{"id":241503,"date":"2026-05-02T20:46:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T20:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/02\/diabolical-twist-in-relegation-fight-as-spurs-handed-lifeline-arsenal-fire-back-in-title-race-premier-league-wrap\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T20:46:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T20:46:00","slug":"diabolical-twist-in-relegation-fight-as-spurs-handed-lifeline-arsenal-fire-back-in-title-race-premier-league-wrap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/02\/diabolical-twist-in-relegation-fight-as-spurs-handed-lifeline-arsenal-fire-back-in-title-race-premier-league-wrap\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Diabolical\u2019 twist in relegation fight as Spurs handed lifeline; Arsenal fire back in title race  \u2014 Premier League Wrap"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Arsenal stormed six points clear at the top of the Premier League as Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres put Fulham to the sword in a 3-0 win, while West Ham\u2019s defeat at Brentford offered Tottenham a lifeline in the battle for survival.<\/p>\n<p>The Gunners have stumbled towards the finish line in their quest for a first league title in 22 years, blowing a sizeable lead over Manchester City in a series of nervous displays.<\/p>\n<p><b><i>\ufeffGet all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/newsletter-sign-up?utm_source=FootballArticle&amp;utm_medium=TextLink&amp;utm_campaign=signup\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<div class=\"e5mrwj-0 jpgUYc\"><amp-iframe width=\"16\" height=\"9\" title=\"Minutely\" layout=\"responsive\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-top-navigation\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" referrerpolicy=\"unsafe-url\" src=\"https:\/\/snippet.tldw.me\/amp\/amp-launcher.html?publisher=204500&amp;placement=4280\" class=\"i-amphtml-layout-responsive i-amphtml-layout-size-defined\" i-amphtml-layout=\"responsive\" id=\"i-amp-0\"><i-amphtml-sizer style=\"display:block;padding-top:56.25%\"\/><amp-img layout=\"fill\" src=\"https:\/\/content.foxsports.com.au\/fs\/electrode\/poster-fallback.png\" placeholder=\"true\" i-amphtml-ssr=\"\" data-hero=\"\" class=\"i-amphtml-layout-fill i-amphtml-layout-size-defined\" i-amphtml-layout=\"fill\"><\/amp-img><\/amp-iframe><\/div>\n<p>But the return of Saka, making his first start in six weeks, freed up Mikel Arteta\u2019s men in a dominant performance that shrugged off fears of fatigue in between two legs of a Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe showed a lot of authority, determination and composure,\u201d said Arteta. \u201cWe got the crowd going and when this stadium creates that kind of atmosphere, it can be difficult.\u201d Gyokeres also silenced his critics with two predatory finishes to take his tally to 21 in his first season since a \u00a364 million move from Sporting Lisbon.<\/p>\n<p>The Swede was perfectly positioned to tap in Saka\u2019s cross after just nine minutes to ease any Arsenal tension.<\/p>\n<p>Riccardo Calafiori had a second goal ruled out by VAR for offside before Gyokeres and Saka combined again to double the home side\u2019s lead.<\/p>\n<p>This time Gyokeres fed the England international, who blasted in at Bernd Leno\u2019s near post.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-11i7hbm-0 eUyOEq\"><amp-img alt=\"Arsenal's Swedish striker #14 Viktor Gyokeres celebrates scoring the team's third goal.\" src=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/4eba4e9b9ee74cb8f92ff9fd78fe6604\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/4eba4e9b9ee74cb8f92ff9fd78fe6604?width=320 320w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/4eba4e9b9ee74cb8f92ff9fd78fe6604?width=640 640w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/4eba4e9b9ee74cb8f92ff9fd78fe6604?width=768 768w\" layout=\"responsive\" attribution=\"test\" class=\"i-amphtml-layout-responsive i-amphtml-layout-size-defined\" i-amphtml-layout=\"responsive\"><i-amphtml-sizer style=\"display:block;padding-top:56.25%\"\/><\/amp-img><figcaption class=\"sc-11i7hbm-1 gSnntl\"><span>Arsenal&#8217;s Swedish striker #14 Viktor Gyokeres celebrates scoring the team&#8217;s third goal.<\/span><span>Source: AFP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>City can eradicate Arsenal\u2019s lead with two games in hand before the Gunners next play in the Premier League.