Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal's 5-1 demolition of West Ham proves it is mentally strong enough to cope with the pressure of battling to finish in the Premier League's top four.

After error-strewn performances in successive defeats against Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal's season appeared to be in danger of imploding and Wenger reportedly held crisis talks with his players earlier this week.

But the Gunners temporarily silenced their critics with an emphatic victory at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, which ended a troubling run of three games without a win and lifted them within four points of fourth-place Tottenham.