Cheikhou Kouyate and Mauro Zarate on target as Petr Cech endures afternoon to forget at the Emirates
- Cheikhou Kouyate made the most of an error by Petr Cech to head West Ham into the lead after 43 minutes
- Mauro Zarate doubled the Hammers' advantage with a low strike into the bottom corner in the 57th minute
- Adrian made a number of important saves as Slaven Bilic won his first Premier League game in charge
- Reece Oxford became the second youngest player to start in the Premier League at 16 years and 236 days
And so, it turns out, there's more to plotting a credible assault on the Barclays Premier League than signing a prized goalkeeper from the champions.
The £10million outlay on Petr Cech was chiefly responsible for firing optimism among fans who have not savoured the title for more than a decade.
When Arsene Wenger beat nemesis Jose Mourinho in the FA Community Shield, it crept a little higher still.
Mauro Zarate (centre) heads towards the away end at the Emirates to celebrate putting West Ham into a 2-0 lead against hosts Arsenal
West Ham striker Zarate is followed by team-mate Aaron Cresswell as he leaps into the air to celebrate the Hammers' second goal
West Ham's travelling supporters go wild inside the Emirates as Zarate is mobbed by his team-mates following his 57th minute goal
Zarate, who spent an unsuccessful loan spell at Queens Park Rangers last season, makes it 2-0 with a low strike from 20 yards out
Petr Cech looks frustrated after failing to keep out Zarate's shot on his Premier League debut for Arsene Wenger's title hopefuls
Arsenal had finished the last campaign in such terrific form and Wenger bagged another FA Cup before spending the summer talking up the value of continuity and cohesion.
Chelsea even started with a stumble and, as kick-off loomed on Sunday, a crackle of anticipation rippled along the Holloway Road.
Inside the Emirates Stadium, Cech's name was greeted with a triumphant roar.
Then, the serious business started.
West Ham turned up, armed with an ambitious new manager and a team, rippling with the sort of strength, athletic presence and set-piece menace usually associated with their old boss.
Cheikhou Kouyate opened the scoring with a header from a free-kick, just before half-time; a goal which wrenched the game from its predictable rhythms of heavy periods of Arsenal possession and wasted chances.
Mauro Zarate made it two for the visitors, soon after the restart and a different mood descended upon the restless natives.
One of frustration mingled with mild panic. Concerns about the same old problems appear set to linger on beyond the optimism.
Still flimsy at the back and lacking punch up front in the absence of Alexis Sanchez and with Mesut Ozil oh-so-easily neutralised by a 16-year-old, debutant in an unfamiliar position.
Then, perhaps most depressingly of all for Arsenal, there was Cech...
It is not like this at Stamford Bridge, where his goal area was such a secure and well-protected place.
Here, he will exposed with alarming regularity in a side designed to flow forward.
MATCH FACTS
- Arsenal (4-3-2-1): Cech 4, Debuchy 5 (Sanchez 67 mins, 6), Mertesacker 5, Koscielny 5, Monreal 5, Coquelin 6 (Walcott 58 mins, 6), Cazorla 6, Ramsey 6, Ozil 5, Oxlade-Chamberlain 7, Giroud 5.5
- Subs not used: Gibbs, Gabriel, Arteta, Ospina, Chambers
- Booked: Monreal
- West Ham: Adrian 7.5, Tomkins 7, Reid 7.5, Ogbonna 7.5, Cresswell 7, Oxford 8 (Nolan 79 mins, 6), Noble 7, Kouyate 7.5, Payet 8, Zarate 6.5 (Jarvis 63 mins, 6), Sakho 7 (Maiga 89 mins, 6)
- Subs not used: Randolph, Collins, Poyet, Lanzini
- Booked: Tomkins, Noble, Ogbonna
- Goals: Kouyate 43, Zarate 57
*Player ratings by Sam Cunningham at the Emirates Stadium
- Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)
West Ham midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate wheels away to celebrate after giving his side the lead against Arsenal late in the first half
Kouyate gets a hug from team-mates Reece Oxford and Mauro Zarate after scoring his side's opening goal of the Premier League season
Kouyate rises high to beat summer signing Petr Cech to the ball and head the visitors into a 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute
Cech, a £10million signing from champions Chelsea, watches on as Kouyate's header flies towards the back of his net
The first came via a free-kick, expertly delivered by Dimitri Payet and converted by a simple header from Kouyate.
