Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has absolved Petr Cech from full blame for his side's shock 2-0 defeat to West Ham United on Sunday.

The Gunners started what is supposed to be a strong title challenge with a disappointing result against a London rival at home which sees them behind the eight ball already.

A 43rd-minute header from Cheikhou Kouyate, which Cech was slow to react to, and a opportunistic strike from range from Mauro Zarate, which caught the new Arsenal keeper by surprise, did the damage for the Hammers.

After the match, Wenger felt it was a collective performance which let his side down, failing to single out former Chelsea gloveman Cech for his below par performance.

"I haven't spoken to Cech," Wenger said. "I can't see many convincing individual performances today. It's difficult to see beyond that.

"It's not only him. We have experience along the back-line.

"It was a collective lapse. There are many things to say about that. I know we were in trouble even before the free-kick was taken."

Arsenal will aim to bounce back when they head to another capital rival, Crystal Palace, next weekend.