Arsenal surged into second place in the Premier League with a scintillating 5-2 victory over West Ham, reigniting their title challenge and cutting the gap to leaders Liverpool to just six points ahead of their Sunday clash with Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta’s side was simply unstoppable in the first half at the London Stadium, scoring five goals before the break in a devastating display that highlighted their attacking firepower. Gabriel Magalhães opened the floodgates with an early goal, and Leandro Trossard quickly doubled the advantage. Martin Ødegaard added a penalty, and Kai Havertz netted his ninth goal of the season.
West Ham mounted a brief response through Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson, but Bukayo Saka’s second-half penalty completed a brilliant individual performance and restored Arsenal’s dominance.
The Gunners had seen their title hopes falter recently, enduring a four-game winless streak in the league before bouncing back with a victory over Nottingham Forest last weekend. Arteta had admitted earlier this week that Arsenal would need near perfection to catch Liverpool, and this emphatic win, following their 5-1 triumph over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, provided further proof that, while not flawless, they are well and truly back on track.
This was Arsenal’s first top-flight away win since September and a timely reminder that the team that pushed Manchester City to the brink in last season’s title race cannot be discounted with more than half the season still to play.
Chasing their first league title since 2004, Arsenal have been revitalised by the return of captain Ødegaard, who had been sidelined for 12 matches with an ankle injury. Since his return to the starting lineup, Arsenal have gone unbeaten in four games, with Manchester United set to visit the Emirates on Wednesday.
West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui had relieved some of the pressure on himself with a 1-0 win at Newcastle on Monday, but Arteta, hailing from the same Basque region as his close friend, showed no mercy as Arsenal took control with a ruthless first-half display.
Rampant Arsenal
Arsenal’s 6-0 rout of West Ham on their previous visit to the London Stadium in February set a high bar, and they were every bit as lethal this time around.
Not for the first time this season, set-piece coach Nicolas Jover was key to Arsenal’s first goal. Saka swung in a corner, and Gabriel capitalised on Jover’s clever routine, finding space to glance a header past Lukasz Fabianski from six yards.
The visitors struck again in the 27th minute, with Ødegaard and Saka linking up to carve open the West Ham defence before Saka’s perfectly weighted pass allowed Trossard to slot home from close range.
Seven minutes later, Arsenal made it 3-0. Lucas Paquetá fouled Saka in the box, and Ødegaard calmly converted the penalty for his first league goal since April.
The Gunners were relentless, and it was no surprise when they added a fourth in the 36th minute. Trossard delivered a perfectly timed pass for Havertz, who made the most of Max Kilman’s slip to race through and finish low past Fabianski.
West Ham briefly interrupted Arsenal’s flow with a goal of their own in the 38th minute. Wan-Bissaka broke into the box and drilled a low shot past David Raya after a smart pass from Carlos Soler. Just two minutes later, Emerson bent a sublime free-kick into the top corner to make it 4-2, sending a ripple of shock through the visitors.
But any hopes of a West Ham comeback were dashed just before half-time. Fabianski inadvertently punched Gabriel in the head while challenging for a corner, conceding a penalty that Saka confidently dispatched for his second goal of the night, making it 5-2.
The combined seven goals in the first half equaled the Premier League record for the most in a single half.
After Gabriel was forced off with a head injury at the break, Arteta’s main concern in the second half was managing the physical toll on his key players. Despite some crunching tackles, Saka, Ødegaard, and Trossard all continued, helping Arsenal see out the match without further incident.
This commanding performance reaffirms that, despite setbacks earlier in the season, Arsenal are firmly back in the hunt for the title and have the momentum to push Liverpool all the way.
AFP
