Arsenal defeated West Ham United 3-0 to boost their hopes of making the top four at the end of the season.

The Gunners seem to have regained confidence after a few threats.

The visitors would be disappointed with the result as it is the first straight loss in the Premier League. United were one of the top teams few months ago but they face relegation concerns this term after a string of poor results.

The game started slowly as the air was tense. After the break, Man of the Match Mesut Ozil got the first goal in his 150th appearance for Arsenal. He was gifted the ball by defender Jose Fonte, which he converted from the edge of the box.

In the absence of Laurent Koscielny, Theo Walcott led the team. Ozil and Alexis Sanchez combined to set up Walcott for the second goal ten minutes after the opener. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain picked out striker Olivier Giroud who curled home the third of the match in the 83rd minute.

When the goals started pouring in, the Hammers seemed to collapse despite putting up a decent fight in the first half. Michail Antonio and Robert Snodgrass were not potent enough upfront, with only Manuel Lanzini and Edmilson Fernandes getting an attempt at goal when the game was already buried.

The race for the top four is very much open with Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United competing. Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur seem to have locked down the Champions League spots for next season.

“We are in the final sprint in the Premier League. Consistency will be very important. We have a little handicap on the points front. We have less possibilities to drop points,” an excited Arsene Wenger said after the game.

Slaven Bilic admitted that the team had to fight to beat the relegation rat-race but admitted that they were ready to fight. He added that the priority is getting back the confidence. West Ham are in 15th place and five points above the relegation.