Premier League table

Arsenal 3-1 West Ham: The Gunners extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to seven points after a second-half comeback at the Emirates.

They work the ball beautifully down the right wing and give the ball to Saka. 65 mins: West Ham have been passive in the second half which has allowed Arsenal the freedom to get those two goals. He smokes it but pulls the effort wide of the target. 62 mins: Arsenal have got themselves in front but it’s doubtful that they’ll settle for just two goals. White gives it to Martin Odegaard who sends the ball into the box for Eddie Nketiah. The big question is whether [Mikel Arteta’s ](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/mikel-arteta)Gunners can maintain the form that put them five points clear of Manchester City at Christmas time.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v West Ham United - Emirates Stadium, London Saka was on target during Arsenal's win against West Ham (Photo: Reuters).

They have conceded at least twice in each of their last six league matches, and draws are not going to be sufficient to hold off the chasing pack. By the looks of it, that process is already well under way. “We know the importance of Harry for us – his personality, his character. At the end the commitment was good. I’d like my team to be more stable because from the start of the season many times it happened that we are down. There was no sign of inexperience on the 23-year-old’s part when he expertly outmaneuvered Thilo Kehrer out of the way, or of anxiety when he located the bottom corner with an emphatic finish. They know all too well about his powers of recovery. There was a slice of fortune about the first scored by Bukayo Saka, who controlled a mishit Martin Odegaard shot before finishing calmly, and Gabriel Martinelli’s second, while taken smartly, beat Lukasz Fabianski far too easily at his near post. “We had the strength to come back. The £45m Brazil striker will miss up to three months with a knee injury sustained at the World Cup, so it will come as some reassurance that his replacement Eddie Nketiah scored Arsenal’s clinching third goal. He’s the best player we have. There has even been talk of Arsenal entering the

Arsenal have defeated West Ham 3-1 to extend their points at the top of the Premier League table by seven points.

As it stands, Arsenal sit top of the table with 40 points while West Ham remain in 16th place with 14 points. Arsenal gave a thrilling performance at the Emirates Stadium on Monday in their Premier League clash with the Hammers. Arsenal have defeated West Ham 3-1 to extend their points at the top of the Premier League table by seven points.

With Arsene Wenger watching on, Arsenal returned to action after the World Cup break to beat West Ham and stay top of the Premier League table.

[England](/soccer/team?id=448) winger's composure to steer a low shot past [Lukasz Fabianski](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/77403/Lukasz-Fabianski) was exemplary. And then Nketiah had his moment, turning [Thilo Kehrer](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/214401/Thilo-Kehrer) with embarrassing ease before steering a low shot into the net. We had a lot of possession in the first half but then we were more effective." [Premier League table](https://www.espn.com/soccer/table/_/league/eng.1) They never looked like getting back into it after going behind, and despite the good job Moyes has done in his second stint at the club, criticism will only grow after a result which leaves them just a point outside the relegation zone. In fairness, the majority of those matches have come while in charge of teams that start such fixtures as second favourites, but this was a typically conservative approach from Moyes which never really got out of second gear, even when West Ham took the lead. Time will tell if Arsenal can last the pace to land their first league title since 2004 (under Wenger) but a seven-point lead at this stage is very encouraging. The 25-year-old striker is out for up to three months following knee surgery, leaving Nketiah to lead the line in his absence alongside Saka and Martinelli. Yet they stuck to the task admirably with the zest and energy in their attacking play rewarded with a stirring second-half comeback which ensures the feel-good factor around Emirates Stadium continues. [Highlights and notable moments](#highlights) [Best/worst performers](#bestworst) Arsenal made a slow start Monday in falling behind even though that Benrahma goal came against the run of play.