Arsenal comeback opens up seven-point Premier League lead

• Arsenal extends its lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points.
• Gunners come from behind to defeat West Ham 3-1 in London.
• The Hammers remain in 16th place with one point above the relegation zone.

The ability of Arsenal to overcome a 1-0 deficit and defeat West Ham 3-1 impressed manager Mikel Arteta on Monday, when the Gunners extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points.

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli turned the game around in the final five minutes of the second half before Eddie Nketiah stepped up in the absence of Gabriel Jesus to seal the victory.

The Hammers took the lead in the first half on a penalty kick by Said Benrahma, but David Moyes’ squad remains in 16th place with only one point above the relegation zone.

“We showed composure and never panicked and did what we had to do to earn the right to win the game,” said Arteta.

“We scored at the perfect time and the crowd was incredible, also in the moment we conceded the goal. They kept on believing. When we scored it got loud and we generated the momentum we needed.”

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A six-week World Cup break could have halted Arsenal’s march toward its first league title since 2004.

William Saliba started just eight days after being a member of the French team that lost the final on penalty kicks to Argentina. Arteta made no allowances for his stars who were away in Qatar.

This decision backfired, however, when Saliba hesitated to allow Michail Antonio to catch a ball over the top and then charged Jarrod Bowen.

Benrahma confidently converted the penalty after referee Michael Oliver pointed to the penalty spot despite the fact that Bowen did not immediately fall to the ground.

Oliver reversed his initial decision when he saw a replay of Martin Odegaard’s shot hitting Aaron Cresswell’s head rather than the left-arm. back’s This occurred in first-half stoppage time when Arsenal believed they had a penalty kick.

Odegaard’s mishit shot fell perfectly into the path of Saka, who sidefooted in the equaliser for the Gunners eight minutes after the break.

Moments later, Martinelli scored a second goal with the assistance of West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, who was beaten far too easily at the near post.

A lengthy injury absence for Jesus cast doubt on Arsenal’s ability to maintain their title challenge in the coming months, with matches against Newcastle, Tottenham, and Manchester United scheduled for January alone.

But Nketiah capitalised on his first Premier League start of the season with a brilliant spin and low finish into the far corner from a pass from Odegaard with 21 minutes remaining.

“They smothered us all over the pitch,” said West Ham captain Declan Rice.

“They are a top team, you can see they are coached incredibly well. They have a young squad with attacking talent and can go the whole way, that is for sure.”

Manchester City can reduce the gap at the top to five points and move back above Newcastle into second place if they win Wednesday night at Leeds.

Nonetheless, Arsenal’s latest display of resiliency revealed the challenge that awaits the defending champions in the second half of the season if they are to successfully defend their title.

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