West Ham 1 Arsenal 2

This was a game neither side really wanted, with both clubs suffering from injuries to key personnel with crucial fixtures coming up in January, and it showed in a first half almost totally devoid of quality.

Gianfranco Zola handed full debuts to full-back Fabio Daprela and striker Frank Nouble - deputising for the injured Herita Ilunga and suspended Guille Franco respectively - while Arsene Wenger put out a youthful side featuring both Ramsey and Jack Wilshere.

Arsenal, who have a sronger squad than the struggling Hammers, enjoyed the better moments of the first half and looked the more likely to score, with Fran Merida, Eduardo and Carlos Vela drawing saves from Rob Green.

West Ham's best efforts were a free-kick from Junior Stanislas that curled just wide, and Alessandro Diamanti's shot from the angle of the box that Lukasz Fabianski parried for a corner.

But neither side really got into their stride during the half, with too many passes going astray and too many efforts on goal finding their way into the stands.

Just as it looked like the break would arrive goalless Diamanti, so often the inspiration for this West Ham side, scored in first half injury time.

The mercurial Italian sprang the Arsenal offside trap to race through on goal and his low left-foot shot eluded the diving Fabianski.

Rough on Arsenal, who perhaps shaded the half, but it seemed to galvanise the home side in the early part of the second period.

First Nouble, played through by Stanislas, dragged a shot wide from the edge of the box, while Stanislas himself saw rasping 25-yard effort touched behind for a corner by Fabianski.

But try as they might Zola's men could not add to their lead and the balance of the game swung Arsenal's way when Arsene Wenger introduced Abou Diaby and Samir Nasri on 65 minutes.

The quality of the two helped the Gunners raise their game and they immediately began to threaten Green's goal.

It took until the 78th minute for the equaliser to arrive. West Ham's tiring defence allowed Arsenal to string together a sequence of passes along the 18 yard line before Vela slipped a clever ball through to Ramsey and the Welsh youngster guided his shot past Green and into the far corner.

Five minutes later it was advantage Arsenal. Vela was again the provider, finding space wide on the left to float over a fine cross that Eduardo cleverly headed beyond the flat-footed Green.

The Hammers looked short of puff and inspiration, particularly with the frustrated Diamanti reduced to tearing around the park like a headless chicken, and Arsenal almost added a third when Vela's shot was kicked off the line by Matthew Upson.

Despite five extra minutes there was no way back for West Ham and the final whistle was met with near indifference from the home element of the 25,549 crowd.

Zola seemed relaxed about the defeat, perhaps knowing his priority this season is to guide his side to Premier League safety. Certainly a fourth round trip to Stoke will be one he will be happy to miss.

West Ham: Green, Faubert, Daprela, Upson, Tomkins, Kovac, Stanislas (Edgar, 87), Behrami, Diamanti, Nouble (Sears, 78), Jiminez. Unused subs: Stech, Da Costa, Payne, Lee, N'Gala.

Booked: Daprela

Goal: Diamanti 45+1

Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna, Silvestre, Gallas, Vermaelen, Song, Ramsey, Wilshere (Nasri, 65), Merida (Diaby 65), Vela, Eduardo. Unused subs: Mannone, Traore, Eastmond, Emmanuel-Thomas, Gilbert.

Booked: Song

Goals: Ramsey 78, Eduardo 83

Attendance: 25,549

Referee: Mark Clattenburg