Arsenal produced a scintillating attacking display to record a first league win of 2013 in emphatic fashion with victory against West Ham.

But an entertaining game was marred by an injury to West Ham's Dan Potts.

Jack Collison volleyed West Ham ahead but Lukas Podolski equalised from distance as Arsenal took control.

Olivier Giroud poked in and Santi Cazorla's back-heel made it 3-1. Theo Walcott then fired in from a counter before Giroud side-footed home.

Gunners scored great goals - Wenger

There was concern for West Ham towards the end of the second half when 18-year-old substitute Potts needed lengthy treatment on the pitch before he was carried off on a stretcher.

Arsenal remain sixth but cut the gap on fourth-place Tottenham to four points, while West Ham are 12th.

Back in April 2007, West Ham became the first side to beat Arsenal at Emirates Stadium when a solitary Bobby Zamora strike gave them a 1-0 victory.

For a brief spell, it looked as though a repeat of that scoreline might have been on the cards when the Hammers took an 18th-minute lead courtesy of a fine strike by Collison.

A corner was only cleared as far as the edge of the Arsenal area where Collison charged in to smash a half-volley beyond a stranded Wojciech Szczesny.

Five-star Arsenal

Arsenal have scored five goals or more at Emirates Stadium on five occasions this season

Barely four minutes later an equally stunning strike from Podolski drew Arsenal level as Jack Wilshere found the German in space around 25 yards from goal and he drove the ball into the bottom-right corner of Jussi Jaaskelainen's goal.

Play continued to swing from one end to the other after that and a tremendous burst of pace from Walcott should have brought Arsenal's second, but his cross was cleared by James Tomkins.

Arsenal were piling on the pressure and had another great opportunity midway through the half when a lovely move ended with Podolski prodding a shot towards goal but Joey O'Brien was well placed to clear off the line.

Allardyce wishes Potts well

Aaron Ramsey then did likewise at the other end of the pitch when the Welshman lashed Carlton Cole's goalbound effort away to safety after the West Ham striker had peeled away from the Arsenal defence.

Barely two minutes into the second half and Arsenal were ahead. Walcott sent a corner towards the near post and Giroud ghosted in to stab a volley into the net.

From then on Arsenal were rampant and for the next 10 minutes almost every attack resulted in a goal.

First, Giroud and Podolski combined to set up Cazorla, who cheekily back-heeled the ball beyond Jaaskelainen and just one minute later Walcott was picked out at the far post by Podoloski's low cross and he rifled the ball home.

A stunned West Ham conceded a fifth just before the hour when Giroud poked in from Podolski's ball.

Much to West Ham's undoubted relief, the pace of the game settled down after that, although Arsenal often looked capable of adding another goal whenever they attacked.

There was a break in play midway through the second half when Potts took a heavy knock and needed treatment for 10 minutes before he was stretched off the pitch.

By that stage, West Ham had used all their substitutes, meaning they had to play the remainder of the match with 10 men.

Due to the earlier injury to Potts, 12 minutes of injury time were needed after the 90 minutes were up and unsurprisingly Arsenal dominated with the man advantage.

Substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain saw a shot blocked, before Cazorla's effort was tipped wide by Jaaskelainen, but no further goals were forthcoming before the final whistle.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said: "West Ham defended very well in the first half, we looked dangerous but couldn't finish our chances. We came out in the second half and attacked with tremendous pace. The injury to Dan Potts was the end of the game really but until that moment we played very well.

"In the Chelsea game there were a lot of positives, it was disappointing to lose, but we took the positives and transferred that into to this game.

"You want to be at your best every single game but we have many new players and it takes some time to get to know each other very well and I think that understanding is getting better."

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce said: "It was 10 minutes of genius.

"We could say we could defend better but I thought they hit the ground running.

"The encouraging thing for them was that we switched off for one corner and that lifted them. In the first half we defended exceptionally well but that 10 minutes blew us away."

Lineup, Bookings (1) & Substitutions (6)

Arsenal

  • 01 Szczesny
  • 03 Sagna
  • 04 Mertesacker
  • 05 Vermaelen (Koscielny - 57' )
  • 28 Gibbs
  • 10 Wilshere
  • 14 Walcott
  • 16 Ramsey
  • 19 Cazorla
  • 09 Podolski (Santos - 70' )
  • 12 Giroud (Oxlade-Chamberlain - 73' )

Substitutes

  • 24 Mannone
  • 06 Koscielny
  • 11 Santos
  • 25 Jenkinson
  • 15 Oxlade-Chamberlain
  • 23 Arshavin
  • 26 Frimpong

West Ham United

  • 22 Jaaskelainen
  • 02 Reid (Diarra - 62' )
  • 05 Tomkins
  • 17 O'Brien
  • 20 Demel
  • 04 Nolan
  • 10 Collison (Potts - 62' )
  • 14 Taylor
  • 16 Noble
  • 09 C Cole
  • 12 Vaz Te Booked (Diame - 70' )

Substitutes

  • 13 Henderson
  • 33 Potts
  • 07 Jarvis
  • 21 Diame
  • 23 Diarra
  • 26 J Cole
  • 32 O'Neil
Ref: Marriner
Att: 60,081

Match Stats

Shots

23 7

On target

17 5

Corners

13 5

Fouls

9 10

Live Text Commentary

90:00 +11:53 Full time

Full Time The referee signals the end of the game.

