Declan Rice came back to haunt his former club, West Ham United, as Arsenal climbed to the top of the Premier League table with a 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. The result capped a dominant performance in Mikel Arteta’s 300th match in charge and strengthened the Gunners’ bid for a first league title in 22 years.
Rice, who left West Ham in a £105 million ($141 million) move to Arsenal in 2023, broke the deadlock in the second half after Alphonse Areola parried Eberechi Eze’s drive into his path.
The England international blasted home the rebound to put Arsenal ahead before Bukayo Saka sealed the win from the penalty spot after Jurrien Timber was fouled by El Hadji Malick Diouf.
The victory lifted Arsenal one point clear of Liverpool, who are set to face Chelsea later in the day. However, it was not all good news for Arteta’s side as captain Martin Ødegaard was forced off injured before half-time — the third such setback for the Norwegian playmaker this season.
West Ham’s defeat leaves them mired in the relegation zone, with mounting pressure on manager David Moyes to turn their campaign around.
At Old Trafford, Manchester United eased the pressure on manager Ruben Amorim with a convincing 2-0 victory over Sunderland, ending a difficult run of results for the Portuguese coach.
Amorim, who had managed just 34 points from his previous 33 Premier League games, saw his side produce a strong response ahead of the international break. Before kick-off, the stadium observed a minute’s silence in tribute to victims of a recent terror attack at a Manchester synagogue.
The manager’s bold selection calls were justified as debutant goalkeeper Senne Lammens kept a clean sheet and Mason Mount, preferred ahead of Matheus Cunha, opened the scoring in the eighth minute from Bryan Mbeumo’s cross.
Bruno Fernandes was unlucky to see his shot tipped onto the woodwork by Sunderland keeper Robin Roefs, while Benjamin Šeško doubled United’s lead before half-time with his first Old Trafford goal since joining from RB Leipzig for £74 million.
VAR overturned a penalty awarded to Sunderland late in the first half, maintaining United’s control. The result ended the visitors’ four-game unbeaten run and brought them back down to earth after a strong start to their Premier League return.
In another major result, Tottenham Hotspur showcased their new defensive resolve under Thomas Frank with a 2-1 win over Leeds United at Elland Road, ending the hosts’ year-long unbeaten run in the league.
Mathys Tel opened the scoring for Spurs before Noah Okafor briefly drew Leeds level. However, Mohammed Kudus netted his first goal for Tottenham to restore the lead and secure all three points.
“That feeling of getting over the line and taking three points was big,” said Frank after his side climbed to third in the standings.
Liverpool can reclaim top spot later on Saturday if they overcome Chelsea — who are winless in three league games and recently suffered defeats to Crystal Palace and Galatasaray in the Champions League.
