Arsenal's Declan Rice celebrates after the match. — Reuters
Arsenal, back in form, delivered a high-scoring performance in the Premier League, thrashing West Ham United 5-2 on Saturday. This result sent a strong message to league leaders Liverpool. All seven goals were scored before halftime at the London Stadium, showcasing Mikel Arteta's side's superb attacking prowess. Arsenal's impressive display propelled them to second place in the table.
London rivals Brentford also had a successful day, defeating Leicester City 4-1 to move up to seventh place. Meanwhile, Bournemouth secured a 4-2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Justin Kluivert making history by scoring a hat trick of penalties, the first player to do so in Premier League history.
Nottingham Forest returned to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Ipswich Town, thanks to Chris Wood's penalty, placing them sixth in the standings. Crystal Palace managed a late 1-1 draw against Newcastle United, ensuring they remained out of the bottom three.
Arsenal's title aspirations seemed in jeopardy earlier this month when they went four games without a win. However, with captain Martin Odegaard back from injury, they have bounced back strongly. Odegaard and Bukayo Saka were instrumental in Arsenal's resounding performance, contributing to their 13 goals in the last three games.
The game against West Ham marked only the fourth time in Premier League history that seven first-half goals were scored. Despite the excitement, Arteta noted that the frenetic start was a bit too thrilling. "It tells you how crazy it was, how efficient both teams were in front of the goal. It was a spectacular 30 minutes," Arteta said.
Saka's corner kick led to Gabriel's header in the ninth minute, and Arsenal then dominated West Ham. Saka and Odegaard combined effectively, setting up Leandro Trossard and Odegaard, who converted a penalty after Saka was fouled. Trossard then assisted Kai Havertz for Arsenal's fourth goal. West Ham briefly rallied with goals from Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson, but Arsenal regained control with Saka's penalty.
Bournemouth's Kluivert expressed delight at his historic hat trick, while Brentford's Kevin Schade also scored a hat trick, contributing to their 4-1 win over Leicester City. Crystal Palace secured a late draw against Newcastle, and Nottingham Forest's Wood's penalty made him the club's joint-record Premier League scorer.
Attention now shifts to Sunday's key match at Anfield, where Liverpool could extend their lead over Manchester City with a victory. Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur also have crucial matches on Sunday.
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