Arsenal 2 West Ham 0
Miedema masterclass fires Gunners towards top four
A wonderful strike from Vivianne Miedema helped Arsenal take a big stride towards the top four thanks to a 2-0 victory over relegation-threatened West Ham United.
Following their seventh Barclays FA Women's Super League win in a row, the Gunners are three points ahead of fourth-placed Manchester United with two games remaining.
Olli Harder’s Hammers saw a four-game unbeaten run come to an end and are still just two points clear of bottom side Bristol City.
KEY MOMENTS
West Ham goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold prevented Caitlin Foord from giving Arsenal a second-minute lead when she tipped over her header.
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Lotte Wubben-Moy then flicked Kim Little's chipped ball into the box wide, while Katie McCabe could have done more than volley off target when left unmarked.
The Gunners had to wait until the 33rd minute to break the deadlock, but it was worth it, as Miedema rifled in a terrific shot on the turn from 25 yards.
The Hammers finished the first half well and could have levelled when Dagny Brynjarsdottir headed Cecile Kvamme's cross wide at the back post.
Beth Mead almost doubled Arsenal's lead on the hour mark when Jordan Nobbs' cross dropped her way, but she was denied from point-blank range by Arnold.
But the Gunners finally made the game safe with 12 minutes left, as skipper Kim Little took Noelle Maritz's pass in her stride before sliding a composed finish into the far corner.
West Ham did come close to pulling a goal back in the 85th minutes when Martha Thomas' header from Anouk Denton's cross was well saved by Arsenal 'keeper Lydia Williams.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
Miedema’s penchant for the spectacular is well-known but her fearsome driven effort was unstoppable even by her high standards.
WHAT THEY SAID
Arsenal head coach Joe Montemurro said: "I think Viv's qualities and her football and her accolades in what she does speak for themselves.
"I've said it from day one with Viv that she gets the rewards for what she does, but also look at the team work she did today.
"She was backing off and finding good positioning when she needed to defend, she was positioning herself when we won the ball in transition, as we worked on during the week, and her selfless nature is important.
"I can only remember one opportunity that we gave them - one header in the second half where we were caught at the back post, which really was their best chance.
"Going back three, four or five games now, I can't think of teams really opening us up, so as much as the back four and goalkeepers get all the credit, the work rate and balance of our midfielders, and positioning of our strikers, is very important too.
West Ham United head coach Ollie Harder said: "I thought we could have got more out of the game. Obviously, Arsenal are a top-class team and for us it was about creating as much pressure as possible and not allowing them to dictate in the way that they want to.
"We showed great application, great effort, seeing my girls chasing them around - after 90 minutes, we were still chasing them around - was just fantastic. We just lacked quality in some big moments, I thought.
"There were a couple of big moments that we could have done better with and that could have changed the game. They were under pressure the entire match, we did a fantastic job at that and to go in [at half-time] at 1-1 would have been a terrific reward for all that pressure.
"I thought there were also a couple of decent chances in the second half for us, but it is how it is and we have to move on."
Arsenal (4-3-3): Lydia Williams, Noelle Maritz, Leah Williamson, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Katie McCabe, Lia Walti, Kim Little, Jordan Nobbs, Caitlin Foord, Vivienne Miedema, Beth Mead
Substitutes: Jill Roord for Nobbs 72, Anna Patten for Maritz 85, Danielle van de Donk for Mead 85
Substitutes not used: Manuela Zinsberger, Steph Catley, Leonie Maier, Malin Gut, Teyah Goldie
Scorers: Miedema 33, Little 78
Bookings: Foord 51
West Ham United (5-3-2): Mackenzie Arnold, Cecile Kvamme, Gilly Flaherty, Grace Fisk, Hawa Cissoko, Maz Pacheco, Emily van Egmond, Laura Vetterlein, Dagny Brynjarsdottir, Kenza Dali, Kate Longhurst
Substitutes: Martha Thomas for Vetterlein 56, Anouk Denton for Kvamme 81
Substitutes not used: Nor Mustafa, Courtney Brosnan, Maisy Barker, Janaye Beaufort
Referee: Emily Heaslip