Arsenal vs West Ham LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction tonight

For such an undoubted talent, an exciting attacking prospect and an occasionally excellent performer, it’s perhaps a surprise to learn that Gabriel Martinelli’s best haul of Premier League goals for a single season so far is just three.

That tally came in his first campaign in England, the interrupted 2019/20, while between recovery from a knee injury and some very inconsistent form and tactics from his team the following year, he managed only two.

A perfectly struck finish against West Ham United on Wednesday night brought the Brazilian up to the same low-key number for 21/22, his other coming against Newcastle three weeks ago.

Gabriel Martinelli spoke to BT Sport after the game and touched on what it felt like to score tonight and how it felt to beat West Ham. He said:

Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe fired Arsenal to a 2-0 victory over West Ham and into the top four of the Premier League.

Brazilian forward Martinelli, profiting from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s enforced absence from the squad with a rare run in the Gunners starting line-up, tucked in his second goal of the season early in the second half.

And substitute Smith Rowe doubled the lead late on after Alexandre Lacazette had missed a penalty.

Mikel Arteta is cultivating an environment for young players to thrive at Arsenal. Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka are all products of that and are rewarding the manager with goals:

David Moyes has never won away against Arsenal in the Premier League in 18 attempts (D4 L14), extending the record for the most times a manager has played away at a single club without ever winning in the competition.

It’s a brilliant result for Arsenal tonight. Given the backdrop of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s exclusion Mikel Arteta was under pressure to get a result. Arsenal’s youngsters came to play though, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe both scored to send Arsenal back into the top four.

90+5 mins: There goes the final whistle. Arsenal beat West Ham at the Emirates stadium to move into the top four for the first time in what seems like an age.

Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe secured the points for the Gunners. It all went wrong in the second half for West Ham, they went behind and then went down to 10-men.

Lukasz Fabianski saved a penalty from Alexandre Lacazette and made at least five other decent saves but couldn’t keep Arsenal out all night.

90+3 mins: Arsenal win the ball in the middle of the pitch and carry it towards goal. Granit Xhaka is encouraged to shoot from the Arsenal faithful and obliges them with a shot from range. He leans back on the shot though and smokes it well over the crossbar.

90 mins: Five minutes of added time to play at the Emirates. Arsenal should get the job done now.

87 mins: Benrahma gets dispossessed deep in Arsenal’s half and the Gunners fly forward on the overlap. Saka brings in up the pitch and passes it to Emile Smith Rowe - who’s just come on for Arsenal - he carries it into the final third, cuts inside from the right, then threads a shot in between the legs of Diop and guides it into the bottom right-hand corner.