Arsenal produced a stunning second-half comeback to move seven points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 win over West Ham, on a night when former Gunners boss Arsene Wenger returned to the Emirates Stadium for the first time since leaving the club in 2018.

Wenger, who spent 22 years at Arsenal, had not hidden the fact that he found his Arsenal departure difficult and insisted he didn’t have any plans to return to watch his former side.

However, FIFA’s chief of global football development was back, and it looked like his former side was heading for a difficult night when they went behind to Said Benrahma’s penalty in the 27th minute after William Saliba brought down Jarrod Bowen inside the box.

The Gunners needed to find a response after the break and they did just that as two goals from Bukayo Saka in the 53rd minute  and Gabriel Martinelli in the 58th minute brought a smile to Wenger’s face, before Eddie Nketiah, leading the line for Arsenal in the absence of Gabriel Jesus, rounded off a brilliant night for Mikel Arteta’s side in the 69th minute.

On Arsenal’s win on the day Wenger ended his exile at Arsenal, Arteta said: “It’s a special day.

“Thank you so much for him coming and hopefully walking through the building he is going to feel everything that everybody thinks of him, everything that he left here, but also his presence is something that has to be very attached to this football club. So, thank you for doing that because it means a lot to everybody at the club.”

“It’s great and winning my mood is going to be better to speak to him and be around the team. He picked the right moment. I thought the performance today was at a level that he deserved and that hopefully he would like.”