EPL: Arsenal beat West Ham 5-2 to close gap on Liverpool

Arsenal surged into second place in the Premier League with a commanding 5-2 victory over West Ham at the London Stadium, reinvigorating their title ambitions.

Mikel Arteta’s side delivered a first-half masterclass, netting five goals to close the gap to six points behind league leaders Liverpool. The Reds face reigning champions Manchester City on Sunday in a crucial showdown.

Gabriel Magalhães opened the scoring early before Leandro Trossard doubled the lead. Martin Ødegaard’s penalty extended Arsenal’s advantage, and Kai Havertz added a fourth with his ninth goal of the season.

West Ham briefly rallied as Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson struck in quick succession, but Bukayo Saka sealed the win with a second-half penalty, capping a stellar individual performance.

The victory marked Arsenal’s first away league win since September and signaled a return to form after a challenging period of four winless games, which had cast doubt on their title challenge.

Arteta acknowledged earlier this week that Arsenal must be “almost perfect” to catch Liverpool. Following their midweek 5-1 demolition of Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, this performance underscored their resurgence.

The return of captain Martin Ødegaard has been pivotal to Arsenal’s revival. Sidelined for 12 matches with an ankle injury, the Norwegian playmaker has inspired a four-game unbeaten streak since rejoining the starting XI.

West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui, who shares Basque roots with Arteta, had eased pressure with a win at Newcastle earlier in the week but found no reprieve from Arsenal’s relentless attack.

With Manchester United set to visit the Emirates on Wednesday, Arsenal’s resurgence has reignited hope of ending their title drought, which stretches back to 2004.