Premier League: Saka shines as Arsenal thrash West Ham 7-goal thriller

London, Dec 1 (IANS) Bukayo Saka scored once and provided two assists as Arsenal thrashed West Ham United 5-2 to moved up to second in the Premier League table.

All of the goals came in a remarkable opening period at London Stadium, where Gabriel Magalhaes, Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz put Arsenal 4-0 up inside 36 minutes.

But quickfire strikes from Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson gave West Ham hope, though their chances of a comeback were quashed when Saka, who also provided two assists, added Arsenal’s fifth on the stroke of half-time.

It is only the fourth time in Premier League history that there have been seven goals scored in a single half, but the Gunners put in a more measured display after the interval to ensure there was no hint of further drama.

Arsenal now sit six points behind leaders Liverpool, who face a heavyweight clash with Manchester City on Sunday, while West Ham remain in 14th.

Saka created Arsenal’s first two goals, with his 10th-minute corner headed home by Gabriel, before the England winger laid it on a plate for Trossard to tuck in a second before the half-hour. In so doing, Saka became the first player to reach double, Premier League reports.

Arsenal seemed to seal the win with two quick goals. Odegaard converted a penalty after Lucas Paqueta fouled Saka, and Havertz capitalized on poor defending to score past Lukasz Fabianski. In stoppage time of the first half, Gabriel was punched by Fabianski, and after a VAR review, the penalty was confirmed. Saka stepped up and fired the ball past Fabianski to restore Arsenal’s three-goal lead in the stoppage time of the first half.

Michail Antonio almost cut the deficit again after the break, though his effort deflected narrowly wide, while West Ham substitute Danny Ings could only drill wide after rounding David Raya late on as Arsenal held out for an emphatic triumph.

"We made it crazy. We played so well at the start of the game. We scored three early goals and then they score one immediately after kick-off and then another one - then it was game on. We have to manage the game - we did that really well. The last two games were tricky and to score goals is a big one," Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said after the win.

--IANS

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