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The resurgent Arsenal continued to resurrect their season after beating West Brom 4-0 to rack up more misery on the Baggies.
Alexandre Lacazette’s double in the second half was added to excellent goals by Kieran Tierney and Bukayo Saka.
The Gunners edged out Albion to record three straight Premier League wins for the second time with Mikel Arteta.
Albion remains second to last, with just one win, and has now conceded 12 goals in Sam Allardyce’s three home games.
Yet they caught the Gunners on one of their best nights of the season, with Arteta’s team bringing to life a campaign that was going off the rails just a few games ago.
Arsenal only moved up to 11th place, but they are at least a short distance behind the top six, three points behind Chelsea after having played one more match.
Baggies coach Allardyce had said the Gunners were in the relegation battle with them before Arsenal beat Chelsea and Brighton over the holiday period.
READ MORE: Early Loser: Big Sam, Educated By Arteta’s Young Gunners
Albion entered the game after Tuesday’s 5-0 hammering by Leeds and based on evidence Saturday, there is only one team heading for the fall.
No team with eight points or less in their first 17 games has avoided relegation from the Premier League and Albion was passed.
Hector Bellerin and Saka tested Sam Johnstone in the first 10 minutes to set the tone for a dominant first half.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also nearly scored his 100th Premier League appearance with a goal, but failed to convert Saka’s low center to the far post.
Albion’s only chance came when Matt Phillips shot Bernd Leno right after Matheus Pereira’s cute pass.
But Arsenal took the lead and full control after 23 minutes when Tierney showed why, when in shape, he is so valuable.
Ohhh! Kieran Tierney! That is special! 😍
A tremendous solo goal from the Arsenal man 👏
Struck with poise! 💥 pic.twitter.com/gQ0r6NGs37
– Football at BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 2, 2021
The winger twice beat Darnell Furlong to embarrass the left defender and cut inside before shooting high over Johnstone from 15 yards.
Five minutes later it was 2-0 when the Gunners tore their hosts to shreds with an incisive move.
Emile Smith Rowe traded passes with Saka and Lacazette before the Frenchman slid it across to cross Saka, who had continued his run unmarked, to take advantage.
Like Leeds, the Gunners threatened to riot the Hawthorns and Johnstone needed to flip the Lacazette junction after he hit Grady Diangana.
Albion were out of reach again and Johnstone denied Lacazette two minutes before the break after the striker passed Branislav Ivanovic.
The hosts needed an answer and Callum Robinson fired after Pereira hit the post after the restart only for the offside flag to stop their celebrations.
But Arsenal closed the points with two more quick goals from Lacazette.
Saka caused chaos again for the first time when her center in the 61st minute was turned onto her own post by Semi Ajayi, who then blocked Smith Rowe’s follow-up shot, but Lacazette swallowed the rebound.
The second, at 64 minutes, was as simple as the forward converted a Tierney cross from close range.
Johnstone stopped Aubameyang by adding a fifth later and saved Willian before Leno denied Rekeem Harper a consolation in stoppage time.
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