90:00 +10:44

Shot from long distance by Clarindo Andre Santos misses to the right of the goal.

90:00 +7:34

Shot from just outside the box by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain goes over the crossbar.

90:00 +7:11

Clarindo Andre Santos takes a short corner.

90:00 +7:07

Santi Cazorla takes a shot. James Tomkins gets a block in.

90:00 +6:55

Short corner taken by Santi Cazorla.

90:00 +6:42

Shot from 12 yards by Santi Cazorla. Mark Noble gets a block in.

90:00 +5:17

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain takes the chance to get an effort at goal. Joey O'Brien gets a block in.

90:00 +4:47

Theo Walcott takes a shot. Joey O'Brien gets a block in.

90:00 +4:11

The ball is delivered by Kieran Gibbs, Jussi Jaaskelainen makes a comfortable save.

90:00 +2:43

Bacary Sagna delivers the ball, Headed effort from deep inside the penalty area by Theo Walcott misses to the left of the goal.

90:00 +2:07

Theo Walcott has an effort at goal from 12 yards. Jussi Jaaskelainen makes a save.

90:00 +0:30

Santi Cazorla takes the inswinging corner, James Tomkins makes a clearance.

90:00 +0:06

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Per Mertesacker by Mohamed Diame. Wojciech Szczesny takes the free kick.

89:11

Matthew Taylor sends in a cross, Bacary Sagna gets a block in.

87:21

Corner taken right-footed by Santi Cazorla, clearance by Joey O'Brien.

86:00

James Tomkins is ruled offside. Per Mertesacker takes the free kick.

85:26

Free kick awarded for a foul by Laurent Koscielny on Carlton Cole. The free kick is delivered right-footed by Mark Noble from right channel, Per Mertesacker makes a clearance.

83:18

Santi Cazorla takes a shot. Blocked by James Tomkins. Shot from 25 yards by Jack Wilshere. Save by Jussi Jaaskelainen.

72:01 Substitution

Substitution Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain comes on in place of Olivier Giroud.

70:26

Guy Demel is caught offside. Indirect free kick taken by Wojciech Szczesny.

69:06 Substitution

Substitution Ricardo Vaz Te leaves the field to be replaced by Mohamed Diame.

69:06 Substitution

Substitution Lukas Podolski goes off and Clarindo Andre Santos comes on.

67:04

Kevin Nolan fouled by Olivier Giroud, the ref awards a free kick. Free kick crossed by Mark Noble, clearance by Olivier Giroud.

66:17

Short corner taken by Santi Cazorla.

64:42

Jack Wilshere fouled by Kevin Nolan, the ref awards a free kick. Strike comes in from Theo Walcott from the free kick, comfortable save by Jussi Jaaskelainen.

63:28

Mark Noble challenges Jack Wilshere unfairly and gives away a free kick. Jack Wilshere takes the direct free kick.

61:28

Jussi Jaaskelainen restarts play with the free kick.

61:28 Substitution

Substitution Daniel Potts is brought on as a substitute for Jack Collison.

61:28 Substitution

Substitution (West Ham) makes a substitution, with Alou Diarra coming on for Winston Reid.

61:28

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on James Tomkins by Olivier Giroud.

61:08

Corner taken short by Santi Cazorla.

60:45

Theo Walcott decides to take a short corner.

60:19

Corner taken left-footed by Jack Wilshere from the right by-line, clearance made by Winston Reid.

59:47

Bacary Sagna delivers the ball, Matthew Taylor manages to make a clearance.

58:46

The official flags Ricardo Vaz Te offside. Free kick taken by Wojciech Szczesny.

56:55 Substitution

Substitution Laurent Koscielny on for Thomas Vermaelen.

56:14

The assist for the goal came from Lukas Podolski.

56:14 Goal scored

Goal - Olivier Giroud - Arsenal 5 - 1 West Ham Goal scored by Olivier Giroud from close in to the bottom right corner of the goal. Arsenal 5-1 West Ham.

55:58

Carlton Cole takes a shot. Save by Wojciech Szczesny.

53:52

Assist by Lukas Podolski.

53:52 Goal scored

Goal - Theo Walcott - Arsenal 4 - 1 West Ham Goal scored by Theo Walcott from inside the box to the bottom right corner of the goal. Arsenal 4-1 West Ham.

52:19

Assist on the goal came from Lukas Podolski.

52:19 Goal scored

Goal - Santi Cazorla - Arsenal 3 - 1 West Ham Santi Cazorla finds the back of the net with a goal from close in low into the middle of the goal. Arsenal 3-1 West Ham.

51:47

A cross is delivered by Theo Walcott, clearance by Winston Reid.

49:48

Unfair challenge on Aaron Ramsey by Carlton Cole results in a free kick. Thomas Vermaelen takes the free kick.

49:29

The assistant referee signals for offside against Lukas Podolski. Indirect free kick taken by Jussi Jaaskelainen.

