West Ham 1-2 Arsenal: Gunners make Champions League statement with Hammers win

Arsenal reclaimed a Champions League spot from rivals Tottenham with a 2-1 victory over West Ham at the London Stadium. Before kick-off the pressure was piled on the Gunners as Tottenham beat Leicester earlier in the day to climb to fourth, a place and a point above their north London rivals.

Ad/> Despite a lethargic start from both sides, the game came to life on 40 minutes when Rod Holding scored his first Arsenal Premier League goal, only for West Ham to equalise moments later through Jarrod Bowen, who has now netted ten times in the league this season. Premier League'He had a significant injury' — Arteta fears Partey will not play again for Arsenal this seasonYESTERDAY AT 20:09 However, early in the second half Gabriel headed home from a Gabriel Martinelli cross to put Arsenal back in front, and the Gunners then cruised their way to a crucial away victory.

The win sees Arsenal recapture the initiative in the race for the top four, with the Gunners now two points ahead of Spurs, while West Ham remain in seventh three points off Manchester United. Arteta’s side take on Leeds next weekend, before facing Tottenham 10 days before the end of the season in a fixture likely to determine which north London side will secure the final Champions League spot.

Premier League table Premier League fixtures / results Premier League top scorers Talking point ARSENAL LOOK RESILIENT… There is an old adage that though Arsenal are entertaining to watch, they are fragile and not streetwise. The Gunners’ Champions League hopes took a major hit in the shape of three straight defeats last month, and the consensus was that the pressure of claiming an unlikely Champions League spot was perhaps having an influence on this young side.