<\/p>\n<p>But goal difference could prove decisive in the destiny of the title. Arsenal stretched their goal difference advantage to four when Gyokeres rose highest to head in Leandro Trossard\u2019s cross just before half-time.<\/p>\n<p>Arteta was then able to look ahead to the second leg against Atletico, with the tie finely poised at 1-1, as Saka made way at half-time, before Gyokeres, Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze were also rested for the closing stages.<\/p>\n<p>Defeat was a major blow to Fulham\u2019s ambitions of European football next season as they remain in 10th.<\/p>\n<p><b>READ MORE<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Aussie transfer record?! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/football\/nestory-irankunda-linked-with-move-to-english-premier-league-clubs-everton-and-crystal-palace-set-to-break-australian-transfer-fee-record\/news-story\/d792965a70f0ca509b46bcce36105718\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Excitement machine linked with record $32.5m PL move <\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Championship Final Day \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/football\/championship-2026-final-day-who-will-earn-promotion-automatic-promotion-ipswich-town-wrexham-news-videos-highlights-live-ladder\/news-story\/a47a1e8dde6533cf987032efd5a0d912\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hollywood star\u2019s promotion dream ends; Aussie star\u2019s role in chaos<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><i>\u2018Second to none\u2019: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/football\/epl-2026-leeds-united-all-but-secure-premier-league-safety-with-victory-over-burnley-relegation-battle-daniel-farke-postgame-interview\/news-story\/b75a6fd422cad6310bfa4375fadf6654\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PL outfit respond to FA Cup heartbreak with huge relegation statement<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-15rcxg2-0 kJtnfi\"><amp-ima-video id=\"body-17-0\" width=\"1.77\" height=\"1\" layout=\"responsive\" data-tag=\"https:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/ads?ad_rule=1&amp;cmsid=2492325&amp;correlator=1777755030033&amp;cust_params=pagetype%3DAMPArticle&amp;description_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxsports.com.au%2Ffootball%2Fepl-2026-arsenal-go-six-points-clear-on-top-with-victory-at-home-to-fulham-var-drama-as-west-ham-lose-to-brentford-and-offer-tottenham-a-chance-to-escape-relegation-zone%2Fnews-story%2F88b074f19abf49538b5164431ed79662&amp;env=vp&amp;gdfp_req=1&amp;impl=s&amp;iu=%2F21780812979%2Ffoxsports%2Fstory-amp%2Ffootball%2Fstory&amp;output=xml_vast3&amp;sz=640x480&amp;unviewed_position_start=1&amp;vid=928714\" data-poster=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/pmd\/images\/2026\/05\/02\/928715_640x360_large_20260502100007.jpg\" class=\"i-amphtml-layout-responsive i-amphtml-layout-size-defined\" i-amphtml-layout=\"responsive\"><i-amphtml-sizer style=\"display:block;padding-top:56.4972%\"\/><source src=\"https:\/\/foxsportspmd-a.akamaihd.net\/free\/geoblock\/2026\/05\/02\/DVU_IRANKUNDA_PL_202605020944\/DVU_IRANKUNDA_PL_202605020944_2628.mp4\" type=\"video\/mp4\"\/><\/amp-ima-video><\/p>\n<p>Irankunda linked to Premier League clubs | 00:37<\/p>\n<p><amp-analytics type=\"adobeanalytics\" id=\"adobeanalytics\" class=\"i-amphtml-layout-fixed i-amphtml-layout-size-defined\" style=\"width:1px;height:1px;\" i-amphtml-layout=\"fixed\"\/><\/div>\n<p><b>&#8211; Spurs survival boost &#8211;<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Brentford took control of the battle for sixth, which could be enough for Champions League qualification, by inflicting a damaging 3-0 defeat on West Ham.<\/p>\n<p>Tottenham remain in the relegation zone, two points from safety, but can move out of the bottom three with victory at Aston Villa on Sunday after the Hammers succumbed to just their third defeat in 11 league games.<\/p>\n<p>Konstantinos Mavropanos was unfortunate not to be awarded a free-kick as he turned the ball into his own net to open the scoring.<\/p>\n<p>The Greek defender thought he had made amends moments later with a bullet header, but was ruled marginally offside by a VAR review.<\/p>\n<p>Brentford had another call go in their favour early in the second half when Dango Ouattara won a penalty and Igor Thiago coolly converted his 22nd Premier League goal of the season.