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.
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.”
Saka: “Let’s keep this form going”
Man of the match Bukayo Saka is the player who speaks to Sky, and he emphasises that Arsenal made a “very strong start”.
“It was a very strong start, and we played similar to this last year, so we knew we wanted to, and we did that.
“I’m just looking to constantly improve, and create and score goals for this team, and I’m doing that right now. I’m enjoying my football,” he adds.
“I’m taking a lot of pleasure, I like to score and create, but the biggest pleasure is to win and get three points. Let’s keep this form going.
“The last three games we’ve been back to our best way of playing, we’re fluid, dynamic, the rotations look good.
“We need to continue like this.”
Saka on for the assist record?
Today was Saka’s 10th assist of the season so far. The record in a season is 20, held by Thierry Henry – could the England winger reach that by the end of May?
FULL-TIME! West Ham 2-5 Arsenal
That result means that Arsenal move to second, however briefly, on 25 points. Chelsea could overtake them if they beat Villa by three goals – that match begins at 1.30pm tomorrow.
City could also return to second if they manage to beat Liverpool tomorrow. Arsenal are now six points behind Liverpool ahead of that match.
West Ham remain in 14th, though they are still six points ahead of the relegation zone.
FULL-TIME! West Ham 2-5 Arsenal
So, an intriguing game in east London comes to an end and Arsenal move to second in the table.
We saw the bet of Arsenal at times in the first half, though they will be disappointed with conceding those quick-fire goals. However, with one of them being a free-kick, it’s hardly like it was a mini-meltdown.
The Gunners move into second and will be hoping that the six-point gap with Liverpool stays at roughly the same number by this time tomorrow evening.
FULL-TIME! West Ham 2-5 Arsenal
FULL-TIME! West Ham 2-5 Arsenal
The referee brings the game to an end and the Gunners move to second in the table!
West Ham 2-5 Arsenal
Another half-chance for Arsenal as Sterling holds the ball up brilliantly before sliding it to Jesus. The Brazilian skips past his man to make the space, but he can only fire his shot against the side-netting.
Source: independent.co.uk
