West Ham 1-2 Arsenal

The all-consuming need to stay in the Premier League ought to have made this tie a secondary issue, yet it still heaped pain on them. A more accomplished Arsenal dominated, yet it was Gianfranco Zola’s under-strength West Ham United side who took the lead on the verge of half-time, through Alessandro Diamanti and then appeared capable of resisting the pressure.

With 11 minutes left, however, the composed Aaron Ramsey shot home confidently following a fluent move in which Carlos Vela delivered the final pass. Victory was secured with Vela again he provided as he crossed for Eduardo to head past Robert Green in the 83rd minute. For much of the day, West Ham had, all the same, looked capable of resisting Arsenal.

Despite the diminished nature of the line-up, they seldom looked overwhelmed. The visitors’ openings were restricted then and when Green palmed out a Jack Wilshere cross after 30 minutes Thomas Vermaelen lashed the ball high. Other chances for the visitors had arisen from mistakes, too, and a loose pass from the defender James Tomkins, for instance, set up Eduardo, only for the Croatia forward to fire straight at the goalkeeper.

The makeshift West Ham line-up in which, for example, the teenage striker, Frank Nouble, was making his start, took heart. They also took the lead in first-half stoppage time. A Wilshere mistake left the influential Valon Behrami to put Diamanti through for a composed finish. Arsenal’s claim for off-side was without foundation.

West Ham tried to avoid the defensiveness that would have invited Arsenal to swamp them. The attitude was epitomised in the neat way Nouble got himself into position after 48 minutes, although the finish was weak. Arsenal had the greater incentive to be adventurous, but the impression lingered that the lack of a suitable central attacker, with Robin van Persie a long-term injury, continues to be a potentially grave flaw.

Arsenal struggled to show incisiveness in the goalmouth. Pressure mounted, but when the visitors did go clear in the 72nd minute, Green made a double save from the substitute, Abou Diaby, and Alex Song. Later still, Samir Nasri, another substitute, would shank the ball badly when it fell to him. Ultimately, all the same, the dominance of Arsenal was to prove irresistible.

FA CupArsenalWest Ham UnitedKevin McCarraguardian.co.uk