Arsenal extended their impressive run of form with a commanding 5-2 victory over West Ham at the London Stadium, climbing to second place in the Premier League and narrowing the gap to leaders Liverpool to six points. Mikel Arteta’s side delivered another scintillating attacking performance, making it 13 goals in three games after previous wins over Nottingham Forest and Sporting. Bukayo Saka once again led the charge with a decisive influence throughout the match.
All seven goals came in a breathtaking first half. Arsenal opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Gabriel Magalhaes powered in his fourth goal of the season with a header from Saka’s pinpoint corner. Leandro Trossard doubled the lead in the 27th minute, tapping in after a brilliant passing sequence involving Saka and Martin Odegaard. Moments later, Odegaard calmly converted from the penalty spot after Lucas Paqueta was penalized for a foul on Saka (34).
West Ham’s defense fell apart again when a lofted pass from Trossard found Kai Havertz, who finished coolly to make it 4-0 (36). However, the home side mounted a brief fightback, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka netting his second goal in two games (38) and Emerson Palmieri smashing a spectacular free-kick off the crossbar to pull them within two goals (40).
The renewed energy in the stadium was short-lived. In first-half stoppage time, Lukasz Fabianski fouled Gabriel during a corner, and Saka stepped up to bury the resulting penalty, restoring Arsenal’s three-goal cushion (45+5).
The second half saw West Ham push to narrow the deficit further, with the suspended Julen Lopetegui watching from the stands, but they failed to breach Arsenal’s defense. The defeat leaves West Ham sitting in 14th place, a stark contrast to the confidence they showed in their 2-0 win at Newcastle earlier in the week. Arsenal, meanwhile, demonstrated once again their determination to stay in the title race, setting up an intriguing weekend as they turn their attention to Liverpool’s clash at Anfield on Sunday.
