West Ham v Arsenal LIVE: Premier League result and final score as Gunners move into second place
West Ham 2-5 Arsenal: Gunners go second in the table after a brilliant first-half performance in the capital
Arsenal beat West Ham United 5-2 at the London Stadium on Saturday evening thanks to a stunning 26-minute first-half attacking display.
The Gunners started off brilliantly, with a Gabriel header opening the scoring before a sublime team move put them 2-0 up.
And it only got better, with Martin Odegaard’s penalty and a Kai Havertz strike meaning they were 4-0 up on 36 minutes.
Miraculously, West Ham were soon back in it after Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson struck twice in as many minutes, though Bukayo Saka converted another penalty to make it 5-2 at half-time.
There was plenty of expectation ahead of the second half but it turned out to be a drab affair, with neither side having any chances of note as the visitors closed out the match to return to second in the Premier League table.
Follow updates from Arsenal v West Ham below.
Arsenal’s first half for the ages crushes sorry West Ham in Premier League thriller
Arsenal plundered another hatful of goals at West Ham as they climbed up to second in the Premier League with a frenetic 5-2 victory.
The Gunners can now put their feet up and watch title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City try to take points off each other on Sunday after what was a breathless encounter – or first half at least – at the London Stadium.
Just as they had at Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday night, Arsenal had five different scorers, with Gabriel, Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka finding the net.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe ‘devastated’ by Crystal Palace’s late equaliser
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe described Crystal Palace’s added-time equaliser at Selhurst Park as an “absolutely devastating blow”.
Daniel Munoz struck in the 93rd minute to secure a 1-1 draw that lifts Palace out of the relegation zone after a Marc Guehi own-goal had given the visitors the lead against the run of play.
Newcastle appeared to have claimed all three points despite failing to register a single attempt on target and only one shot all afternoon – compared to Palace’s 16. Munoz’s header ruined their celebrations, however.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe ‘devastated’ by Crystal Palace’s late equaliser
Daniel Munoz struck in the 93rd minute.
Liverpool vs Man City latest team news and predicted line-ups
Liverpool face Manchester City at Anfield with the chance to go 11 points clear of Pep Guardiola’s champions at this early stage of the Premier League of the season.
Arne Slot’s excellent start to life at Liverpool continued with a superb victory over Real Madrid and the Reds are flying into the second of two huge games at Anfield this week.
City, by contrast, drew 3-3 with Feyenoord after blowing a three-goal lead late on to extend their winless run to an unprecedented six games under Guardiola.
Ilkay Gundogan admitted City’s hopes of winning a fifth Premier League title in a row could suffer a fatal blow if they lose to Liverpool, and even Guardiola has said the champions are fragile.
Liverpool are full of belief but Virgil van Dijk expects a reaction from City and Slot has warned that Guardiola will come up with a solution to show why he is the best manager in the world on Sunday.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Premier League blockbuster, including the latest team news.
Liverpool vs Man City latest team news and predicted line-ups
Both teams have dealt with injuries this season but Liverpool have the chance to extend their lead over Man City in the table
When is Liverpool vs Man City? Kick-off time, date, and how to watch Premier League blockbuster
Turning our heads to tomorrow’s clash at the top...
Liverpool will take an eight-point lead into their Anfield showdown with Manchester City in the Premier League.
The champions lost for the fifth game in a row in all competitions as Pep Guardiola’s side were thrashed 4-0 by Tottenham on Saturday night.
And Arne Slot’s side took full advantage as Mohamed Salah scored twice to complete a thrilling comeback win over Southampton at St Mary’s.
When is Liverpool vs Man City? Date, kick-off time and how to watch
Liverpool will have the chance to go 11 points clear if they beat the champions at Anfield
Up next
Arsenal’s next match is a huge home game against Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United – that kicks off at 8.15pm on Wednesday, 4 December.
West Ham travel to Leicester in their next game, in a match which could have a bearing on the eventual relegation places – that one begins at the same time on Tuesday, 3 December.
Lopetegui: “Overall, I am frustrated"
West Ham boss Lopetegui also spoke to Match of the Day, and he said that “overall, I am frustrated in the first half”.
“We deserved two goals, but they didn’t deserve five. We were unlucky in the decisions, in my opinion. The first goal I think it was a block.”
On Fabianksi fouling Gabriel, he says: “I think it was a bit soft. We were unlucky. We have to do better for sure. We didn’t take good decisions in a defensive way - that’s why it was a strange match. The team showed character to compete.
“We were unlucky with the decisions today. We asked before the match, the referee with the block, as a coach we have to know the limit. This week we have to do better in our individual actions in a defensive way.”
“It is always difficult to not stay on the bench because you can’t help the team and I was very frustrated.”
Bowen: “There was a lot down to us"
West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen also spoke to Sky, and he says that “there was a lot down to us, how we were without the ball and a couple of mistakes as a team”.
“Set-pieces we worked hard knowing they were a threat. Two penalties and they’re just frustrating goals to concede.
“We were fighting back and we got to 4-2. I felt if we got in at half-time at 4-2 then there was an opportunity.”
On the second half, he adds: “Then in the second half we had a go. The fans were brilliant, but ultimately we weren’t good enough. The positive is we play in 72 hours and games are coming up thick and fast. Tomorrow is a new day and it is all focus towards Leicester.“
Arteta speaks to Sky
Arteta also has a word with Sky, and emphasises that Arsenal had to “respect that they have tremendous players upfront”.
“I was happier with the first 30 minutes rather than the last 15 minutes of the first-half that’s for sure. We started incredibly well, so positive, so much energy and a lot of quality. We were a real threat.
“Thank goodness we scored the fifth and then that allowed us to play a different game in the second-half and manage it a lot more.”
He adds that his players “take a lot of ownership. the way we score in open play, the combinations, [it’s] really impressive.
“It’s that connection, getting the players in the right positions, then it’s timing and execution.
He adds that Saka is “a player that every game has to make something happen, and that reflects in the scoreline. Really good.”
“We’ve done it today in a really convincing way, and tomorrow we enjoy the match, a beautiful game of football.”
Arteta: “We made it crazy"
Mikel Arteta has spoken to BBC’s Match of the Day programme, and he says that Arsenal allowed the game to become crazy.
“We made it crazy, we played so well at the start of the game. We scored early goals and then they score one immediately after kick-off and then another one - then it was game on.
“We have to manage the game - we did that really well. The last two games were tricky and to score goals is a big one.
“We knew before the game we were going to make substitutions because of the state of players, but we have to manage that. Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko come in, Jorginho was excellent. I am very pleased.”
He adds that for the second half, “the message was to not relax and to go for more.”
Timber speaks to Sky
Jurrien Timber is also speaking to Sky, and he says that the game was “fun to play in” at times.
“It was fun to score a lot of goals. We played well, and the second half we killed the game.
“Obviously we felt very strong. We need to keep this momentum going because we have a big game coming up.
On his return from injury, he says that he was helped by “the people around me pushing me. You’re only as good as the people around you”.
“I think we have a big squad with a lot of good players, and we showed that last week and this week again.
“We have so many games, I think when we train we’re really focused.”
When asked about the match between Liverpool and City tomorrow, he says: “I think also for City and Liverpool, every Premier League game is hard. I’ll be prepared for Wednesday against United.”
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