West Ham 2-5 Arsenal: The Gunners are in top form and reduce the gap to leaders Liverpool as Bukayo Saka seals a big win | Football News

Arsenal continued their recent resurgence with a 5-2 win over West Ham at the London Stadium to move into second place and reduce the gap to leaders Liverpool to six points.

Mikel Arteta’s side scored a total of 13 goals in three games after producing another strong attacking performance inspired by Bukayo Saka following their wins over Nottingham Forest and Sporting.

All seven goals in the game came in an exceptional first third. The goals opened when defender Gabriel Magalhaes scored his fourth goal of the season from a corner from Saka (10th).

Leandro Trossard added the second goal after a clever combination play between Saka and Martin Odegaard (27th), with the latter then converting a third goal from the penalty spot after Lucas Paqueta was judged to have fouled Saka (34th).

West Ham continued to capitulate when a simple ball over the top from Trossard released Kai Havertz for Arsenal’s fourth goal (36), but the hosts briefly recovered when Aaron Wan-Bissaka scored his second goal in as many games (38) and Emerson Palmieri crashed a stunning free kick off the crossbar shortly afterwards (40th).

Those West Ham goals briefly changed the mood in the stadium, but the Gunners added a fifth when Lukasz Fabianski fouled Gabriel from a corner, with Saka this time stepping up and converting the penalty (45+5).

With the suspended Julen Lopetegui watching from the stands, West Ham tried to reduce the deficit again in the second half but were unable to find a way through as they came back down to earth after Monday’s 2-0 win at Newcastle were retrieved.

Arsenal, who will now be keeping a close eye on action at Anfield on Sunday, showed once again that they will not give up the title without a fight.

“We had to do our job and we did it really convincingly today,” said Arteta Sky Sports. “Tomorrow (Sunday) we will enjoy the (Liverpool-Manchester City) game – a beautiful football match.”

Sunday, December 1st, 3:30 p.m

Kick-off is 4:00 p.m

Watch: All SEVEN goals!

Arteta: We had to do our job

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on Sky Sports:

“I was certainly happier with the first 30 minutes than I was with the last 15 minutes of the first half. We started incredibly well, so positive, so much energy and a lot of quality.”

“Immediately after we scored the fourth goal, we conceded a sloppy goal and an incredible free kick and then the game continued. Thank God we scored the fifth goal and that then allowed us to play a different game in the second half and create a lot more.”

About the team’s balance sheet: “We knew before the game that we would make substitutions due to the condition of the players, but we have to manage it. Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko came in, Jorginho was excellent. I’m very satisfied.”

On the form of Bukayo Saka: “He scored goals very consistently, gave assists and was always available for us, really good.”

About the title race: “We had to do our job and we did it really convincingly today. Tomorrow we will enjoy the game (Liverpool-Manchester City) – a beautiful football match.”

Redknapp: Saka potential “scary”

Jamie Redknapp described Bukayo Saka’s potential as “frightening” after leading to the win and also praised Martin Odegaard for helping to get the best out of Arsenal’s talisman.

“Saka is an incredible role model, so intelligent, knows the game inside and out,” he said Sky Sports Pundit.

“The work he does, the improvements he makes and the level he can reach are frightening because he can score goals, score goals and has great will.”

“He runs after it and is so difficult to defend.”

He added: “Saka and Martin Odegaard played wonderfully together at times and they looked like the team we have seen in recent years.”

“It just shows everyone what Odegaard does for this team, he holds everything together. He is the glue in the team. He’s an absolute joy to watch and you can see how much better they are with him.”

“He frees up Saka and gives him the time in one-on-one situations that you can’t really have if Odegaard isn’t playing.”

Analysis: The rampant arsenal is firing on all cylinders

This was another emphatic win from a team that has rediscovered its groove in a big way. After hard work in the first few months of the season, Arsenal are now on the right track.

The return of Martin Odegaard has been the catalyst for their upturn in form, but Bukayo Saka is the one to take the lead. His goal and two assists gave him 15 goal involvements in 12 Premier League games this season. He also won the penalty for the third time.

Jamie Redknapp described his potential as “terrifying” but Saka is already performing at a level that few players in the Premier League can match. Only Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in more goals this season. In this form, Saka is just as devastating.

But what is most satisfying for Mikel Arteta is that Arsenal hurt their opponents in different ways and from different sources. The 13 goals they have scored in their last three games have come from nine different scorers. West Ham were destroyed from set pieces and in open play.

Arteta described Saka’s contribution to their recent win as “incredible” in his post-match press conference, but also wanted to address the collective. “The different ways to score goals make the team much more unpredictable,” he said. Like Saka, Arsenal are on the rise.

Bowen: We weren’t good enough

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen on Sky Sports:

“It was a lot of our fault that as a team we were without the ball and made a few mistakes. We worked hard on set pieces even though we knew they posed a danger. Two penalties and it’s just frustrating goals conceded.”

“We fought back and got to 4-2. I felt like if we got to 4-2 at halftime, there was a chance.”

“We tried it in the second half. The fans were great, but in the end we weren’t good enough. The positive thing is that we play in 72 hours and the games are close together. Tomorrow is a new day and that is what it is. “Everyone is focused on Leicester.

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