Arsenal returned to Premier League action with three hard-fought points as they looked to cope with the absence of Gabriel Jesus, with a Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli inspiring a second-half turnaround against West Ham United.
Midway through the first period, the hosts were behind as William Saliba was ruled to have felled Jarrod Bowen in the area and Said Benrahma made no mistake from the penalty spot. It stayed that way until half-time, but Saka eventually levelled things up after reacting quickest to a mishit Martin Odegaard shot to collect the ball and beat Lukasz Fabianski.
Moments after the equaliser, the league leaders were in front as Gabriel Martinelli beat former Arsenal keeper Fabianski at his near post. Eddie Nketiah then put them out of sight with time to spare, sending Mikel Arteta's team seven points clear of second place Newcastle and eight clear of a Manchester City team who play on Wednesday.
Arteta's team thought they had taken the lead inside five minutes as Bukayo Saka fired high into Lukasz Fabianski's net, only for a flag to go up for an offside earlier in the move. It was a fast start for the Gunners even before that moment, as they looked to keep up their record of never having lost at home to a David Moyes side.
Arsenal weren't immediately fazed after going behind, and continued to threaten for the remainder of the first half, with another VAR decision ensuring the Gunners' excitement over a penalty of their own was short-lived. West Ham had a chance for a second straight after the break, with Aaron Ramsdale producing an important stop from Michail Antonio, but that was just a blip before the hosts regained their momentum.
There was a stroke of fortune about the equaliser, with Odegaard's wayward shot falling perfectly for Saka. The hosts always looked like they were likely to keep coming, though, and West Ham struggled to deal with the relentless attacking after the break.
Source: Mirror football