On a dramatic Thursday in the Premier League, Arsenal and Tottenham lost to shake up the top half of the Premier League table. The Gunners had a chance to go to the top of the Premier League table with a win. Likewise, Tottenham could have overtaken Manchester City to re-establish themselves in the top four. However, both clubs lost. In doing so, Brighton and West Ham won to re-enter the conversation for top four or European qualification.
At the end of the day, Arsenal retain their place in second place in the Premier League table, and Tottenham are out, chasing fifth place. Just behind Spurs, West Ham are three points behind the white team from north London. Brighton have shrugged off some of their early season struggles to trail Spurs by six points.
West Ham surprises Arsenal at the Emirates
After defeating Manchester United at the weekend, David Moyes’ West Ham were rising with their sights set on challenging for the top four. The only problem was that the next game was against Arsenal. David Moyes had managed 22 games against Arsenal at the Emirates. He has never won.
His team gave him a boost after 13 minutes. Wobbly Arsenal defense and a close call when the ball was out of bounds allowed Jarrod Bowen to set up the game. Arsenal have a knack for coming back and saving goals in dramatic moments. Bukayo Saka came within inches of matching Arsenal in the first half. A shot from a tight angle just before half-time beat Alphonso Areola. However, the ball hit the inside of the post and crossed the goal line, allowing West Ham to clear.
The Hammers appreciated all the pressure from Arsenal throughout the match. When the final whistle blew, Arsenal had 75% possession. West Ham therefore needed to take advantage of their set-piece opportunities. That’s what Konstantinos Mavropanos, former Arsenal defender, did in the 55th minute. He hit the crossbar and the post to go in and double West Ham’s lead.
West Ham’s low blocking in defense frustrated Arsenal and Mikel Arteta. The Gunners fired shots from outside the box that never tested Areola. Gabriel Jesús had a chance with a header to the back post. The Brazilian failed to get the ball right, which epitomized Arsenal’s attack that day. West Ham had a late penalty after a Declan Rice foul which Said Benrahma failed to convert. That only saved Arsenal’s imperfections on a hugely disappointing day.
Brighton blast Spurs in six-goal frenzy
Tottenham lost the opportunity to get into the top four of the Premier League standings on Thursday. Ange Postecoglou’s team arrived at the American Express Stadium on the back of three league wins. However, Brighton were quick to score four goals, two of them either side of half-time. Despite a late charge from Tottenham with two goals, the deficit was too great.
Brighton got off to a bright start with early pressure on the visitors from London. Joao Pedro, who was phenomenal like many of his teammates that night, ran like a maze down Brighton’s left side. After beating a handful of Tottenham defenders, he made a pass to Jack Hinshelwood. The Brighton right-back beat Guglielmo Vicario to give Brighton the lead after 10 minutes.
Brighton had two penalties that night, both of which Joao Pedro converted. The first of them came 12 minutes after Hinshelwood’s first goal. Dejan Kulusevski during a corner kick. A hasty VAR review awarded a penalty that put Brighton’s lead at two goals. Between that and Pedro’s penalty conversion in the second half, Pervis Estupiñán scored a world-class goal. The left back celebrated his return to action by taking a short corner with a crossed left foot that Vicario had no chance of reaching.
Alejo Veliz and Ben Davies scored two goals in four minutes with 10 minutes left in the 90th minute. With new life, Spurs hit the post with a curling shot from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. That was the moment when the game seemed final. Brighton held on to claim a 4-2 victory after a sensational first 80 minutes. Tottenham maintains its position in fifth position in the table. Brighton, for its part, closed the gap with the European places above.
PHOTOS: IMAGO.
Charging…
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