Premier League result: Arsenal continue revival with third consecutive win in snow at West Brom
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Updated 02/01/2021 at 23:08 GMT
Premier League, The Hawthorns - West Brom 0 Arsenal 4 (Tierney 23', Saka 28', Lacazette 60', 64')
Bukayo Saka of Arsenal celebrates scoring their 2nd goal with Emile Smith Rowe, Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Dani Ceballos during the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal at The Hawthorns
Image credit: Getty Images
Arsenal continued to turn their season around as Alexandre Lacazette’s double ensured they made it three wins in a row with a 4-0 hammering of West Brom.
In wintry conditions at the Hawthorns, Scot Kieran Tierney opened the scoring with a fine individual effort in the 23rd minute, just his second goal for the Gunners.
Five minutes later, Arsenal’s young starlets combined for a sublime second, set up by the effervescent Emile Smith Rowe, finished off by the livewire that is Bukayo Saka.
After the break, it was a matter of how many Arsenal would score, with Lacazette putting the game beyond doubt on the hour mark, before adding a fourth four minutes later to condemn the woeful Baggies to a second straight heavy home defeat, with Sam Allardyce certainly under no illusions as to how difficult a job it will be to keep his new side up.
The snow came teeming down in the West Midlands, which made conditions very difficult indeed, but an in-form Arsenal settled well, and looked the most dangerous side early on.
It took a moment of brilliance from Tierney, who fashioned a shooting opportunity out of nothing, before firing home with his right foot to open his account for the season in style.
The second was a Arsenal slick move of yesteryear, with Lacazette involved, Smith Rowe laying the ball unselfishly across for Saka to score his third goal of the season.
Just four days after their 5-0 home drubbing against Leeds, West Brom continued to be carved open at will, with their inability to clear Saka’s cross leading to Lacazette scoring for the fourth consecutive match, before the Frenchman added another after being picked out by Tierney as the pressure on Mikel Arteta lifted further.
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Arsenal's Scottish defender Kieran Tierney (L) celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League football match between West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal at The Hawthorns stadium
Image credit: Getty Images
TALKING POINT – Youth has saved the day for Arsenal
In such awful conditions for football, it begged an easy question – could Arsenal do it on a snowy, wintry night in the West Midlands? Throw in Sam Allardyce and it didn’t look like a tantalising proposition.
However, this new-look Arsenal, spearheaded by youngsters Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka, are a different proposition. The Arsenal of just a few weeks ago would almost certainly have crumbled at the Hawthorns, but this Gunners incumbent have no fear, and with talent to burn, why should they?
The only blot on the copybook is the form of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who remains well off the pace. That is now one goal in eight games for him, but the difference now is that Arsenal are not quite as reliant on their skipper as they once were.
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MAN OF THE MATCH - Kieran Tierney
Close between Tierney, Saka and Smith Rowe, but the quality of Tierney’s opener, which set Arsenal on their way to victory, edges it for the full-back. Nobody created more chances at the Hawthorns than Tierney as he rampaged down the flank time and again.
PLAYER RATINGS
West Brom: Johnstone 6, Furlong 6, Ajayi 5, O’Shea 5, Ivanovic 4, Sawyers 4, Robinson 4, Phillips 4, Gallagher 5, Diangana 3, Pereira 5.... Subs: Bartley 6, Austin 5, Harper 6.
Arsenal: Leno 7, Bellerin 7, Holding 7, Mari 6, Tierney 9, Ceballos 7, Xhaka 6, Saka 9, Smith Rowe 8, Lacazette 8, Aubameyang 6... Subs: Willian 6, Maitland-Niles 6, Willock 6.
KEY MOMENTS
20’ - CHANCE! Best chance of the game so far... for West Brom. Matheus Pereira chips a nice pass over the top for Matt Phillips, who takes his time, fires for goal, but straight at Bernd Leno.
23’ - GGGGGOOOOOOOAAALLLLL!!!! West Brom 0-1 Arsenal. A fine solo goal from Kieran Tierney, of all people! What a way to open your account for the season. Not much seemed to be on, but Tierney flicked the ball past Furlong, cut back onto his right foot, before curling a beauty past the despairing dive of Johnstone. Super goal.
28’ - GGGGOOOOOAAALLLL!!! West Brom 0-2 Arsenal. What a team goal that is! Saka with the finish. An Arsenal team move of old! One-touch, lovely football as Lacazette feeds Smith Rowe, who lays the ball across for Saka to make it two. Very pleasing on the eye.
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55’ - OFF THE LINE! Ceballos with a lovely ball over the top for Lacazette, who rounds Johnstone, steers the ball back towards goal, but Dara O'Shea gets back to clear.
60’ - GGGGGOOOOOOAALLLLL!!! West Brom 0-3 Arsenal. Now that is game over as Lacazette makes it three. Bit of pinball in the box. Saka's cross is headed onto his own post by Ajayi, Smith Rowe sees his rebound blocked, before Lacazette strokes home.
64’ - GGGOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!!! West Brom 0-4 Arsenal. It is a second for Lacazette as he makes it four. Tierney with the cross, and Lacazette has the freedom of the West Midlands to fire home from close range.
KEY STATS
Arsenal have won three consecutive Premier League games, after winning just two of their previous 12 in the competition (W2 D2 L8).
West Brom are the first side to lose consecutive home Premier League games by at least four goals in each defeat since Wigan in August 2010.
With no club has Sam Allardyce won fewer points (1 – level with C. Palace) or conceded more goals (13) after his first four Premier League games in charge than he has with West Brom.
Arsenal have scored in all 25 of their Premier League meetings with West Brom, the best 100% scoring record by one side against an opponent in the competition’s history.
There were 20 passes in the build up to Arsenal's first goal scored by Kieran Tierney - since Mikel Arteta's first game in charge on Boxing Day 2019, the Gunners have scored more goals following a sequence of 20+ passes than any other Premier League side (3).
Kieran Tierney became the first Scottish player to score an away Premier League goal for Arsenal and the first to do so in the top-flight since Charlie Nicholas vs Ipswich Town in March 1986.
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