Arsenal returned to Premier League action with three hard-fought points as they looked to cope with the absence of Gabriel Jesus, with a Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli inspiring a second-half turnaround against West Ham United.
Midway through the first period, the hosts were behind as William Saliba was ruled to have felled Jarrod Bowen in the area and Said Benrahma made no mistake from the penalty spot. It stayed that way until half-time, but Saka eventually levelled things up after reacting quickest to a mishit Martin Odegaard shot to collect the ball and beat Lukasz Fabianski
Moments after the equaliser, the league leaders were in front as Gabriel Martinelli beat former Arsenal keeper Fabianski at his near post. Eddie Nketiah then put them out of sight with time to spare, sending Mikel Arteta's team seven points clear of second place Newcastle and eight clear of a Manchester City team who play on Wednesday.
Arteta's team thought they had taken the lead inside five minutes as Bukayo Saka fired high into Lukasz Fabianski's net, only for a flag to go up for an offside earlier in the move. It was a fast start for the Gunners even before that moment, as they looked to keep up their record of never having lost at home to a David Moyes side.
Arsenal weren't immediately fazed after going behind, and continued to threaten for the remainder of the first half, with another VAR decision ensuring the Gunners' excitement over a penalty of their own was short-lived. West Ham had a chance for a second straight after the break, with Aaron Ramsdale producing an important stop from Michail Antonio, but that was just a blip before the hosts regained their momentum.
There was a stroke of fortune about the equaliser, with Odegaard's wayward shot falling perfectly for Saka. The hosts always looked like they were likely to keep coming, though, and West Ham struggled to deal with the relentless attacking after the break. Here are the talking points from an energetic London derby.
Nketiah stakes his claim
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The sight of Eddie Nketiah stepping in for Gabriel Jesus was no surprise. The only question surrounded how the Hale End graduate would operate.
“We have more faith in Eddie every single day," manager Arteta said in the build-up to the game. "We see every day what he brings to the team, what he is as a human being and the way he is developing as a player."
Runs in behind were the order of the day early on, and Arsenal almost benefited only for the 23-year-old to stray offside before teeing up Saka for what looked like being the opener. There were more impressive touches from the frontman throughout the first period, with Craig Dawson and Thilo Kehrer forced to be vigilant at the back for the visitors.
When the goal did arrive - and it was a case of when rather than if - it was the kind of movement and confidence many hoped to see from Nketiah, even if they haven't come to expect it just yet. Arsenal might still decide they need another striker in January, but Nketiah has shown he deserves his chance.
Saliba straight back in
William Saliba only had two training sessions after returning from his World Cup exploits, but was thrown back in immediately. The French international played just once in Qatar, so it was more a question of rust than one of burnout.
Less than half an hour in, the argument for easing him in grew louder. There was danger as Bowen broke into the Arsenal area, but Saliba's challenge was wild and, some might argue, unnecessary.
In the end, though, Arsenal weren't made to pay for the lapse. They'll hope this was a case of one of their star performers playing himself back into form with no great loss going into a busy few weeks where plenty willbe at stake.
Two Gabriels are enough
Arsenal might be without Gabriel Jesus, but the other members of their Brazilian trio both put in strong displays. Martinelli's goal came at a key moment, but so did a big contribution from centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes.
With the visitors a goal ahead, Michail Antonio almost caught the Gunners napping moments into the second period. Gabriel was caught out but didn't panic, using his strength and presence to rush the West Ham striker into a shot which didn't have enough direction to beat Ramsdale.
As for Martinelli, he was a constant danger with his pace and direct running. Opponents should be even more scared at the thought of transfer target Mykhaylo Mudryk arriving to offer even more of that kind of threat.
Saka impresses watching Wenger
Arsene Wenger was back at the Emirates Stadium for the first time since leaving the club. More than four years have passed since his final game, with the squad changing considerably in the intervening period
Granit Xhaka was the only Wenger signing in the starting XI against West Ham, though Nketiah was also handed a debut by the legendary former manager. It was evidence that this is well and truly Mikel Arteta's team, though.
Wenger said he looked forward to meeting Bukayo Saka after the pair were never introduced. Based on the young Englishman's performance, even before his goal, the Frenchman is likely to have been impressed.
West Ham score from the spot but woes remain
Even after Michael Oliver pointed to the spot, plenty of West Ham fans won't have been entirely confident. Their penalty record stood at 50% ahead of their trip to north London, with Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen both seeing efforts saved earlier in the season.
That paved the way for Benrahma to step forward against Bournemouth in October, and he did so again at the Emirates Stadium to go two for two. This was only his eighth league start of the season, though, and there will surely be times when he is not on the field when his team is awarded a penalty.
That's the least of West Ham's problems, though. More worrying is the way they were cut open at will in a fourth successive defeat which leaves them hovering just above the bottom three, and the return of injured centre-backs Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd can't come soon enough.
