Arsenal fell to yet another collapse yesterday, cruising into a 2-0 lead only to let it slip. Against Liverpool at Anfield, this could be excused, but when clashing with relegation-threatened West Ham United, a 2-2 draw on the road could prove costly.

It has truly opened the door for Manchester City to come bursting through, for if Pep Guardiola's side win their game in hand, the title will likely come down to their meeting at the Etihad in just over a week. Given they were dismantled at the Emirates by them earlier this year, it does not bode well.

Mikel Arteta was forced into some frustrating changes for their trip to the London Stadium, but it was felt like there remained more than enough quality within the squad to achieve a vital victory. When they had scored twice within ten minutes, this thought process was vindicated.

However, conceding a clumsy penalty before the break allowed the deficit to be halved, and after Jarrod Bowen's volley squirmed past Aaron Ramsdale on 54 minutes, the visitors were rumbled.

Few have come under fire for their performances, with Thomas Partey's 6.1 Sofascore rating the worst of anyone on the field drawing particular scorn.

The Ghanaian was especially bad in the middle of the park, perhaps dropping one of his worst performances of the campaign to date. Caught trying to play an audacious flick by Declan Rice, it was Partey who was dispossessed in the build-up to Lucas Paqueta earning a first-half penalty that started the comeback.

Despite this, it was clear where their main deficiencies truly lay. In the absence of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Kieran Tierney simply did not step up to the levels required of him. As such, the whole team suffered.

How did Kieran Tierney play vs West Ham?

Starting in his first Premier League game since December, the Scotsman was drafted in due to the Ukrainian's minor injury sustained in their last game. The 26-year-old has been integral to the way the Gunners have played this season, with his knowledge of the inverted full-back role key in their fine form.

However, it quickly became clear that the former Celtic man was without such capabilities, and as such his performance suffered.

Earning a 6.6 rating courtesy of Sofascore, of which only three players on the pitch earned lower, the lack of creative impetus from the £110k-per-week defender proved criminal in their lack of potency.

It seemed that once the Hammers had equalised, Arsenal had lost all control of the game. Had Zinchenko been playing, the experienced maestro would likely have proved to be a cool head to calm down a shell-shocked side.

However, his absence was instead exacerbated, as his replacement recorded 67 touches, an 81% pass accuracy and offered no key passes. Whilst his defensive numbers might have been impressive, with two tackles and two clearances, via Sofascore, this is arguably indicative of how on the back foot the visitors were compared to their usual dominant displays.

To further outline just how much pressure they were under against a side that started the day three points above the relegation zone, journalist Tom Victor highlighted one "desperate block" that Tierney made to deny Bowen a second. That was likely the Scot's best moment of a game in which he looked well out of sorts.

This struggle was supported by another journalist in Tan Copsey, who wrote: "Tierney and Holding don't have the passing range and it all starts to get so messy in the build-up."

He understood the sheer gulf in quality between the 25-year-old featuring as opposed to when Zinchenko starts. Arteta will now seek to rush back the former Cityzens star, to avoid another miserable result like yesterday's that further hands the title to their rivals.