Rejuvenated Arsenal ran riot in a 4-0 win over West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on Saturday night.
A fortnight ago things were looking bleak for Mikel Arteta after a crushing 4-1 home defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup. Gunners were without a win in 7 Premier League matches and facing a relegation battle. Fast-forward 2 weeks, Arsenal have managed to win 3 Premier League games in a row and now surprisingly find themselves 6 points off top 6 places.
Gunners came into the game on the back of a tough 1-0 win against Brighton. There were possibilities of the game getting cancelled due to poor weather at Hawthorns. However, officials decided to go on as scheduled on a snowy pitch. The hosts West Brom came into the match having conceded 17 goals in their last four home matches.
West Brom 0-4 Arsenal Team News:
Thomas Partey is back in training. However, the Ghanian midfielder isn’t still available for selection. Alexandre Lacazette leads the line-up after starting from the bench in the last game against Brighton. Gabriel misses out after testing positive for COVID. Brazilian duo Willian and David Luiz are back on the bench after missing the last two matches.
Conor Townsend misses out, as he continues to recover from a knee injury. Captain Jake Livermore is still unavailable, as he serves the final of his three-match ban. Former Arsenal Left-Back Kieran Gibbs starts from the bench. Veteran Branislav Ivanović and Matheus Pereira are back in the starting 11.
West Brom 0-4 Arsenal Match Analysis:
Under treacherous conditions at Hawthorns, Gunners looked dominant and comfortable from word go. Gunners were riding on confidence after back to back wins.
Emile-Smith Rowe occupied the no.10 role for the Arsenal. The youngster had another excellent game. Kieran Tierney opened the scoring for Arsenal with a brilliant solo goal. Four minutes later Bukayo Saka made it 2-0 with a brilliant team goal. Smith-Rowe, Saka, and Lacazette combined to work their way around Baggies defense.
An impressive half from Gunners ended at 2-0. However, visitors should have extended their lead.
West Brom came all guns blazing after half-time. However, all hopes of a comeback were squashed when Alexandre Lacazette scored from close range to make it 3-0.
Four minutes later Alexandre Lacazette scored his second of the night from a brilliant Kieran Tierney cross. The 29-year old Frenchmen has now scored in 3 consecutive Premier League games for Arsenal. Arsenal could and should have scored more.
But captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had another poor show in front of the goal.
With this win, Arsenal now finds themselves in 11th position, 6 points behind the top 6. However, their opponents West Brom are already 6 points off the safety. With 8 points in 17 games, Baggies need a big change in fortune to ensure survival.
Notable Performances:
Bukayo Saka(8/10)– Another brilliant performance from the teenage sensation. Scored a brilliant team-goal and was influential throughout the game.
Alexandre Lacazette(8/10)– After a poor start to the season. The prolific Frenchmen has started firing for Gunners. 5 goals in 4 matches and brilliant off the ball work has been key to Arsenal’s recent victories.
Darnell Furlong (3/10)- Kieran Tierney terrorised the Baggies right-back. Provided no resistance to the Arsenal attackers.
With FA Cup starting next weekend, the Holders Arsenal host Newcastle in their defense of the FA Cup title on Saturday. Whereas, West Brom faces an away trip to Football League 1 outfit Blackpool.
Follow our Twitter page for the latest updates on English Premier League and Indian Football.
A trusted source on GoonerNews.comFor more football updates, make sure to follow us on: