Premier League: Arsenal Beats West Ham, Reclaims Fourth Spot
Arsenal reclaimed fourth spot on the Premier League after a valuable 2-1 victory against West Ham, courtesy of goals from defenders Rob Holding and Gabriel Magalhaes at the London Stadium.
The Gunners had been knocked out of the last Champions League qualification spot by north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur earlier on Sunday after they beat Leicester City 3-1.
But Mikel Arteta’s side responded to the pressure with a third consecutive victory to give them the edge in what has become a two-horse race for fourth place. Holding gave the visitors the lead with a glancing header from a 38th-minute corner crossed in by Bukayo Saka. It was Holding’s first Premier League goal.
However, West Ham fired back on the stroke of the halftime interval as Jarrod Bowen equalised for the hosts as he controlled Vladimir Coufal’s ball into the area and his shot took a deflection to beat Aaron Ramsdale.
Arsenal looked fresher in the second half though and Magalhaes’ diving header from Gabriel Martinelli’s delivery ensured they remained in the driving seat for a long-awaited return to the Champions League although, with a north London derby still to come, the race is far from over.
Arsenal have 63 points from 34 games with Tottenham on 61 points, also with four games left to play.
“You have to find a way to win and today we won ugly. We have to recognise that is the way we had done it,” said Arteta, who is trying to deliver Champions League football for the first time since 2016-17.
“We showed incredible spirit. We adapted. You have to find a way to win, all the time to win — forcing mistakes, being brilliant, digging in, clean sheets.”
Seventh-placed West Ham are now out of the running for fourth place with 52 points and only three games left and their focus will turn to next week’s second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Four games to go.
to play for.Sit back, relax and enjoy the best of today’s action as we move back into the top four! #WHUARS | Match highlights pic.twitter.com/3oV4uN1TAU
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 1, 2022
Sunday’s Premier League results
Everton 1-0 Chelsea
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Leicester City
West Ham 1-2 Arsenal
Chidi Nwoke/Reuters/Arsenal.
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