Declan Rice came back to haunt his old club with his first goal of the season before Bukayo Saka struck from the spot as Arsenal brushed aside West Ham on a landmark day for Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners boss marked his 300th game in charge with a dominant performance that sent his side back to the top of the Premier League. Arsenal have now lost just once all campaign and showed the swagger of title challengers at the Emirates.
Arteta went bold with his team sheet after a £250million summer splurge. Rice, Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze formed a star-studded midfield but it lasted barely half an hour as Odegaard limped off for the third straight home match.
That forced Rice into a more advanced role and the former Hammers skipper punished his old side. When Eze’s shot was palmed out by Alphonse Areola, Rice was first to react and guided the ball home to cap a fine move.
Arsenal were in complete control with West Ham limited to long-range efforts and hopeful set-pieces. The second goal arrived after the break when Jurrien Timber was tripped by Malick Diouf and Saka buried the penalty with ease.
It was the perfect way for the England star to celebrate his 200th Premier League appearance. His record now reads 55 goals and 45 assists, remarkable numbers for a player still only 23.
The victory underlined Arsenal’s strength in depth. Arteta handed minutes to January signing Martin Zubimendi, whose forward passes unlocked the West Ham defence, while Riccardo Calafiori continued to impress with his marauding runs. Later came cameos from Ethan Nwaneri and Mikel Merino to highlight the growing quality across the squad.
Rice’s goal also showed exactly why Arteta has pushed him further up the pitch. His lung-busting runs from midfield caused problems all afternoon and his finish was the kind of contribution Arsenal lacked at key times last season.
For West Ham it was another tough afternoon under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo. The former Nottingham Forest manager set up his side in a disciplined 4-2-3-1 and barked orders throughout but his players rarely threatened.
Niclas Fullkrug forced David Raya into a save from a corner and Lucas Paqueta lashed over before the break but those were rare moments of hope for the visitors.
Nuno has yet to register a win in two games but West Ham showed enough grit to suggest progress will come. They had beaten Arsenal on their last two trips to north London but never looked close to repeating that trick here.
Ultimately the Hammers were outclassed by a side playing with confidence, belief and momentum at the top of the table.