LONDON: Theo Walcott’s double fired Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League as the Gunners got their title challenge back on track with a 3-1 victory at West Ham United on Thursday.

Carlton Cole opened the scoring for lowly West Ham after the break but Walcott struck twice before Lucas Podolski wrapped up a first win in four league games for Arsenal.

Eden Hazard’s goal was enough for Chelsea to secure a 1-0 home win against Swansea City and move into second place with 37 points, two behind Arsenal, after 18 games.

Arsenal fell behind when goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny spilled Kevin Nolan’s shot and Cole pounced to score a minute into the second-half.

West Ham goalkeeper Adrian was also culpable for Arsenal’s equaliser, with Walcott cutting in from the right and striking between his legs in the 68th. Walcott headed Arsenal in front three minutes later, and Podolski rounded off the win in the 79th at Upton Park.

At Stamford Bridge, Belgian winger Hazard scored the game’s only goal in the 29th minute, cutting in from the left in familiar fashion before letting fly with a low drive that squeezed beneath Gerhard Tremmel.

Champions Manchester United’s surge in form continued as they hit back from two goals down at Hull City to win 3-2 and move into seventh spot.

United were gifted a winner by former defender James Chester who inadvertently headed Ashley Young’s cross into his own net in the 66th minute.

Early goals from Chester and David Meyler gave Hull a 2-0 lead, only for Chris Smalling and Wayne Rooney to bring United level before half an hour had been played.

“We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and we’ve done that,” United striker Wayne Rooney said. “It was poor defending for the two goals.”

Everton’s hopes of completing 2013 unbeaten at home in the Premier League vanished as they lost 1-0 at home to bottom club Sunderland after keeper Tim Howard was sent off in the 25th minute and Ki Sung-yueng scored from the resulting penalty.

Everton are fifth with 34 points, one more than Newcastle

United who thumped nine-man Stoke City 5-1.

Stoke took the lead through Oussama Assaidi, but they had Glenn Whelan and Marc Wilson sent off, allowing Newcastle to prevail through a Loic Remy brace and goals from Yoan Gouffran, Yohan Cabaye and Papiss Cisse.

Tottenham Hotspur are eighth following a 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion in Tim Sherwood’s first match in charge since being named as the club’s permanent manager.

Scott Parker scored a stunning 87th-minute winner as Fulham won 2-1 at Norwich City, but they remain in the bottom three due to Crystal Palace’s 1-0 win at Aston Villa, which lifted Tony Pulis’s men out of the drop zone.

Cardiff City were beaten 3-0 at home by Southampton, raising fresh doubts over the future of manager Malky Mackay.

Results:

Aston Villa 0 Crystal Palace 1

Cardiff City 0 Southampton 3

Chelsea 1 Swansea City 0

Everton 0 Sunderland 1

Hull City 2 Manchester United 3

Newcastle United 5 Stoke City 1

Norwich City 1 Fulham 2

Tottenham Hotspur 1 West Bromwich Albion 1

West Ham United 1 Arsenal 3

—Agencies