Arsene Wenger leaves door open for formation switch after back four comes through against West Ham

Arsene Wenger was left satisfied with his "impeccable" back four after switching his Arsenal formation for the first time all season against West Ham United.

The Gunners boss turned to a 3-4-2-1 formation last season, sticking with the formula this term of Shkodran Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal forming a first-choice back three with Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac taking up advanced wing-back roles.

But for the trip to east London, Wenger reverted back to a flat back four with Koscielny and Monreal in a partnership at the back flanked either side by Bellerin and the impressive Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Arsenal were largely untested during the goalless draw at the London Stadium bar one moment of panic in the closing minutes of the match when a loose pass presented Javier Hernandez with the chance to snatch all three points for his side only to be denied by the crossbar.

Despite that scare, Wenger was happy with his formation tweak, not ruling out the possibility of it being here to stay.

"It was alright," Wenger said of his back four in his post-match press conference. "I don't think we had any problems at all. We made one mistake and nearly paid for it. For the rest, they were impeccable."

Arsenal are without a win in three Premier League games after the stalemate against West Ham, drawing their last two on the road having lost at home to Manchester United.

While that run has seen them drop to seventh in the table, Wenger has played down their current slump, insisting the results are not a fair reflection of his side's current form.

"At the moment I don't deny that [we are in bad form], but it is a moment where our performances are not reflected by our results because against Manchester United we had 33 shots on goal but did not win the game and at Southampton we had a lot of possession and it was a similar game to tonight basically.

"It's true, it's a bit frustrating, we had to keep confidence in our game and we go through a patch where there's a difference between what we create and what we score, but that will not last."