Olivier Giroud scored his first Premier League goal for Arsenal as the Gunners came from behind to beat West Ham.
West Ham took the lead against the run of play when Mohamed Diame beat Vito Mannone with a curling shot.
Giroud equalised before the break when he poked in Lukas Podolski's cross at the near post.
Kevin Nolan missed two chances for the hosts and was made to pay when Theo Walcott came off the bench to make it 2-1 with Santi Cazorla hitting a third.
Walcott, who replaced the disappointing Gervinho, helped the Gunners take advantage in the last half hour as West Ham tired.
But having been on top for large parts of the game, it was no more than Arsene Wenger's team deserved as they extended their unbeaten record against the Hammers to nine games and moved to fifth in the Premier League table.
Sam Allardyce's side had to defend stoutly throughout the game but they came up against a midfield again run by the impressive Cazorla.
And their disappointment in losing their first Premier League home game of the season was compounded by an injury to forward Ricardo Vaz Te, who went off with a suspected dislocated shoulder.
Walcott and Cazorla's late goals in the space of six minutes gave the scoreline added gloss as Andy Carroll caused concern in the visitors' defence on the striker's first start since suffering a hamstring injury.
But the result was the perfect response to the Gunners' defeat by Chelsea last weekend and means that is the only league defeat of their season so far.
Carroll's value was also underlined when he spent much of the first 20 minutes bolstering the Hammers defence as Arsenal wasted a number of promising opportunities.
Giroud almost scored in the first two minutes when Jussi Jaaskelainen tipped his shot round the post and Carroll blocked the French striker's goal-bound header later in the first half.
So when West Ham's goal came on 21 minutes it was something of a surprise. Diame was fed by George McCartney down the left and the Senegalese player skipped past Aaron Ramsey before curling a delightful finish into the far corner for his first Hammers goal.
Referee Phil Dowd booked the midfielder for his celebration and perhaps Diame was fortunate to stay on the field soon after when he clattered Mikel Arteta.
Then, just as Carroll began to become more influential in the attacking half, Diame had his pocket picked in midfield leading to the equaliser.
The ball was swept to Podolski on the left and Giroud burst to the near post to tuck in the German's cross for a true poacher's goal.
Having got themselves back on level terms, Arsenal took time to warm to a similarly attacking theme as the first period.
By that stage, Carroll had almost made it 2-1 but his header from a long diagonal ball was just wide with Vito Mannone beaten to the delivery, while Nolan wasted a great chance when clean through.
As Arsenal began to assert their authority on the game, Walcott latched onto Giroud's through ball just 16 minutes after coming on to score his fourth goal of the season with a precise near-post shot.
Another chance fell to Nolan, but he fired over from the edge of the penalty box, and that miss proved costly once Cazorla smashed in Arsenal's third from 20 yards to cap a superb individual performance.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Adom Cocoa Buying Company Limited acquires Rainforest Alliance Cocoa Certification for LBC
46 seconds -
Global conference on human resources in Africa slated in August
58 seconds -
Frederick Asare calls Kotoko’s FA Cup triumph a ‘special day’
9 minutes -
We’ll cooperate with the majority in vetting of Supreme Court nominees – Minority
13 minutes -
I am ready to defend myself in court for things I said about Zoomlion contract – Manasseh Azure
22 minutes -
Livestream: Vetting of seven nominees to Supreme Court begins
29 minutes -
WAFCON 2024: Black Queens name squad for pre-tournament camping
29 minutes -
Sports Minister Kofi Adams calls for total overhaul of Ghana’s Professional Boxing
35 minutes -
We’ll bid for gov’t sweepers contract again if tender is opened – Zoomlion
40 minutes -
Some OMCs reduce fuel prices at pumps; Petrol selling at GH¢10.99
43 minutes -
We are an open organisation that values transparency – Zoomlion’s Communications Director
46 minutes -
Boxing Legend Amir Khan eyes another big pugilistic night in Ghana
51 minutes -
NEDCo urges public to prioritise safety amidst rainstorms, flooding and power outages
57 minutes -
We’re not entitled to any gov’t payment from September 2024 to now – Zoomlion
60 minutes -
Azumah Nelson Youth Resource Centre, 44 other NSA facilities either in dispute or lack documentation
1 hour