Man of the match: Bukayo Saka was instrumental again as Arsenal thrashed West Ham
Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal moved up to second in the Premier League table after drubbing West Ham 5-2 in an eventful London derby.
All seven goals were scored in a madcap first half at the London Stadium on Saturday evening, with the Gunners coasting into a commanding 4-0 lead before conceding two quick-fire replies and then adding another of their own before the break.
It was a third consecutive win for resurgent Arsenal after the recent international break following the 3-0 home defeat of Nottingham Forest and 5-1 demolition of Sporting CP away in the Champions League, and second successive match in which they have had five different scorers.
They vault up from fifth to second in the top-flight and six points behind leaders Liverpool, who host crisis-stricken Manchester City - down to third - in a blockbuster fixture at Anfield on Sunday.
Arsenal - without midfielders Thomas Partey and Mikel Merino due to injury as Jorginho and Leandro Trossard both came in - looked in complete control after a dominant first-half display, taking the lead after only 10 minutes when Gabriel - ruled fit to start despite a knock that forced him off late in Lisbon in midweek - lost his marker before heading in a Bukayo Saka corner at the front post.
The Gunners continued to monopolise possession and chances against woeful West Ham, doubling their lead before the half-hour mark when Saka and Martin Odegaard once again combined to devastating effect, the latter providing a wonderful return pass before Saka squared the ball for Leandro Trossard to tap in from close range.
The third goal came from the penalty spot, Saka unselfishly handing the ball over for Odegaard to successfully dispatch after the England winger was clipped by Lucas Paqueta inside the box.
West Ham had barely had a chance to recover when just two minutes later a gorgeous lofted pass from Trossard dropped over the head of Max Kilman and directly into the path of Kai Havertz, who raced away before slotting coolly beyond Lukasz Fabianski.
But a comfortable first-half stroll for Arsenal then incredibly became anything but as the hosts rallied against the odds, Aaron Wan-Bissaka finishing low beyond David Raya at the front post for his second goal in a week before Emerson curled home a fantastic free-kick off the underside of the crossbar to make it 4-2 in the blink of an eye and have the disgruntled home fans heading for the exits quickly returning to their seats.
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Arsenal still went in at the interval three goals to the good however, Saka converting a second penalty after Fabianski had tried to punch clear a corner but instead made contact with Gabriel.
It was only the fourth time in Premier League history that there had been seven goals in the first half alone of a game, and the first since a match between Reading and Manchester United back in 2012.
Gabriel went off at half-time in another injury worry for Arteta as Jakub Kiwior took his place, while West Ham replaced attacker Crysencio Summerville with a midfielder in Edson Alvarez.
The second half unsurprisingly proved a far tamer affair than the first with no more goals scored, Saka and Odegaard both taking knocks for Arsenal and Riccardo Calafiori also heading off early after heading a corner narrowly off target straight after the restart.
There were further chances at both ends, Michail Antonio having a low effort deflected wide for West Ham and a couple of opportunities falling for substitute Danny Ings, who saw one strike blocked before he could not roll the ball in from a tough angle after a botched clearance from William Saliba.
Arsenal came closest to a sixth goal when Raheem Sterling came off the bench and sent a free-kick agonisingly wide, while he and Jesus also both hit the side netting as West Ham managed to avoid any further damage.