Arsenal return to EPL summit with win over Wolves

The Gunners endured potentially season-defining back-to-back defeats as they lost to Aston Villa in the league last Sunday before being knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

But they returned to the summit of the Premier League on Saturday thanks to goals from Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard at Molineux, moving a point above Manchester City, who have a game in hand.

Pep Guardiola's side were in FA Cup semi-final action on Saturday - beating Chelsea 1-0 - and, with the Gunners facing Chelsea on Tuesday, they could be four points clear of City by the time the reigning champions next play in the league against Brighton on Thursday.

That would be a big swing in momentum after what was diagnosed as a seemingly terminal defeat against Villa last week, with Liverpool, who also play twice before City are in action again, currently three points behind.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta joined Guardiola in teeing off at the scheduling that had their teams playing less three days after their Champions League exits.

"It's not about us, Pep or myself, it's about the well-being of the players," Arteta said.

"It is not right. If you look at it any angle it's not right...let's protect (the players) and do everything we can to give them the maximum time so they can recover and they can maintain the show they put on every week."

Luton's Premier League survival hopes were dealt an enormous blow after they suffered a 5-1 home defeat to Brentford, which virtually guaranteed the visitors a fourth consecutive season in the top flight.

The 18th-placed Hatters could have moved out of the relegation zone with a win, but were undone by a slick attacking display from the Bees led by Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo.

With Ivan Toney not involved due to his ongoing hip issue, Thomas Frank watched his fluid front four run riot at Kenilworth Road with Wissa on target twice in the first half to reach 10 goals for the campaign.

Ethan Pinnock made the points safe with a third in the 62nd minute before Keane Lewis-Potter claimed a deserved goal two minutes later.

The brilliant Mbeumo had a hand in Brentford's fifth when Kevin Schade fired home after 86 minutes and despite a stoppage-time consolation for Luke Berry, the afternoon belonged to Brentford after they moved on to 35 points - 10 above Rob Edwards' strugglers with four matches left.

Burnley ran out 4-1 winners at Sheffield United in the battle of the bottom two to throw themselves a Premier League lifeline.

Jacob Bruun Larsen and Lorenz Assignon struck in the space of two minutes and against the run of play at the end of the first half, before the Blades threatened a comeback when Gus Hamer pulled one back early in the second.

But further goals from Lyle Foster and substitute Johann Berg Gudmundsson crushed the Blades' hopes as Burnley maintained their late bid for survival.

Vincent Kompany's side have now taken 10 points from their last seven matches and climbed to within three points of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, who play at relegation rivals Everton on Sunday.

Australian Associated Press