Hammers at the double in first  Emirates victory since 2015

Tinos Mavropanos scores West Ham's second goal of the night

Premier League: Arsenal 0 West Ham 2

For the second time in two months Arsenal conceded a goal when the ball might already have gone out of play.

And just as it had at Newcastle, where Mikel Arteta railed bitterly against VAR and all its deficiencies, it proved mighty costly for the Gunners. In terms of the match and, perhaps, their Premier League title hopes as well.

Goals from Tomas Soucek and Tinos Mavropanos gave West Ham a first Emirates Stadium win since 2015 and propelled David Moyes' 'Champions of Europe' up to sixth.

The unexpected success also kept Liverpool at the Premier League summit, although Arsenal have one more chance to overtake before 2023 ends, by winning at Fulham on Sunday.

Arsenal hired a phalanx of lawyers to defend Arteta for crying 'disgrace' at the manner of Newcastle's 1-0 win on November 4. This time, though, they will just have to suck it up; both goals were also the result of sub-standard defending.

Yet spare a thought for VAR Craig Pawson and his assistant Ian Hussin. No doubt a hail of vitriol, virtual or actual, will come their way for deciding there was insufficient evidence for Soucek's 13th-minute Hammers opener to be wiped away.

It happened like this. Emerson pinged in a cross from the left that Arsenal centre-back Gabriel attempted to marshal away towards the opposite touchline.

But Oleksandr Zinchenko had also been alert to the danger - and his team-mate had no idea he was now right next to him. The ball pinged off the Ukrainian's chest and squirted across goal, destined to go out for a corner.

Jarrod Bowen, having failed to connect with the initial cross, had other ideas however and hooked it back for Soucek to drive high into the net from six yards and wait for VAR to confirm it was OK.

It took a long time for this to happen as the footage from the only relevant angle showed the ball disappearing from view behind Bowen's right leg as he made contact with his left. There was no sign of any gap so, just like Joe Willock's throw-in that never was in the build up to Newcastle's winner, the goal had to stand. Again by the barest of margins.

For a while, the setback knocked the stuffing out of Arsenal, who had swarmed around the West Ham goal from the moment James Ward-Prowse planted the game's first shot over theirs, with Bukayo Saka forcing Alphonse Areola into a save and Leandro Trossard firing over from Gabriel Martinelli's cutback.

It was Saka who got Arsenal back on track with a header that Areola did well to tip over. West Ham survived a nervous moment when Soucek slid in recklessly on Gabriel Jesus in the box - and again when Saka smacked a drive on to Areola's near post.

That was a real head-in-the-hands moment - and the half ended with the Hammers, who had lost Lucas Paqueta to injury and been allowed just 26% of possession, still in front thanks to their one and only shot on target.

The second period began as had the first, with Arsenal trying to pass their way through a wall of blue. Trossard was hurt in the act of firing over, clattered by Mohammed Kudus but no foul was given.

Declan Rice, booed by some of the away following, decided have a pop from distance but the former Hammers hero is a rare scorer and his effort was too high.

And then, out of nowhere, West Ham scored again, through Mavropanos, the former Arsenal man, from a corner conceded by Ben White.

Again Gabriel was found wanting as the Greece centre-back out-jumped him to meet Ward-Prowse's delivery and power a header that went in off the underside of the crossbar and the inside of a post as well.

Mavropanos, back in English football after a four season spell in Germany with Nurnburg and Stuttgart, had played just eight games for Arsenal.

Arteta made a double change shortly after the hour mark, with forwards Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson sent on. Immediately Jesus met a Saka cross with a powerful header that Areola stopped on the line. The Brazilian was back soon after, to meet a White delivery to the back post, but this time his header went over.

Areola did well to deny Trossard before Saka dived for a penalty that didn't fool VAR. It was West Ham's night, not theirs. And especially not Rice's as his clumsy challenge on Emerson resulted in a stoppage-time penalty.

David Raya saved sub Said Benrahma's tame spot-kick but the final whistle followed straight after.

Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya 7; White 6, Saliba 6, Gabriel 5, Zinchenko 5 (Nelson 64, 4); Odegaard 7, Rice 6, Trossard 7 (Smith-Rowe 79, 3); Saka 7, Jesus 5, Martinelli 5 (Nketiah 64, 4).

West Ham (4-2-3-1): Areola 8; Coufal 7, Mavropanos 8, Ogbonna 8, Emerson 8; Soucek 7, Alvarez 7; Kudus 6, Ward-Prowse 7, Paqueta 5 (Benrahma 33, 5); Bowen 7.

Referee: Michael Oliver 6.