Arsenal extended their lead to five points at the top of the Premier League table, claiming a fifth consecutive head-to-head league win over Leicester City.Having dominated possession without reward for the better part of the opening half-hour, Arsenal thought they had found a breakthrough via Leandro Trossard, who curled in from the edge of the box following a poorly-cleared corner. However, Leicester were given a reprieve when VAR ruled out the goal for a foul in the build-up, with Ben White holding back Danny Ward. The Foxes had threatened on the counter, and had the ball in the back of the net moments later, but Kelechi Iheanacho’s dinked finish was immediately flagged offside.The Gunners raced out of the traps after the break, taking a deserved lead when Trossard slipped in Gabriel Martinelli, who swept in neatly at great personal expense.After shaking off a potential knee injury, Martinelli was on hand to tee up Saka for a simple tap-in, but the Brazil international was flagged up for offside, keeping the contest within Leicester’s grasp. With time running out, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s effort from range narrowly missed the target, but a lack of clear-cut opportunities for the hosts allowed Arsenal to see out the win with relative ease.Ultimately, Mikel Arteta’s side did enough to claim all three points and consolidate their place at the top of the Premier League standings. Meanwhile, the Foxes haven’t won any of their last 19 fixtures against league-leading sides as they slip to back-to-back defeats, with the threat of relegation still a genuine concern for Brendan Rodgers.1) Arsenal—572) Man City—52Your move, City 🏃♂️ pic.twitter.com/TawNx2heAc— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 25, 2023 Elsewhere, Danny Ings marked his first West Ham United start with a quickfire brace to help West Ham United secure a vital 4-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, with the Tricky Trees remaining on just one head-to-head away win in 14 attempts since 1986.Entering this match in the bottom three put West Ham under plenty of pressure, but the Hammers responded positively as they went on the front foot from the first whistle. Despite conjuring a flurry of shots and balls into the box, the hosts couldn’t quite make a breakthrough with Danny Ings’ instinctive effort coming closest, hitting Felipe and the post on its way wide. Vladimír Coufal’s cross then provided Ings with another opportunity, although the striker spurned it with a mistimed header.Despite more periods of sustained Hammers pressure in the first half, David Moyes’ side still couldn’t break through Forest’s defences. Saïd Benrahma got into a good position thanks to some excellent link-up with the returning Lucas Paquetá, although he ultimately hit a tame shot that was routinely saved by Keylor Navas. Having given Forest a good outball in the first half, Brennan Johnson was halted by Declan Rice while attempting to capitalise on a rare opening early in the second.Just moments after the blow of Łukasz Fabiański being forced off, Ings gave West Ham the lift they craved when Rice’s sweeping pass found Bowen, who teed up the striker for his maiden Hammers goal. Perhaps buoyed by that strike, the forward netted another mere moments later when he bundled Benrahma’s ball over the line. The mood at London Stadium turned from relief to jubilation, as Rice sent an exquisite strike into the top corner for West Ham’s third, which came just eight minutes after the opener.The icing on the cake came through Michail Antonio, who emerged from the bench to head home fellow substitute Pablo Fornals’ cross for his first league goal since October, as West Ham emphatically secured their second win in 12 Premier League matches to lift themselves to 16th in the table. Meanwhile, Forest haven’t won any of their last five away matches across all competitions but remain four points above the bottom three.PREMIER LEAGUE – ROUND 25FridayFulham – Wolves 1-1 (0-1)/Solomon 64 – Sarabia 23/SaturdayEverton – Aston Villa 0-2 (0-0)/Watkins 63 pen, Buendia 82/Leeds – Southampton 1-0 (0-0)/Firpo 77/Leicester – Arsenal 0-1 (0-0)/Martinelli 46/West Ham – Nott.Forest 4-0 (0-0)/Ings 71, 73, Rice 78, Antonio 85/20:30: (9.50) Bournemouth (5.70) Man.City (1.34)22:45: (5.00) Crystal Palace (3.70) Liverpool (1.84)Sunday16:30: (2.65) Tottenham (3.20) Chelsea (2.95)***odds are subject to change***
