LONDON -- Theo Walcott scored twice as Arsenal returned to the top of the English Premier League by fighting back to win 3-1 at West Ham on Thursday. Custom Kansas City Royals Jerseys . Arsenal fell behind when goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny spilled Kevin Nolans shot and Carlton Cole pounced to score a minute into the second half. West Ham goalkeeper Adrian was also culpable for Arsenals equalizer, with Walcott cutting in from the right and striking between his legs in the 68th. Walcott headed Arsenal in front three minutes later, and Lukas Podolski netted in the 79th to ensure a three-game winless run in the league ended. "From our disappointing results in the last few games its nice to get a good positive away win," Walcott told BT Sport. "Its great to be top but its going to be a very tough league this year, everyone is very tight, a lot of people are taking a lot of points off each other so weve just got to make sure we look after ourselves." Arsenal displaced Liverpool from top spot, with the Reds dropping to fourth after losing 2-1 at Manchester City. Arsenal is two points ahead of Chelsea, which beat Swansea 1-0 on Boxing Day when every team was in action. The only blot on the win was the 23-year-old Aaron Ramsey being forced off with an apparent thigh strain. "The Christmas period is certainly over for him. It was his birthday today," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "I dont know how long it will be. We will have to see tomorrow morning. He knew straight away, but we have to see." This was not a victory without other worrying moments for Arsenal. It began a spell of pressure that belied West Hams insipid first-half display, but it was brought to an abrupt end when Walcotts shot somehow evaded Adrian in the 68th. Walcott cut in from the right and unleashed a hopeful strike that slipped through Adrians grasp. Three minutes later the match was turned on its head. Podolski, brought on after Ramsey took a knock, swung in a fine cross from the left and Walcott ghosted in to power home a header from close range. It was quite the impact by Podolski in his first appearance since a hamstring injury in August. There would also be a goal for the Germany forward as Giroud held up the ball for Podolski to bury a strike into the bottom corner to put the game out of sight. The result saw Sam Allardyces West Ham slip into the bottom three. "We had three golden chances after we scored -- Matt Jarvis in the box, one-on-one, Joey OBriens free header in the six-yard box and Carlton Coles side-foot tap," Allardyce said. "We paid the price because what Arsenal do then is take more and more chances when they are losing. "It was either going to be us getting that second goal and then we would have made sure we tightened it up or theyd score." Kansas City Royals Shirts . He wants to seize that opportunity. The trouble is, Firus has had more bumps on the road to Sochi than most. Last year, Firus had the skate of a lifetime in the short program at the Canadian championships when he landed his first triple Axel in competition and finished third in a stacked field. Kansas City Royals Gear . Louis Cardinals for the National League Wild Card, are in the drivers seat as they open the final series of the regular season, but they face a large task in the form of the Philadelphia Phillies. https://www.cheaproyals.com/ .com) - The NBA will be on display overseas Thursday with the New York Knicks taking on the Milwaukee Bucks at O2 Arena in London.With Randy Carlyle returning with an extension in hand behind the Leafs bench, the culture change Tim Leiweke promised at Brendan Shanahans introductory press conference may come in the form of a trade of the teams captain. TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger addressed the Dion Phaneuf rumours on TSN Radio 1050 Monday, saying although the Leafs may not be “shopping” their No. 1 defenceman, he is not considered untouchable and GM Dave Nonis would be willing to listen to offers. “The Toronto Maple Leafs are not shopping him,” Dreger said. “Theyre not shopping Jake Gardiner and Nazem Kadri, but teams know that if theres an offer made – or the right offer made – that Toronto would consider that.” Dreger noted he had spoken with Nonis over the weekend, with the GM saying the team isnt engaged in active conversations regarding Phaneuf, and have not done so since this past trade deadline. Fellow TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie also weighed in on the Phaneuf rumours, saying that although there have not been any recent conversations, the Leafs would not be opposed to a trade. “I think under the right circumstances, the Leafs would move him, and I think at various times over the course of the year they flirted with that notion, but I dont think right at this moment, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in a hard-sell on weve got to get rid of Dion Phaneuf and go in a different direction, but theyre all ears if somebodys interested,” McKenzie said. Comparing Phaneufs situation to the Jason Spezza rumours that have surfaced recently, both Dreger and McKenzie agree that of the two captainns, Spezza is the more likely candidate to be dealt as the longtime Senator is reportedly open to a change. Wholesale Royals Jerseys. Despite owning a seven-year, $49-million deal that kicks in next season, the Leafs captain does not have a no-movement clause, giving GM Dave Nonis the flexibility to potentially unload him. In reference to the culture change comments made by Leiweke, The Globe and Mails James Mirtle said whether its a deal involving Phanuef or some other pieces on the Leafs roster, change is likely to happen. “If youre keeping the coach, then something else has to change, and I dont think theyre just going to change the assistant coaches,” Mirtle told TSN Radio 1050. “It makes sense to look at what kind of value he has on the market.” Despite having his detractors, Mirtle said Phaneuf is still a valuable piece that has misused by the Leafs. “Phaneufs got limitations certainly, and the Leafs dont particulary work around those limitations that well,” Mirtle said, referencing how Phaneuf has been successful being a second-pairing defenceman that can contribute in an offensive way. “It seems in Toronto theyve tried to recast him as this defensive stalwart – Shea Weber-type – that can kill penalties and play against other teams top lines, 25-26 minutes a night and Ive never understood why thats the case. “You can have a six or $7-million defenceman that doesnt do it all and still get value out of him.” Mirtle mentioned Edmonton, Dallas and Minnesota as potential landing spots for Phaneuf, saying he would fit in nicely in a No. 2 role behind Ryan Suter with the Wild. 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