Nacho Monreal on Kouyate was a mismatch born out of Arsenal's lack of inches across the team, but the full-back's attempt at marking was awful.
Having clocked the danger, Cech charged out from goal, fists clenched and arms extended, only to be beaten to the ball and left to roll to a halt on the turf somewhere near the penalty spot as the ball nestled in his net.
For the second, Arsenal made a hash of tackling full-back Aaron Cresswell and, when they did, gave the ball to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who was nudged aside by Zarate, a striker ridiculed for his weight and lack of fitness while on loan at QPR last season.
When no-one closed him down, Zarate took aim and shot early from 20 yards, finding Cech was off balance and unable to adjust as the ball flashed inside the post.
'Super, Super Slav…' sang the jubilant West Ham fans. After their feeble surrender in the Europa League, no-one had predicted this.
Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla finds himself surrounded by West Ham players during the first-half at the Emirates Stadium
Germany international Mesut Ozil (right) tries his luck from a free-kick as West Ham's wall jumps to try and block his effort
Hammers goalkeeper Adrian dives to his left to palm a shot away and keep the score level at 0-0 on Sunday afternoon
West Ham striker Diafra Sakho (right) bursts forward with the ball as Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin chases him down
Olivier Giroud appears to be knocked out after suffering a clash of heads with West Ham defender James Tomkins
Slaven Bilic is an instant hero, as is £12m signing Payet and Reece Oxford, at 16 years and 236 days the second youngest player to ever start a game in the Premier League.
Holding in central midfield, where he shackled Ozil, it was a day the teenage centre-half will never forget.
For Wenger, the summer feel-good factor lasted less than 90 minutes. And while he bemoaned his team's lack of 'concentration' and 'organisation' and their wastefulness and a lack of preparation time, the manager has to accept some of the blame.
It was difficult to find the logic in moving Santi Cazorla from a position, deep in midfield alongside Francis Coquelin, where he has proved so influential, to a role chiefly wide on the left.
Perhaps it was to allow Oxlade-Chamberlain freedom on the right, arguably his best position, while keeping Aaron Ramsey in the team to provide thrust from midfield.
West Ham youngster Reece Oxford, pictured tackling Ozil, became the second youngest player to play in the Premier League
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic gives instructions to his team from the touchline during his first Premier League game as a manager
Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is sent tumbling after a tackle from former Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna
Gunners captain Per Mertsesacker challenges goalkeeper Adrian and Hammers defender Winston Reid for an aerial ball
Sakho falls to the ground after tussling with Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny for the ball during a West Ham attack
The Ox, bright and effective in the opening half-hour, went tantalisingly close with a swerving volley before a bubbling run and cross to the back-post which Cazorla nursed over.
Ramsey rattled the bar with a half-volley which clipped Cresswell, and squandered another opening when Mathieu Debuchy was better placed.
Cazorla was back in the centre for the second half, but by then the visitors were ahead and digging in to defend.
West Ham protected their goalkeeper with far more purpose than Arsenal.
James Tomkins thwarted Ozil soon after Kouyate’s opener and Winston Reid blocked from substitute Theo Walcott late in the game.
On came Sanchez. The Chilean was supposed to have taken the day off as part of his recovery programme following the Copa America tournament but was pressed into action from the bench. Needs must.
Summer signing Dimitri Payet, pictured moving away from Arsenal star Ozil, impressed on his first Premier League appearance
Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud slides in to try and score but Spanish goalkeeper Adrian gets down low to block his attempt
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger complains about a decision on the touchline during the opening period in sunny north London
West Ham's travelling supporters celebrate after taking the lead at the Emirates in their opening game of the Premier League season
Still West Ham resisted and counter-attacked at speed. Whether it was a style true to their heritage, no-one seemed to care. They showed guts. Sam Allardyce would have been proud.
Adrian saved from Olivier Giroud and Ox, who finished the game as a right-back, slammed another shot into the side-netting.
Ultimately, Arsenal were deservedly beaten and, having demanded a flying start, in contrast to last year, Wenger braced up for an inevitable barrage of opinion, imploring him to delve back into the transfer market before the end of the month.
He is not one to be swayed by opinion, but his mind may be changed by this result and a performance.
