Bukayo Saka reveals brutally honest Thierry Henry text message before West Ham win

Thierry Henry sent a text to Bukayo Saka on the morning of Arsenal's clash with West Ham to remind him of their poor results against their rivals. It clearly had the desired effect as the winger equalled an impressive milestone set by his hero by becoming just the second Gunners player to score on their 200th appearance.

The England star netted from the penalty spot after Jurrien Timber was fouled, securing three points for the north London side after Declan Rice had opened the scoring against his former club. Their victory propelled Arsenal to the top of the table, as Liverpool slipped up against Chelsea later in the day.

Henry was eager to keep Saka focused ahead of the match against the Irons, who have been struggling this season and recently replaced Graham Potter with Nuno Espirito Santo. The former France international gave Saka a gentle reminder that Arsenal have had some disappointing results against the Hammers in recent times.

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Mikel Arteta's team had lost their previous two home matches against their London rivals without scoring, but managed to secure a more positive outcome this time around. When asked about equalling Henry's milestone, Saka spoke about the ongoing influence the club icon has on him.

He explained: "Thierry messaged me this morning to remind we lost the last two games to West Ham at home. He is always pushing me. I am really happy to have my name with his records," reports Football London.

The 24-year-old was overjoyed with the progress Arsenal have demonstrated this term, as they aim to clinch their first league title in over two decades. He added: "It showed the progress we have made.

"The last two seasons we slipped up at home against West Ham and we wanted to put that right today. We know the quality we have at the top end of the pitch and we know if we keep a clean sheet it is more than likely we will win the game."

Arsenal gaffer Arteta also lavished praise on his side's star player following the victory. He said: "It has been an incredible journey together. The way he has done it is special. He is loved by everybody and the numbers he is creating are incredible at his age - so much more to come from him."

Arteta was also delighted to see his team rise to the top of the Premier League. The Spaniard said: "To go top of the table after some big fixtures over the last week and some injuries, we got some today but we were able to respond.

"We dominated and fully deserved to win this. We had some big, big chances we didn't put away. The players who came on contributed to maintaining the standards. Let's look forward to the international break."

It comes as Arsenal still hold the top spot in the Premier League table, as Chelsea secured a 2-1 win over defending champions Liverpool on home soil. Moises Caicedo opened the scoring for the Blues with a thunderous strike from the edge of the box after 14 minutes, before Cody Gakpo levelled the game in the second half.

The Reds left Stamford Bridge empty-handed with a third consecutive defeat to their name, following a loss to Crystal Palace last weekend and a 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday, when young sensation Estevao stole the game for Chelsea five minutes into stoppage time.

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