London, April 26 (IANS) Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League on Saturday with a nervy 1-0 win at home to Newcastle United.

Arsenal took the lead after just nine minutes when Eberechi Eze unleashed a stunning strike that curled into the top corner.

Perhaps affected by recent performances, Arsenal was content to try and manage its lead, a strategy also shaped by injuries to both Kai Havertz and Eze, who went off with knocks that cast doubt over their availability for Wednesday’s Champions League semifinal first leg away to Atletico Madrid, reported Xinhua.

Arsenal now sits three points clear of Manchester City, who on Saturday reached the FA Cup final after coming from behind to edge second-tier Southampton.

Callum Wilson scored a 92nd-minute winner to give West Ham a dramatic 2-1 home victory over Everton and keep them out of the bottom three. Tomas Soucek put West Ham ahead in the 51st minute, but Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall silenced the home crowd by levelling in the 89th minute.

With Tottenham Hotspur having just gone in front away to Wolverhampton Wanderers in a simultaneous fixture, Dewsbury-Hall’s goal briefly dropped West Ham into the relegation zone before Wilson’s late strike lifted them back above Spurs.

Tottenham, however, claimed its first win under Roberto De Zerbi thanks to Joao Palhinha’s 82nd-minute goal in a tense match against already-relegated Wolves.

Nottingham Forest took a huge stride towards safety on Friday night with a stunning 5-0 win away to Sunderland, scoring four times before halftime. Trai Hume’s own goal opened the floodgates, with Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus adding three more in a six-minute blitz. Elliot Anderson capped an extraordinary night with a fifth in the 95th minute, although West Ham and Tottenham’s victories mean Forest still have work to do.

Ryan Sessegnon’s 43rd-minute goal earned Fulham a 1-0 home win over Aston Villa, who nonetheless remain well-placed to secure Champions League qualification for next season.

Liverpool strengthened its chances of returning to the Champions League next season with a 3-1 win at home to Crystal Palace thanks to goals from fit-again Alexander Isak, Andy Robertson and an injury time finish from Florian Wirtz.

–IANS

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