LONDON: Arsenal moved into the Premier League top four as two goals in three minutes saw off Sheffield United 2-1, while Leicester City’s perfect start came to a shuddering halt with a 3-0 defeat at home to West Ham United.
Arsenal have taken nine points from their opening four games as they look to return to Champions League football for the first time in five years next season.
But the Gunners were fortunate to take all three points at the Emirates as they had an early escape when David Luiz escaped a red card for a pull on Oli Burke.
Mikel Arteta’s men got going after the break and a fine team move opened the scoring on the hour mark when Bukayo Saka headed home Hector Bellerin’s cross at the far post.
Bellerin was the provider again moments later as Nicolas Pepe drove forward to curl the ball in off the far post.
David McGoldrick halved the deficit seven minutes from time with the Blades first league goal of the season, but they remain without a point.
Arsenal are now level on points with Leicester as the Foxes suffered a huge fall from grace just a week on from thrashing Manchester City 5-2.
West Ham manager David Moyes was again taking charge from home after testing positive for coronavirus.
But just as in a 4-0 win over Wolves last weekend, the Hammers did not miss his presence as goals from Michail Antonio, Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen gave the visitors a full deserved three points.
Antonio’s presence was too much for Leicester to handle and he opened the scoring with a header at the far post from Aaron Cresswell’s pin-point cross.
West Ham doubled their lead in style nine minutes before half-time when Fornals cushioned Cresswell’s long punt perfectly into his path before slotting past Kasper Schmeichel for his first goal since February.
Leicester failed to muster a single shot on target and with seven minutes left, Bowen slotted home from Fornals’ pass.
At St Mary’s, Southampton won their second successive game by seeing off lowly West Bromwich Albion 2-0.
Ralph Hasenhuettl’s side dominated throughout but had to wait until the 41st minute to open the scoring when Moussa Djenepo’s clever drag-back eluded Jake Livermore before the winger stroked his finish into the bottom corner.
Oriol Romeu, who hadn’t scored since February 2019, met Stuart Armstrong’s cross with a brilliant volley from the edge of the area to wrap up the points in the 69th minute.
Wolverhampton Wanderers bounced back from their thrashing at West Ham as Pedro Neto’s clean strike into the bottom corner was enough to beat Fulham 1-0 at Molineux.
CITY SLIP FURTHER BEHIND EVERTON
On Saturday, a second-half equaliser from Rodrigo Moreno earned Leeds United a 1-1 draw with Manchester City while a James Rodriguez double helped Everton beat Brighton & Hove Albion 4-2 and maintain their 100% record at the top.
Everton’s fourth win out of four keeps them top on 12 points while Leeds are five points behind, with Manchester City an unaccustomed 11th, eight points behind Everton.
In the pouring Yorkshire rain at Elland Road, Rodrigo’s first goal for Leeds in the 59th minute denied visiting Pep Guardiola victory against one of the men who inspired him to be a coach, Marcelo Bielsa.
City goalkeeper Ederson’s weak punch from Kalvin Phillips’ corner allowed striker Rodrigo to pounce on the loose ball and score his first goal since joining Leeds for a club-record fee.
While Leeds had seven shots on target, Raheem Sterling’s 16th-minute strike low shot inside the far post was one of only two for City.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin became the first Everton player to score in the opening four matches of a Premier League season when he headed home a Gylfi Sigurdsson cross in the 16th minute to open the scoring at Goodison.
Neil Maupay equalised in the 41st minute only for Yerry Mina to restore the home side’s lead on the stroke of halftime, before good work from substitute Alex Iwobi presented Colombian Rodriguez with a second-half brace.
Midfielder Yves Bissouma then pulled out a dazzling late consolation strike for the visitors.
Newcastle United are level on seven points with Leeds as Callum Wilson’s double saw off Burnley 3-1.
Allan Saint-Maximin’s fine individual effort opened the scoring for the Magpies before Ashley Westwood deservedly levelled for Burnley early in the second-half.
But the Clarets remain without a point this season as they had no answer to the pace of Saint-Maximin as he set up Wilson to restore Newcastle’s lead.
The England international then scored his fourth goal in as many Premier League games for Steve Bruce’s men from the penalty spot after Ryan Fraser was fouled by Nick Pope.
