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Attendance: 59,946

Premier League | Gameweek 22

Jan 12, 2019 at 12.30pm UK

West Ham West Ham United
1-0
Arsenal

Rice (48')

FT(HT: 0-0)

Unai Emery plays down Mesut Ozil absence against West Ham United

By Barney Corkhill, EditorPublished: 12 January 2019 3:22 PM

Arsenal manager Unai Emery plays down the significance of Mesut Ozil's absence from the matchday squad for his side's 1-0 defeat to West Ham United.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has suggested that the absence of Mesut Ozil had no impact on his side's 1-0 defeat to West Ham United this afternoon.

The Gunners missed the chance to move level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea as Declan Rice scored the only goal of the game at the London Stadium.

Ozil was missing from the matchday squad entirely - despite being fully fit - leaving Emery with only Eddie Nketiah and Aaron Ramsey as attacking options on the bench when chasing the game.

However, the Spaniard believes that the players he selected should have been capable of winning the game and played down the significance of Ozil's absence.

"We have enough players to win today and impose our gameplan. Maybe if we had an attacking player [on the bench] we can can create, but I think it's enough with these players," Emery told reporters at his post-match press conference.

"I decided that these players are the best ones for this match. We have won with him and lost with him - you cannot say with one player we would win or lose.

"He is working normally this week. Today I think the players that are here are the players who deserved to be in this match. With him we could win or lose. We continue working with every player, but today the decision is to come with these players."

The result saw Arsenal lose an away game against West Ham for the first time since 2006.