Arsenal roar back to draw 3-3 at West Ham

LONDON   –  Arsenal staged a stunning comeback to draw 3-3 at West Ham United in a rip-roaring Premier League derby, after they had conceded three times in the opening 32 minutes on Sunday. 

West Ham punished a sleepy Arsenal with Jesse Lingard, Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek putting them in complete control and set to go level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea. But when Alexander Lacazette’s shot deflected in off Soucek in the 38th minute Arsenal came alive. They laid siege to West Ham’s goal for long periods of the second half and pulled back another goal as Craig Dawson scored into his own net just past the hour.

In a frenetic finale West Ham had chances to seal the points before Lacazette’s 82nd-minute header earned Arsenal what had looked like an unlikely share of the spoils. West Ham stay in fifth place with 49 points from 29 games, two below Chelsea. Arsenal moved up a place into ninth spot before Aston Villa’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur later on Sunday.

BRIGHTON WIN BASEMENT BATTLE AGAINST SORRY NEWCASTLE

Brighton & Hove Albion took a stride towards Premier League safety and left Newcastle United deep in the relegation mire after a 3-0 home victory in the basement battle. 

Leandro Trossard’s lethal finish gave Brighton the lead just before halftime and Danny Welbeck matched that with a sumptuous curler six minutes after the restart. Newcastle’s misery was complete when Neal Maupay’s sharp finish made it 3-0 with around 20 minutes remaining. Sixteenth-placed Brighton’s second successive victory put them on 32 points from 29 games, six points above third-from-bottom Fulham who have also played one game more. 

Newcastle, without a league win in six games, are 17th and only two points ahead of Fulham, albeit with a game in hand. It was the sort of night that has summed up Newcastle’s season as shortly before going behind, they lost midfielder Isaac Hayden to what looked a serious leg injury after an accidental collision with Brighton’s Yves Bissouma.

And just a minute before Welbeck struck they were denied an equaliser when Ryan Fraser’s curling effort struck the post. Newcastle could have few complaints though as Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez did not have to make a save.