<\/p>\n<p>Mikkel Damsgaard\u2019s strike rounded off a bad day for West Ham, who face Arsenal next weekend.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a tough day for us,\u201d said West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo. \u201cIt\u2019s up to us now to react.\u201d <\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-11i7hbm-0 eUyOEq\"><amp-img alt=\"Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United looks on during the Premier League match between Brentford and West Ham United.\" src=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/f7503ae8a556abc8741116b2385f87fc\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/f7503ae8a556abc8741116b2385f87fc?width=320 320w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/f7503ae8a556abc8741116b2385f87fc?width=640 640w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/f7503ae8a556abc8741116b2385f87fc?width=768 768w\" layout=\"responsive\" attribution=\"test\" class=\"i-amphtml-layout-responsive i-amphtml-layout-size-defined\" i-amphtml-layout=\"responsive\"><i-amphtml-sizer style=\"display:block;padding-top:56.25%\"\/><\/amp-img><figcaption class=\"sc-11i7hbm-1 gSnntl\"><span>Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United looks on during the Premier League match between Brentford and West Ham United.<\/span><span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Newcastle eased any lingering fears of being drawn into the relegation battle with a 3-1 win over Brighton to end a five-game losing streak.<\/p>\n<p>William Osula and Dan Burn scored in the opening 24 minutes as Newcastle edged up to 13th.<\/p>\n<p>Jack Hinshelwood pulled a goal back, but defeat could prove costly to Brighton\u2019s European hopes as having started the weekend in sixth, they could end it outside the top half.<\/p>\n<p>Harvey Barnes rounded off the scoring in stoppage time to bring some relief to the under-fire Eddie Howe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been a horrible feeling for us for a number of weeks,\u201d said Howe. \u201cThe attitude of the lads during this difficult run has been outstanding. We stayed together, trained well, and we got our reward today.\u201d Sunderland\u2019s bid for Europe was also dented by a 1-1 draw at bottom-of-the-table Wolves after Dan Ballard was sent off in the first half for a hair pull.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/football\/epl-2026-arsenal-go-six-points-clear-on-top-with-victory-at-home-to-fulham-var-drama-as-west-ham-lose-to-brentford-and-offer-tottenham-a-chance-to-escape-relegation-zone\/news-story\/88b074f19abf49538b5164431ed79662\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arsenal stormed six points clear at the top of the Premier League as Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres put Fulham to the sword in a 3-0 win, while West Ham\u2019s defeat at Brentford offered Tottenham a lifeline in the battle for survival. The Gunners have stumbled towards the finish line in their quest for a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":241504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[13296,1800,3262,99,17384,1808,1192,40039,4813,85,1429,7886,37429,149,2227,71633,953,13423,2488,29846,51718,1348,2234,2218,1533,1809,1427,11397,72522,72545,3400,72525,2242,5905,72544,2450,1856,1792,3888,44007],"class_list":{"0":"post-241503","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-amends-moments","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-arsenal-football-club","11":"tag-brighton","12":"tag-bullet-header","13":"tag-california","14":"tag-champions-league","15":"tag-dan-ballard","16":"tag-eddie-howe","17":"tag-england","18":"tag-europe","19":"tag-finish-line","20":"tag-five-game-losing-streak","21":"tag-football-news","22":"tag-goal-difference","23":"tag-hair-pull","24":"tag-harvey-barnes","25":"tag-hollywood","26":"tag-home-side","27":"tag-horrible-feeling","28":"tag-igor-thiago","29":"tag-jarrod-bowen","30":"tag-league-games","31":"tag-leeds-united-football-club","32":"tag-north-america","33":"tag-northern-america","34":"tag-northern-europe","35":"tag-nuno-espirito-santo","36":"tag-premier-league-survivalepl","37":"tag-promotion-dream","38":"tag-relegation-battle","39":"tag-relegation-statement","40":"tag-relegation-zone","41":"tag-sporting-lisbon","42":"tag-spurs-survival","43":"tag-stoppage-time","44":"tag-united-kingdom","45":"tag-united-states-of-america","46":"tag-west-ham-united-football-club","47":"tag-william-osula"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}