Arsène Wenger came close to admitting that Arsenal are out of the title race after his players failed to beat West Ham United on Saturday. Asked to explain why his team were ten points behind Manchester United, the Arsenal manager did not mince his words. “You look at the cost of their team and you will understand why,” Wenger said. “Manchester United bought Dimitar Berbatov for £31.5 million — we have gone a different way.”

Arsenal’s different way means paying off the loans that they took out when they built their stadium, putting their faith in young players and Wenger getting his chequebook out only when the right player becomes available at the right price. The Arsenal manager has identified Andrei Arshavin, of Zenit St Petersburg, as the man who can kick-start Arsenal’s season, but West Ham defended so well on Saturday that it is debatable whether the Russia forward would have made a difference.

Steve Clarke, the West Ham United assistant manager, somehow managed to keep a straight face when he claimed that his team had not come to defend, but West Ham fans had to wait until the 76th minute for their team’s only shot on target, a harmless strike by Carlton Cole straight at Manuel Almunia, the Arsenal goalkeeper.

Wenger sprang a surprise by giving Robin van Persie a well-earned rest and with the Holland forward sitting on the substitutes’ bench, Arsenal lacked the power, pace and imagination to break down West Ham’s stubborn resistance. Arsenal’s injury problems meant that Wenger had to start with Emmanuel Eboué wide on the right again and when the Ivory Coast player limped off with a thigh injury in the 35th minute, the Frenchman switched to an ineffective 4-2-1-3 formation, moving Samir Nasri inside and putting Nicklas Bendtner and Carlos Vela on the flanks.

Vela failed to make much of an impression against Lucas Neill, the West Ham right back, Bendtner was anonymous on the right and Emmanuel Adebayor had an afternoon to forget against West Ham’s excellent centre-back pairing of James Collins and Matthew Upson.

“We have to find a solution to score more goals, but you can say the same about Chelsea, Liverpool and Uni-ted,” Wenger said. “The positive thing is we didn’t concede a goal. Why? Because West Ham didn’t attack.”

With Collins and Upson standing firm, a disappointing game fizzled out before Wenger’s players left the pitch to a smattering of boos from their supporters. “Why should the fans not have an opinion?” Wenger said. “They pay their money and are entitled to boo if they want to.”

David Dein, the former Arsenal vice-chairman, who left the club under a cloud in 2007, is still close to Wenger and attends most home games. According to Dein, Arsenal have a tough task to overtake Aston Villa, who are fourth in the league, and qualify for the Champions League. “Five points behind Villa is a mini-mountain to climb but they can do it,” he said. “When I left I said it was only because I could see what was on the horizon. I said it was in danger of slipping and that’s what’s happening at the moment.”

Arsenal (4-4-2): M Almunia 6 — B Sagna 6, K Touré 6, W Gallas 6, G Clichy 6 — E Eboué 6 (sub: C Vela, 36min 6), A Diaby 5 (sub: A Song, 90), Denilson 6, S Nasri 7 — E Adebayor 5, N Bendtner 5 (sub: R van Persie, 68 6). Substitutes not used: L Fabianski, A Ramsey, J Djourou, K Gibbs. Booked: Diaby, Vela. Next: Tottenham Hotspur (a).

West Ham United (4-4-2): R Green 7 — L Neill 7, J Collins 8, M Upson 8, H Ilunga 7 — V Behrami 7, S Parker 8, M Noble 7 (sub: Savio, 70 6), J Collison 7 — C Cole 5, D Di Michele 5 (sub: L Boa Morte, 83). Substitutes not used: J Lastuvka, W López, J Spector, D Tristán, F Sears. Booked: Collins, Neill. Next: Manchester United (h).

Referee: S Bennett Attendance: 60,109