LONDON (Reuters) - Back-in-form Arsenal completed a high-scoring day in the Premier League with a 5-2 mauling of West Ham United as they sent out a message of intent to leaders Liverpool on Saturday.
All seven goals arrived before halftime at the London Stadium as Mikel Arteta's side moved up to second in the table with a superb display of attacking football.
They were not the only London club to hit the goal trail on Saturday, with Brentford hammering Leicester City 4-1 to move seventh. Bournemouth won 4-2 at Wolverhampton Wanderers with Justin Kluivert making Premier League history by becoming the first player to score a hat-trick of penalties.
Nottingham Forest returned to winning ways with Chris Wood's penalty enough for a 1-0 victory over Ipswich Town that left them in sixth place in the standings.
Crystal Palace scored late on to secure a useful 1-1 draw at home to Newcastle United and stay out of the bottom three.
Arsenal's title hopes appeared to be in danger of disappearing before Christmas when they went four Premier League games without a win earlier this month but, with captain Martin Odegaard back from injury, they have rebounded in style.
Odegaard and Bukayo Saka were the architects of a resounding Arsenal display which took their goal tally from the last three games to 13. It was only the fourth time a Premier League game had contained seven first-half goals and, despite his joy, Arteta said the head-spinning opening period was a little too exciting.
"It tells you how crazy it was, how efficient both teams were in front of the goal. It was a spectacular 30 minutes," the Spaniard, whose side have 25 points -- six behind Liverpool -- told reporters.
"I think it was great to score the fifth one as that calmed everything down and we could play a very different game that was much more suited to us."
Saka's corner was headed in by Gabriel after nine minutes and Arsenal then tore West Ham to shreds, with Saka and Odegaard combining to tee up Leandro Trossard before Odegaard tucked away a penalty after Saka was hacked down.
A minute after Odegaard's penalty, Trossard sent Kai Havertz away to make it 4-0 but West Ham hit back with Aaron Wan-Bissaka played through to score and Emerson then finding the net with a sensational free kick.
For a while Arsenal were rocking but when West Ham keeper Lukasz Fabianski inadvertently punched Gabriel trying to reach a corner cross in a crowded area, the inspirational Saka slotted home the penalty for his fifth league goal of the season.
VAN NISTELROOY SEES LEICESTER DEFEATED
Bournemouth forward Kluivert said he was thrilled with his rare hat-trick at Wolves who dropped back into the bottom three.
"That sounds beautiful (the record). To go in the history books, that's amazing, super happy with it," Dutchman Kluivert told Premier League Productions.
Brentford have scored 26 Premier League goals, the same as Arsenal and only one fewer than top scorers Tottenham Hotspur.
With new Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy watching from the stands, Kevin Schade netted a hat-trick for Brentford after Yoane Wissa's close-range goal had cancelled out Facundo Buonanotte's opener for the visitors.
Palace were heading for a fourth home defeat as they trailed to an own goal by their England defender Marc Guehi but Daniel Munoz headed in a stoppage-time equaliser.
Palace are in 17th place with nine points, the same as Wolves and Ipswich Town but with a better goal difference.
Ipswich went down to Forest, for whom New Zealander Wood's penalty made him the club's joint-record Premier League scorer with 24, the same as Bryan Roy.
Forest are in sixth place with 22 points.
Attention now turns to Sunday's big clash at Anfield where victory for Arne Slot's Liverpool side over Manchester City would put them 11 points clear of the champions.
Fifth-placed Chelsea host Aston Villa on Sunday while Manchester United are at home to Everton and Tottenham Hotspur take on Fulham.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; editing by Clare Fallon)
