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After a humiliating exit from the Europa League at the hands of Unai Emery, Arsenal attempted to put their woes behind them with the visit of relegation-bound West Bromwich Albion. Right from the first minute, you could tell this was an Arsenal team void of confidence.
Arsenal opened up the scoring with a lovely volley from close range by Emile Smith-Rowe in the 28th minute. The Gunners would soon double their lead seven minutes later through a Nicolas Pepe wonder strike.
After the break, West Brom would put up more of a fight, pushing the Gunners into their own box. They would get their reward for this pressure through a wonderful solo effort from Matheus Perreira in the 67th minute.
Arsenal would eventually put the Baggies out of their misery with a brilliant free-kick from Willian in the last minute. The result sends West Brom straight back down to the Championship after coming up last summer.
Here are 5 talking points from Arsenal's 3-1 win over West Brom.
#5 Martinelli as CF
Arsenal fans have been begging Arteta to play Gabriel Martinelli as a striker for months. Usually, the Brazilian is deployed on the left, but it’s clear that his best performances under Emery came through the middle. Martinelli comes alive in the penalty box.
Today, against a resolute West Brom team, the 19-year-old struggled to get a foothold in the game. And this wasn’t for lack of trying as the forward was always on the move. However, in an ineffective display, Martinelli had only 26 touches of the ball, provided 1 key pass and attempted 1 shot.
Perhaps West Brom marked him out of the game or he was starved of service, either way, I hope it’s not the last time we see him in this role.
#4 The best and worst of Nicolas Pepe
Last night, we saw the Thursday Night Robben and the Ivorian Damien Duff in one game. Nicolas Pepe produced a mixed performance that left fans scratching their heads.
Up against a resilient Townsend, Pepe completed a shocking 25% take-on success, whilst losing out on 5 duels and losing possession 14 times. If he’s doing this against players from a now-relegated team, how can we expect him to perform against the rest of the league?
Having said that, the Ivorian produced a contender for goal of the season. In fact, it was a goal befitting of a £72m player and taking the 25-year-old to 12 goals for the season.
#3 Big Sam is relegated
Sam Allardyce has experienced what relegation is like for the first time in his managerial career. He was brought to the Baggies with a record of never being relegated, meaning he was meant to be a guarantor of being safe from the drop.
Alas, today’s 3-1 defeat condemned the Baggies to the Championship after an abysmal campaign. In the games Big Sam has overseen, West Brom have only picked up 19 points in 21 games, in that time they’ve conceded a whopping 68 goals, losing 19 games.
#2 Saka shines at LB
In the absence of Kieran Tierney, Mikel Arteta has opted to play Granit Xhaka as a makeshift centre-back or left-back. This was detrimental on so many levels, not only did it take out Arsenal's best CM partnership, but it also hindered us at LB as Xhaka was unable to provide an overlap.
Today, Arteta tried a solution that many Arsenal fans thought was obvious: Saka as an LB. Perhaps he was initially reluctant to do this as the youngster has been so influential in the final third, but his performance today proved him wrong.
The 19-year-old looked like a constant threat down the left-hand side, giving Darnell Furlong a torrid time. Down the left, Saka completed two dribbles, provided two key passes, made two interceptions and won 3 duels.
This top-quality display just further proves how versatile the youngster is.
#1 Willian scores his first goal for Arsenal
It’s been a tough time for Willian this season. The Brazilian has suffered ample amounts of criticism from not only the footballing community but his own fanbase. Many fans have questioned the club’s decision to give him a three-year contract when no one else would.
Today, however, the 32-year-old put in his best performance of the season. He produced the most number of passes (14) in the final third, whilst creating the most chances (4) of anyone else on the pitch. Add to that a world-class free-kick and we’re looking at a wholesome performance from the Brazilian.
