Hammers fail to deal with Wenger's show of strength

But Mathieu Debuchy epitomised the Gunners' spirit at by taking one on the chin from Andy Carroll, and the Gunners came out punching when it mattered.

Having been given a late scare by Queens Park Rangers, this was the second time in three days that Arsenal were made to fight for a victory that could and should have been far more comfortable.

With his team so often accused of lacking heart and grit, manager Arsene Wenger will not be too worried that finesse has momentarily been replaced by power in the battle for a top-four place.

The two sucker punches came at the end of a first half in which Arsenal had traded blows with their surprise rivals for Champions League qualification.

Santi Cazorla won and scored a penalty and Danny Welbeck netted from close range following good work by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

blow

Cheikhou Kouyate pulled a goal back for West Ham, but only goalkeeper Adrian stopped Arsenal producing a knock-out blow.

It was perhaps telling that, for all the running of Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis Sanchez, and the craft of Cazorla, it was Francis Coquelin who stood out for Arsenal.

Starting in the Premier League for Arsenal for the first time in almost two years, Coquelin broke up play and used the ball well.

His selection ahead of more attacking players also suggested that Wenger had unusually tailored his side around the opposition.

Coquelin's presence helped to negate the effect of Stewart Downing at the top of West Ham's diamond and also gave Arsenal a physical presence against the muscle of Kouyate and Alex Song.

Song's inclusion was one of five changes made by West Ham manager Sam Allardyce from the side that lost at Chelsea and the midfielder was also given the captain's armband against his former club.

Apart from the fact he immediately stood out for wearing different coloured boots on each foot, Song made an early impression on the game. The Upton Park crowd and Allardyce thought Song had given West Ham a sixth-minute lead when he rifled a 20-yard volley past Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, but the midfielder did not celebrate.

He was either being respectful to his old employers or had seen that both Kouyate and Diafra Sakho were offside as the ball skidded past Szczesny; either way referee Neil Swarbrick disallowed the goal.

Song's defensive work was often criticised during his time at Arsenal and it was his foul on Danny Welbeck that presented Sanchez with a wonderful chance to open the scoring, but he headed Cazorla's free-kick wide.

Laurent Koscielny returned to the centre of Arsenal's defence and the Frenchman was on hand to clear after Carroll had outmuscled Debuchy and smashed the ball dangerously across the six-yard box.

Debuchy came off worse from another aerial tussle with Carroll nine minutes before half-time, but the West Ham striker was booked for catching the Arsenal defender with his elbow.

Arsenal survived a let-off when James Tomkins volleyed a wonderful pass from Downing over the crossbar and the home side soon paid a heavy price for missing that opportunity as they conceded two goals in four minutes at the end of the first half.

Winston Reid tackled Cazorla on the edge of the area, but the ball bounced back into the path of the Spaniard and Reid lifted his leg to trip him.

Complaints

Swarbrick pointed straight to the spot and Cazorla got back to his feet to score, without any complaints from Sanchez, who had failed to score a penalty against QPR.

It was then Reid who let Oxlade-Chamberlain's low cross through his legs and allowed Welbeck to poke the ball in from close range to double Arsenal's lead on the stroke of half-time.

Per Mertesacker prevented Carroll from pulling a 54th minute goal back by heading Sakho's cross over his own bar, but the home side managed to reduce Arsenal's advantage 60 seconds later.

Tomkins rounded Cazorla on the right and sent in a high cross that Kouyate headed into the net, via a slight deflection off Debuchy whom he had beaten in the air.

In their bid to find an equaliser, the Hammers left gaps at the back and Welbeck raced from the halfway line during one breakaway and pulled a left-footed shot just wide. Adrian also produced superb stops from Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sanchez.

West Ham tried to pin Arsenal on the ropes in the dying minutes, but substitute Enner Valencia headed over the bar to ensure Wenger's men made it out of Upton Park unscathed. (© Daily Telegraph, London)