26 October,2009 07:28 AM IST | | PA Sport
Arsene Wenger lamented the way Arsenal failed to hold off the late challenge of a battling West Ham side after letting a 2-0 lead slip at Upton Park.
The Gunners had looked in complete control following first-half goals from Robin van Persie and William Gallas.
However, Carlton Cole pulled a goal back following a free-kick, before substitute Alessandro Diamanti netted a late penalty.
Had Arsenal held on, it would have been their fifth straight victory in the Barclays Premier League, and made more of Manchester United's 2-0 defeat at Liverpool.
Wenger accepted it was a "major missed opportunity".
"An intelligent team makes the maximum result with the game they produce. That is what we did not do. We complicated our game a little bit and had five or six chances in the second half, but we missed the final ball."
After Liverpool inflicted Manchester United's second loss of the season, Wenger reflected on two points dropped for his third-placed team. "It is a missed opportunity. In our job, you don't have this luxury. You need to get points when you deserve to get points and sometimes when you don't deserve to get the points. Today we never got them when we deserved them.
