Arsenal boosted their Premier League title hopes with a 2-0 win over West Ham United, handing the Hammers a record 135th defeat in London derbies.
The Gunners started strongly, with Jurrien Timber testing West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola early on. Soon after, Bukayo Saka beat his marker and set up a goalmouth scramble, but Eberechi Eze missed a golden chance by firing over from close range.
Arsenal thought they had taken the lead when Saka slid the ball into the net, but it was ruled out for offside. However, their pressure paid off before the break. Declan Rice reacted quickly to a rebound from Areola and smashed the ball into the roof of the net, scoring against his former club to give Arsenal a 1-0 half-time lead.
Arsenal nearly added a second right before the whistle, but Riccardo Calafiori’s shot hit the post. After the break, chances were limited, and the game seemed to follow the same pattern as their midweek win over Olympiacos, where they struggled to finish the game off.
That changed in the second half when Timber was fouled in the box by El Hadji Malick Diouf. Saka stepped up and calmly scored the penalty to make it 2-0 – his 100th goal contribution in the Premier League.
Injuries to Rice and Martin Ødegaard put a slight dampener on the result, but Mikel Arteta’s side held on for the three points. The win temporarily moves Arsenal top of the table ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Chelsea later in the evening.
West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo is still searching for his first win in charge, with his team staying in the bottom three.
