vito Mannone had parried Alessandro Diamanti’s free-kick, came after Abou Diaby was adjudged to have fouled Zavon Hines, a decision Wenger insisted was incorrect.

The manager held similar views about referee Chris Foy’s reaction after Alex Song had felled Cole from behind inside the box to concede a 79th minute penalty that was expertly converted by Diamanti.

Not for the first time, Wenger’s perspective seemed one-sided, but his overall take on an encounter that sprung into life after Diamanti was introduced in the 56th minute was correct. Arsenal blew it.

Just as against AZ Alkmaar in last week’s Champions League group game, the Gunners were guilty of failing to kill opponents off when victory was theirs for the taking. It is becoming a dangerous habit and Arsenal’s prospects of forcing their way back into the thick of the title race are likely to hinge on their ability to kick it.

West Ham are enduring an awful season and remain second bottom despite claiming a point that manager Gianfranco Zola believes could be a turning point in their campaign.

The Hammers’ determined start only served to underline the increasing sense of desperation around Upton Park these days after an alarming two and a half months that have wiped out any lingering optimism that followed last season’s impressive finish.

Yet if it was clear Zola’s side were fired up, it also quickly became obvious that it would take more than a wave of frantic attacking moves to break down an Arsenal side who played with the assured confidence of a team that knows it is in good nick.

Valon Behrami caused a moment of early uncertainty in the Arsenal backline when he won a header that fell to Cole in space inside the visitors penalty area. Briefly, the England striker looked to have a sight of goal before being quickly closed down, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Had West Ham been able to maintain parity, their pressure may have knocked Arsenal out of their stride.

Unfortunately for Zola and his players, they were unable to hold on and they made an already difficult task much harder with a suicidal piece of defending that gave Robin van Persie the chance to volley Arsenal ahead after just 16 minutes.

Diaby’s one-two with Bacary Sagna may have been a neat piece of work, but it should not have been enough to unpick the West Ham defence.

When Sagna sent in a hopeful cross, there was no danger until West Ham keeper Robert Green and centre-back James Tomkins collided with each other to present van Persie with the opportunity to side-foot into an empty net.

That was the last thing Zola’s side needed and there was a noticeable dip in the home side’s confidence, even though they still enjoyed plenty of possession without testing Mannone convincingly.

They appeared to have given up on any hope of staging a fight-back when careless defending was again responsible for handing William Gallas the chance to make it two. The chance came from a van Persie corner but the home side should have done better, with Cole in particular guilty of allowing the Arsenal centre-back to out-jump him and connect from close range.

At two-up, it was hard to see Arsenal losing their grip on their game and Wenger’s side began to stretch their opponents with typically neat passing moves, most notably to set up Emmanuel Eboue who saw a low shot saved by Green just before the interval.

The start of the second period reinforced the view that West Ham had run out of ideas, prompting Zola to make an early change and introduce Italian midfielder Diamanti. The former Livrono player had an immediate impact, firing in a couple of hopeful long range shots that seemed to shake West Ham out of their shell and revive hope they could get something out of the game.

Cole followed suit with a shot on the turn that arrowed over and the pair combined in the 74th minute to drag West Ham back into when the striker headed home after Mannone parried Diamanti’s free-kick.

West Ham were transformed and had a strong appeal for a penalty turned down two minutes later when Parker went down under Gallas’ challenge. Zola felt that was stronger than the one that convinced Foy to point to the spot when Song crocked Cole.

Parker’s dismissal ensured a nervy ending for the home side and Green saved excellently from van Persie at the death. But from Arsenal’s point of view, the game should have been over long before then.

REFEREE: Chris Foy (Merseyside) 6: Got the crucial penalty decision right and had little choice but to send Scott Parker off for two bookable offences.

MATCH RATING: *** The game was destined to be one of the season’s more forgettable encounters until West Ham discovered their self-belief and staged an excellent comeback.