Centre-back pairing Rob Holding and Gabriel Magalhães led Arsenal to a 2-1 victory at the London Stadium, as West Ham fell to a 34th PL defeat to their London rivals, the most they have recorded against any club in the competition.
West Ham had the better of the first half, despite winning just two of their last 27 league encounters against Arsenal. Kurt Zouma saw his header blocked as he ventured forward, perhaps attempting to breathe some life into a game that eventually found its spark. Eddie Nketiah forced a save from Łukasz Fabiański – but from the resulting corner, Rob Holding put Arsenal in front, heading home from Bukayo Saka’s corner in the 38th minute, his first goal since 2019 and maiden PL strike for the Gunners. Aaron Ramsdale impressively saved Rice’s header but was later helpless when Jarrod Bowen finished well from inside the area to pull the Hammers level with his 10th league goal this season.
Moments after being clattered by a robust challenge from Mark Noble, Saka darted in from the right and saw his effort denied by Fabiański. But West Ham ignored the warning signs and were defensively careless when Arsenal retook the lead in the 53rd minute, leaving Gabriel Magalhães free at the back post to head home Gabriel Martinell’s dinked cross.
Eddie Nketiah might have had a third but flashed his effort inches wide of the post, later forcing another save from a busy Fabiański. Aiming for consecutive top-seven finishes for the first time in the PL era, West Ham offered little hope of an equaliser, falling to a fifth defeat in their last eight league matches. Arsenal moved back into fourth place with their 20th victory this season. They are now two points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
