PL: Rice shines as Arsenal go top, United beats Sunderland

Declan Rice came back to haunt his former club, West Ham United, as Arsenal climbed to the top of the Premier League table with a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The victory, which marked Mikel Arteta’s 300th game in charge, strengthened Arsenal’s title challenge while deepening West Ham’s struggles in what has been a difficult season.

Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard was forced off before halftime due to injury — his third setback this season — but the Gunners showed their depth by maintaining control.

Rice, who joined Arsenal from West Ham in 2023 for a club-record £105 million, sealed the win after firing home on the rebound when Alphonse Areola parried Eberechi Eze’s strike.

Bukayo Saka had earlier doubled Arsenal’s advantage midway through the second half, converting from the penalty spot after Jurrien Timber was fouled by El Hadji Malick Diouf.

The result put Arsenal one point ahead of Liverpool, who play later against Chelsea, while West Ham remain stuck in the relegation zone.

At Old Trafford, Manchester United eased the pressure on manager Ruben Amorim with a 2-0 victory over Sunderland to keep their Champions League hopes alive.

Before kick-off, Old Trafford observed a minute of silence in honour of victims of a recent terror attack on a Manchester synagogue.

Amorim’s bold selections paid off, as debutant goalkeeper Senne Lammens kept a clean sheet, and Mason Mount opened the scoring with a composed finish from Bryan Mbeumo’s cross just eight minutes in.

Benjamin Sesko added a second with a sharp strike from a long throw — his first goal at Old Trafford since joining from RB Leipzig for £74 million. Sunderland’s brief hope of a penalty before halftime was ruled out by VAR for minimal contact.

Elsewhere, Tottenham continued their solid form under Thomas Frank, defeating Leeds United 2-1 at Elland Road to end the hosts’ year-long unbeaten home run. Mohammed Kudus grabbed the winner after Noah Okafor cancelled out Mathys Tel’s early opener.

Liverpool can reclaim top spot if they secure victory at Chelsea later on Saturday, with both sides eager to return to form after recent setbacks.