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Stuart Jamieson

Mikel Arteta ready for Arsenal's 'defining moment' while Lampard wants Everton focus

Here are the latest Premier League headlines for Sunday, May 8.

Arteta ready for 'defining moment'

Mikel Arteta is ready to lead Arsenal into what could be the "defining moment" of their season when they travel to Tottenham on Thursday knowing victory will seal a return to the Champions League. A brace from Eddie Nketiah was just about enough to secure a 2-1 victory over 10-man Leeds on Sunday to leave the Gunners on the cusp of ending a five-year wait for top-tier European football.

Leeds rallied despite having Luke Ayling sent off before the half-hour and pulled one back through Diego Llorente but have slipped into the Premier League bottom three. Arsenal now sit four points clear of their neighbours in fourth place and move to within just a single point of Chelsea ahead of them.

Victory in Thursday's rearranged north London derby would be enough to seal a Champions League berth for the first time since 2017 and Arteta is excited by the prospect. The Gunners then face Newcastle at St James' Park on Monday, May 16.

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"We are going to go for that match with the same enthusiasm that we always do but knowing that this can be a defining moment," he said. "It can be another layer of motivation for us to really go for it. I can't wait for the game.

"We have earned the right to play that game in that context. We started the season with nine or 10 players out and playing the best two teams in Europe."

Holgate plays through illness

Frank Lampard revealed Mason Holgate climbed off his sick bed to cure Everton's away day blues and hand them a massive survival lifeline. The defender's header earned a vital 2-1 win at Leicester to propel the Toffees out of the Premier League relegation zone after a first away win since August.

They are a point above Leeds and Burnley with a game in hand having been five points behind the Clarets before last week's 1-0 win over Chelsea. Vitalii Mykolenko's brilliant volley had given them the lead only for comical defending to gift Patson Daka a leveller. Holgate restored their lead before the break and Everton boss Lampard praised the defender as well as recognising the importance of the victory.

He said: "He was sick yesterday, he couldn't train with us, couldn't travel with us and arrived at the hotel separately and then woke up this morning and said 'I'm playing this game.' That is the attitude which will get us through. We're still in a relegation fight, if we want to get out of it, it has to be together as a club and we've seen that in recent weeks.

"It is defining only if we make it defining but it's a huge result for confidence. We haven't got back-to-back wins for a while so the players should take huge confidence. A week ago on Saturday we were five points from safety and now we're a point safe but there is more to do. We can buy into it but we have to make sure we protect against over confidence."

Moyes targets Europe return

David Moyes targeted a return to Europe for West Ham after they bounced back from their Thursday night heartbreak and reignited the race for the Premier League top six with a thumping 4-0 win at Norwich. The Hammers arrived at Carrow Road licking their wounds after their painful Europa League semi-final defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt three days earlier.

But Norwich, condemned to relegation by defeat at Aston Villa last weekend, were less Frankfurt and more Frank Spencer with goalkeeper Tim Krul having a nightmare. Manchester United's 4-0 defeat at Brighton has left the door open for West Ham to snatch sixth place and qualify for the Europa League again next season.

Thanks to Norwich's generosity they are now three points behind United, with a game in hand and a superior goal difference. Moyes said: "I think considering all the things that happened in midweek and how our emotions were, it was a really good result.

"I thought the team started very well and gave us a decent platform to go and work from. To say Thursday was a big blow wouldn't do it justice, how we feel. So to get us back today with that result was great credit to the players.

"We could've played better, could've scored more goals. But we got the job done and got three good points. Let's be fair, we've got Manchester City and Brighton to play, and Brighton have just beaten Manchester United, so that's why I thought today was really important. But we're back in it, back in there fighting and trying to be sixth or seventh with a bit of luck, and hopefully we can be back in Europe."

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