Arsenal ran out 3-0 winners over West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon.
The deadlock was broken just moments before the break when Olivier Giroud found the far corner of the net.
Then, in the closing stages, goals from Aaron Ramsey and substitute Mathieu Flamini sealed the three points for the Gunners, who have now won their last five Premier League games in a row.
Here, Sports Mole looks back on the encounter to determine if the result was a fair one, or whether the scoreline flattered the home team.
Match statistics
ARSENAL
Shots: 19
On target: 9
Possession: 68%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 10
WEST HAM
Shots: 7
On target: 1
Possession: 32%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 9
Was the result fair?
In modern day sport, we have a tendency to get too caught up in statistics and what they mean. However, on this occasion, they are not misleading and actually do provide a true reflection of what occurred in North London. Arsenal took control of proceedings early on and never really loosened their grip. It took them a while to score their first and second goals, but it was what their domination deserved.
Arsenal's performance
Although Arsene Wenger's men have been on a decent winning run, they have not always been at their fluent best. Today, though, there was more dynamism about their play, with the likes of Danny Welbeck and Santi Cazorla adding plenty of pace and guile respectively from the bench to seal the victory.
It was only some wayward finishing and the form of West Ham goalkeeper Adrian that meant that the Gunners did not break the deadlock until first-half stoppage time. It will also be pleasing for Wenger that he was able to give Theo Walcott some much needed game time, while Francis Coquelin continues to look composed in the heart of midfield.
However, one worry for Wenger was provided by Calum Chambers and Per Mertesacker. Both committed errors and can count themselves fortunate that fellow defender Laurent Koscielny was on good form. Chambers in particular was caught out of position on more than one occasion, but West Ham never committed enough men forward to punish those errors.
West Ham's performance
To be fair to Sam Allardyce, injuries meant that he picked a team with one hand very much tied behind their back. Understandably, he went defensive and, up until first-half stoppage time, it was a ploy that worked.
After the opener, though, more players needed to get forward to support lone striker Diafra Sakho and, while that did happen early in the second half, it did not happen enough. There was in fact a couple of occasions when Sakho found himself with some space deep in Arsenal territory, but a lack of help resulted in him being easily snuffed out.
It is now seven Premier League games without a win for Allardyce's charges and it appears that their season is already dwindling to an end. Fitness problems have no doubt hit them hard, but going forward, they did at least show some good spirit today, particularly during the opening 45 minutes.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Laurent Koscielny: Arsenal have not always been known for their defensive assurance this season, but Koscielny oozed class. On the occasions that West Ham got forward, more often than not it was the Frenchman that thwarted the danger. Then, when he had won back possession, he showed good composure to pass to a teammate, rather than punt the ball up the pitch.
Biggest gaffe
The movement and passing for Arsenal's second goal should be admired, but Allardyce is bound to be fuming with his defenders. It came from a throw, which Giroud dummied. He then collected the ball from Ramsey, before giving it back to the Welshman to score. It was a goal that killed the game, but one that was very avoidable from a West Ham point of view.
Referee performance
A calf injury forced Chris Foy off with an hour played, before which he declined to award Arsenal an early penalty when Walcott went down under a challenge from James Collins. Replays did show that his view of the incident had been a little obscured. Aside from that, it was a steady outing from the 52-year-old and likewise replacement Anthony Taylor.
What next?
Arsenal: The Gunners will turn their attention to Champions League matters on Tuesday when they travel to Monaco looking to overturn a 3-1 first-leg deficit.
West Ham: As for the East Londoners, they will play host to Sunderland at Upton Park next Saturday evening.
Liam Apicella
