Arsenal have regained some of their swagger, moving six points clear at the top of the Premier League thanks to a commanding 3-0 win over Fulham, while there was drama at the other end of the ladder as West Ham stumbled away to Brentford.
Meanwhile there was a big flashpoint in Sunderland’s clash with Wolves, with a red card shown for an offence that has become a major talking point in the EPL over the last few months.
But we start our Premier League wrap in London, where the Gunners were up 3-0 before half-time in their game against Fulham, thanks to strong performances from Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres.
Saka, making his first start since returning from injury, setup the opener for the big Swedish striker before the pair swapped roles for the second goal, with Gyokeres making it 3-0 with a header from a Leandro Trossard cross just before the break.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was understandably pleased with the result, particularly as it came just two days after his side returned from Madrid following their controversial draw with Atletico in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.
“We knew how difficult it was going to be, especially coming back from Madrid so late on Thursday afternoon and the energy that we spent in that game, and understanding that you don’t want to talk about it if you have a huge game in a few days here,” Arteta said.
“We had some fresh legs from a few players. You could notice that big time because the individual performance increased and then the team flowed in a different way.” [embedded content]
Another all-London clash saw Brentford beat West Ham 3-0, although unlike Arsenal’s win, Brentford’s was anything but a walk in the park.
The scoreline masked a hard-fought game in which West Ham unbelievably struck the woodwork four times.
“We had chances, hit the post twice, hit the bar and post again,” West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen said on Sky Sports. “It’s really disappointing.
“We had good opportunities. On another day we would have got the win. We’ve done a lot of good things.”
A West Ham player did actually find the back of the net although unfortunately for them it was an own goal from defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, before a penalty from Igor Thiago and a late goal from Mikkel Damsgaard sealed the result. [embedded content]
West Ham remain two points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, but Spurs have a game in hand and could jump out of the relegation zone – at the Hammers’ expense – if they win claim a surprise win against Aston Villa on Monday morning AEST.
The most controversial moment of the weekend’s Premier League fixtures came from an unlikely source – Sunderland’s 1-1 draw against already-relegated Wolves.
The flashpoint came midway through the first half when Sunderland defender Dan Ballard tussled with Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare, and appeared to grab hold of the Nigerian’s hair.
Referee Paul Tierney initially took no action before being asked to consult the replay by VAR, and he went on to change his decision and issue a red card for Ballard – the third such send-off for hair-pulling this season.
DAN BALLARD SENT OFF… FOR A HAIR PULL ❌
GAMES GONE! 😳
pic.twitter.com/neuy1C5ljh — PurelyFootball ℗ (@PurelyFootball) May 2, 2026
Dan Ballard has been sent off against Wolves.
The Sunderland defender pulled the hair of Tolu Arokodare and after going to VAR, it was decided a red card would be Ballard's punishment.
Ballard becomes the second player to be given his marching orders for pulling on Arokodare's… pic.twitter.com/xjRSLjEeXw — The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) May 2, 2026
Just seen Dan Ballard was sent off for this accidental hair pull. What on earth has football become. You now have an advantage if you have long hair 🤦🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/b5WSjLhKSr — Football Away Days (@AwayDaysFB) May 2, 2026
Arokodare has been on the receiving end on two of those occasions; the first was after a hair-pull by Everton’s Michael Keane, while Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez was sent off just a few weeks ago after grabbing a handful of Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s man-bun.
Some are clearly not pleased with the Premier League’s crackdown on the offence, with Sunderland’s fans chanting ‘it’s not football anymore’ as Ballard was issued his marching orders, while Black Cats manager Regis Le Bris was left frustrated.
“It wasn’t violent conduct,” said Le Bris. ”I understand the rule, and the referee has to execute the rule, but it’s hard to understand in that condition.”
In the other game overnight, Newcastle broke a five-match losing streak as they beat Brighton 3-1 thanks to goals from Will Osula, Dan Burn and Harvey Barnes.
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Arsenal 3 – 0 Fulham
Brentford 3 – 0 West Ham
Newcastle 3 – 1 Brighton
Wolves 1 – 1 Sunderland