49:01

Free kick awarded for a foul by Matthew Taylor on Aaron Ramsey. Direct free kick taken by Jack Wilshere.

46:31

Assist by Theo Walcott.

46:31 Goal scored

Goal - Olivier Giroud - Arsenal 2 - 1 West Ham Olivier Giroud gets on the score sheet with a goal from close range to the top left corner of the goal. Arsenal 2-1 West Ham.

46:10

Theo Walcott takes a inswinging corner to the near post,

45:16

Theo Walcott sends in a cross, blocked by James Tomkins. Short corner worked by Jack Wilshere.

45:01

The second half begins.

45:00 +4:11 Half time

Half Time The ref blows to end the first period.

45:00 +2:49

Free kick awarded for a foul by Kieran Gibbs on Jack Collison. Matthew Taylor produces a shot on goal direct from the free kick, save made by Wojciech Szczesny.

45:00 +2:25

Jack Wilshere takes the inswinging corner, clearance by James Tomkins.

45:00 +0:59

Kevin Nolan concedes a free kick for a foul on Santi Cazorla. Santi Cazorla produces a shot on goal direct from the free kick, save by Jussi Jaaskelainen.

43:42

Carlton Cole is flagged offside by the assistant referee. Wojciech Szczesny takes the indirect free kick.

41:27

Free kick taken by Wojciech Szczesny.

41:27 Booking

Booking Ricardo Vaz Te is cautioned.

41:26

Ricardo Vaz Te is ruled offside.

40:56

Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Mark Noble from the left by-line, save by Wojciech Szczesny.

40:23

Shot by Carlton Cole. Clearance made by Aaron Ramsey.

39:30

Shot from just outside the box by Santi Cazorla misses to the right of the target.

39:19

Bacary Sagna fouled by Ricardo Vaz Te, the ref awards a free kick. Bacary Sagna takes the direct free kick.

35:46

The ball is delivered by Theo Walcott.

34:37

Lukas Podolski takes a shot. Joey O'Brien manages to make a clearance.

33:17

Jack Wilshere takes a shot. Blocked by Winston Reid.

32:12

Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Jack Wilshere, clearance by Kevin Nolan.

30:26

Lukas Podolski concedes a free kick for a foul on Guy Demel. Matthew Taylor crosses the ball in from the free kick.

29:13

Theo Walcott sends in a cross, James Tomkins makes a clearance.

25:48

Kieran Gibbs produces a cross, Ricardo Vaz Te makes a clearance.

25:01

Free kick awarded for a foul by Winston Reid on Olivier Giroud. Aaron Ramsey takes the free kick.

23:32

Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Mark Noble from the left by-line, Ricardo Vaz Te produces a header from inside the area that goes over the bar.

23:01

Thomas Vermaelen is ruled offside. Indirect free kick taken by Jussi Jaaskelainen.

21:34

Assist on the goal came from Jack Wilshere.

21:34 Goal scored

Goal - Lukas Podolski - Arsenal 1 - 1 West Ham Lukas Podolski finds the net with a goal from outside the box to the top right corner of the goal. Arsenal 1-1 West Ham.

19:37

Free kick awarded for a foul by Kevin Nolan on Jack Wilshere. Jack Wilshere takes the free kick.

19:00

Jack Wilshere gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Jack Collison. Free kick taken by Joey O'Brien. Carlton Cole is caught offside. Wojciech Szczesny takes the free kick.

17:21

Assist by Matthew Taylor.

17:21 Goal scored

Goal - Jack Collison - Arsenal 0 - 1 West Ham Goal scored by Jack Collison from just outside the penalty area to the top right corner of the goal. Arsenal 0-1 West Ham.

17:05

Corner taken by Matthew Taylor from the right by-line, clearance made by Olivier Giroud.

16:31

Matthew Taylor produces a drilled left-footed shot from 20 yards. Thomas Vermaelen gets a block in. Corner taken by Matthew Taylor from the right by-line, clearance by Olivier Giroud.

15:42

Kieran Gibbs takes a shot. Blocked by James Tomkins. Kieran Gibbs challenges Guy Demel unfairly and gives away a free kick. Direct free kick taken by James Tomkins.

14:14

Effort from inside the area by Theo Walcott misses to the right of the goal.

12:28

Foul by Carlton Cole on Lukas Podolski, free kick awarded. Jack Wilshere takes the direct free kick.

11:52

Effort from just outside the box by Santi Cazorla goes over the bar.

10:27

Mark Noble fouled by Olivier Giroud, the ref awards a free kick. Joey O'Brien takes the free kick.

9:33

The ball is crossed by Guy Demel, Header by Ricardo Vaz Te from deep inside the penalty area misses to the left of the target.

8:04

Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Jack Wilshere, Kevin Nolan manages to make a clearance.

4:24

Theo Walcott crosses the ball, Winston Reid manages to make a clearance.

3:02

Inswinging corner taken by Matthew Taylor.

2:06

Aaron Ramsey concedes a free kick for a foul on Mark Noble. Direct free kick taken by Joey O'Brien.

0:00

The match begins.

Live text and data provided by The Press Association