[ad_1]
Fairweather footballers? Not Arsenal, at least not here. Mikel Arteta’s team took advantage of harsh conditions and desperate rivals to produce arguably their best performance of the season.
Kieran Tierney, Bukayo Saka and Alexandre Lacazette all scored beautiful goals and together with 20-year-old Emile Smith Rowe put on outstanding displays, helping to give Arsenal a third consecutive victory and renewed hope for a bright future. For West Brom, the outlook is bleak.
Sam Allardyce has enjoyed hitting the frailties of Arsenal teams over the years and must have been rubbing his hands before kickoff here, and not just to keep warm. Heavy snowfall around the Hawthorns put a new twist on the high of the wet and windy night in Stoke, and while the pitch was clear when the game started, Allardyce no doubt urged his team to test how much he liked the Arsenal. going into battle on a frosty night when even the air seemed to have fangs.
The visitors took it all in stride, beating West Brom, who have conceded 17 goals in their last four home games. Allardyce was hired last month to guide this team toward survival, but he has yet to find a way to stop them.
Allardyce had announced this as a fight between relegation rivals, but Arteta is looking up after three wins in a week. “The table looks so much better,” Arteta said. “The wins bring a different momentum and energy and the players have the handbrake off.
“We were very close against West Brom of what I want. There was a lot of movement, good energy and real purpose. “
Sam Johnstone has been the most active goalkeeper in the Premier League this season and it took Arsenal less than three minutes to force him to make another save, with the goalkeeper using his feet to deny Hector Bellerin. He then had to deny Saka as Arsenal looked calm, as unfazed by the elements as they were by opponents who played nice things at times, but did not have the precision and physicality to unsettle the visitors.
Although Saka tormented makeshift winger Grady Diangana, Arsenal’s advance came from the other flank, from where Tierney produced a brilliant solo goal in the 23rd minute. After hitting the ball past Darnell Furlong, Tierney ran to retrieve it and then he fought his way into the area with a trap and threw a superb forehand shot into the far corner. The snow, which suddenly resumed, fell like confetti on the celebrated Arsenal players.
They rejoiced again five minutes later after increasing their lead thanks to a glorious collective movement orchestrated by two of their younger and more exciting talents. Smith Rowe and Saka teamed up with Lacazette to cut through the heart of the bewildered home defense before Smith Rowe faced Saka to push into the net from close range.
Allardyce brought Diangana out of her misery at halftime when West Brom traded to four back. Briefly they seemed more consistent. But Arsenal sacked a third goal in the hour thanks to a combination of their own excellent play and slapstick defense. Saka instigated him, sliding to the right and floating on a cross that Sami Ayaji smashed into his own post. Johnstone saved Smith Rowe’s follow-up, but couldn’t stop Lacazette from hitting the rebound at the net.
West Brom has a tendency to concede goals in groups and Arsenal soon scored another, Lacazette escaping from their markers to push a Tierney cross into the net from close range.
Johnstone remained the main barrier to prevent Arsenal from scoring a fifth goal, while on the other end Bernd Leno denied Rekeem Harper a crumb of comfort at the last minute, knocking over a fine shot from far from the substitute.
