Arsenal held off a second-half comeback from West Ham United to claim a 2-1 victory at Upton Park and keep their top-four hopes alive in the Premier League.

The Gunners scored two goals in a little over two minutes at the end of the first half to take control of the game, with Santi Cazorla converting from the spot after being brought down, before Danny Welbeck tapped home his side's second.

Cheikhou Kouyate pulled a goal back for his side less than 10 minutes after the restart with a header which deflected beyond Wojciech Szczesny and into the back of the net.

Despite pressing for an equaliser the Hammers were unable to find a way through as Arsenal held out to take all three points.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look back at who impressed during an entertaining London derby meeting in the East End.

WEST HAM UNITED

Goal

Adrian: Produced a fine individual display to keep out numerous Arsenal shots in the second half. Had West Ham salvaged a point late on, he would have been the man to thank. (8/10)

Defence

Joey O'Brien: Filled in for the ineligible Carl Jenkinson this afternoon in what was his first start since August. Did well to get into forward positions, but his final ball was often lacking. (6/10)

James Tomkins: A solid showing from the returning centre-back defensively, although he really should have done better with his first-half volley which acted as a real turning point in the game. (7/10)

Winston Reid: Many home supporters felt that referee Neil Swarbrick wrongly pointed to the spot when Reid brought down Cazorla, but it looked to be the right call. Improved slightly in the second half, although this was not his finest showing. (6/10)

Aaron Cresswell: Was given a tough afternoon by Oxlade-Chamberlain down his side, yet he still managed to get his head up to swing in a few decent-looking crosses for his side. (7/10)

Midfield

Alex Song: His ruled-out goal aside, this was an off-day for the Cameroon international against his former club. Played a few stray passes and could not dictate play in the same manner that we have become accustomed to, perhaps trying a little too hard to impress. (6/10)

Morgan Amalfitano: The Frenchman can be more than happy with his display at Upton Park this afternoon, and he even had a shout for a penalty at the death which was waved away. (7/10)

Cheikhou Kouyate: Another player who impressed for the Irons, and he will be happy to have got off the mark with his first goal for the club. West Ham have now scored 13 headed goals this campaign, which is equal to their highest ever tally set a couple of years back. (8/10)

Stewart Downing: Failed to match the high standards that he has set so far this term, with his pass to Tomkins for the Hammers' best chance in the first half his only real major influence on the contest. (6/10)

Attack

Diafra Sakho: Brought back into the fold after missing out against Chelsea on Friday, and although he did not score he certainly offers a real presence in forward positions. Replaced on the hour as Allardyce looked to change things up a little. (6/10)

Andy Carroll: Won a few headers around the opposition penalty box which allowed his teammates to fire away shots on goal. Just did not work for him on the whole today, though, and he may now be left out ahead of the visit of West Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day. (6/10)

Substitutes

Kevin Nolan: Managed to get a decent shot in at goal from range which tested Szczesny late on, but that aside he did not do a great deal after being introduced. (6/10)

Guy Demel: Brought on in place of O'Brien yet he did not really improve things in either an attacking or defensive sense. (5/10)

Enner Valencia: Came within inches of rescuing a dramatic point at the death with his back-post header, which he could not quite keep down. May have done enough to warrant a starting spot next time out. (6/10)

ARSENAL

Goal

Wojciech Szczesny: Very commanding in the air as he helped relieve the pressure on his side on countless occasions. No clean sheet in five games for the Gunners is a little worrying, though. (7/10)

Defence

Mathieu Debuchy: Seemed to be caught out for the home team's only goal, although he can still hold claim to having never been on the losing side for Arsenal when he has started a game. (6/10)

Per Mertesacker: The German World Cup winner certainly looks far more composed when alongside Koscielny in defence, producing one brilliant piece of defending in particular to deny Carroll. (7/10)

Laurent Koscielny: Fast becoming one of his side's most important players, winning three of his four aerial duals against Carroll to get the better of that individual battle. (7/10)

Nacho Monreal: He was given a torrid time by Amalfitano in the first half, and he did not improve from then on in really. Looks shaky on the ball and is likely to miss out with Kieran Gibbs set to return at Southampton. (5/10)

Midfield

Francis Coquelin: A very assured performance from the midfielder who was making his first start for the club in almost two years. Arguably a contender for the man of the match accolade as he quietly went about his business. (8/10)

Mathieu Flamini: Outshone by his central midfield partner, although Flamini enjoyed a decent enough game himself in the East End of London this afternoon. (7/10)

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: A constant menace before being withdrawn. He was a key player for Arsenal in the second half as they looked to hit West Ham on the counter. (8/10)

Attack

Santi Cazorla: The best player on the field due to his ability to dictate the tempo of the game, and he even bagged himself a goal from the spot having won the first-half penalty himself. (8/10)

Alexis Sanchez: Another impressive showing from the Chilean, who ahead of this game had either scored or assisted half of his side's 32 league goals. A solid shift, yet he may need to be given a rest in the coming weeks. (8/10)

Danny Welbeck: Given a chance in a more central position as a result of Olivier Giroud's three-game suspension, and his goal on the stroke of half time will give him the world of confidence. Held the ball up well, although he could have done better with his finishing overall. (7/10)

Substitutes

Kieran Gibbs: Brought on to add some defensive cover late on, and he did exactly that as the visitors held out for all three points. (6/10)

Calum Chambers: Likewise, Chambers' task was to simply shut out the game in the final few minutes as he replaced the impressive Oxlade-Chamberlain. (6/10)