Mikel Arteta delighted as Arsenal end another unwanted record with West Ham win

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Mikel Arteta was delighted as a dominant Arsenal eased to victory over West Ham - and erased some of the scars of previous Hammers meetings.

In each of the last two seasons, Arsenal have suffered defeats to their London rivals at the Emirates Stadium. But this time the three points were never in doubt from the moment that Declan Rice scored against his former club to hand the hosts the lead. The win took Arsenal to the summit of the Premier League table ahead of Liverpool ’s Stamford Bridge showdown with Chelsea on Saturday tea time.

Arteta admitted that he had told his players of the opportunity that this game brought to right a few wrongs - just like last weekend's clash at Newcastle had been - and that by the time Saturday came to a conclusion, it had well and truly been taken. He said: “The last two games have been very special in that sense in Newcastle because we had a history there, a lot of scars and a lot of learnings to take, we put that right, and then we had West Ham losing two games at home in the previous two seasons.

“I told them it was a big opportunity, we had very difficult fixtures since the start of the season, some very bad injuries as well, not helping, and still the team is performing, playing well and winning today with absolute dominance and without conceding a goal.”

England star Bukayo Saka , still working his way back to full fitness, scored Arsenal's second, the perfect way to celebrate his 200th Premier League match.

Saka revealed post match that he had received a morning text message from Gunners icon Thierry Henry - the club's record goalscorer highlighting the aforementioned defeats.

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“He messaged me this morning as well to remind me we lost the last two games against West Ham at home,” he said. “He is always pushing me, and I think he wants me there with him.”

West Ham failed to register a single shot on target, leaving David Raya untroubled. However, new head coach Nuno Espirito Santo believes his players are on the right track as they adapt to their new boss.

"Now is the moment to analyse but with all the changes that has been happening I feel the players are responding and trying and that pleases me the most. The international break will be important for all of us, especially for the players to be calm, there's been many changes and many noises around us.

"This is our priority – that we know each other as a group because it is basically our unity and fight for each other.”

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.