Why Arsene Wenger substituted Alexandre Lacazette with striker on course to score first Arsenal hat-trick

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James Benge26 September 2017

Keeping Alexandre Lacazette on to score his hat-trick in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over West Brom was not a gamble Arsene Wenger was willing to take.

The French striker found the net either side of the interval, proving the difference in a hard-fought game with the Baggies. Lacazette once more displayed his poacher’s instinct to head home the rebound from Alexis Sanchez’s free-kick after 20 minutes before converting a penalty following Allan Nyom’s foul on Aaron Ramsey midway through the second period.

Lacazette had his chances for a hat-trick, dawdling in the area after being teed up by Mohamed Elneny and seeing his shot blocked and then volleying a high-bouncing ball over after rounding Ben Foster.

Though he was given a standing ovation when Olivier Giroud replaced him he would surely have preferred to be given the final seven minutes to find the net once more. However with West Brom having introduced the giant Salomon Rondon and dangerous winger Matt Philips Wenger was in no mood to gamble with his two-goal lead.

“I took him off because he was tired,” Wenger told Standard Sport. “I would have loved him [to score a hat-trick]… he had an opportunity. But I gave him the penalty as well you know. Overall what you want is to win the game and not take any gamble.

“If they come back to 2-1 it can be nervy in the end so when a guy is a bit tired there’s no need to. They’re very strong on set-pieces, when you have Giroud on the bench, you know we might have to defend them or Giroud could score a third goal.”

Lacazette may have to wait for his first Arsenal hat-trick but he has swiftly secured his place as the Gunners’ first-choice centre-forward and settled in to life at the Emirates, where he has four goals from three games.

The 26-year-old is already proving to be the “fox in the box” that Wenger has so often lacked since Ian Wright’s departure early in his tenure and it was notable that the manager pointed to Arsenal’s second-highest scorer ever as an example for Lacazette earlier this week.

But it is not just Lacazette’s ability to sniff out goals that is impressing his manager.

“I think he is not only a goalscorer,” Wenger said. “His link-up play is good.

Photo: Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal FC via Getty Images

“He fights as well, he’s not fazed by the physical challenges that West Brom gave today. He looks to [have] adapted very quickly and very well.”

Though Wenger was keen to praise Lacazette’s all-round play he will have taken great pleasure in the simple things his £52.7million record signing did, especially the well-placed penalty that secured victory on 67 minutes.

Arsenal have not always been the most consistent side from the spot – Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez both missed spot-kicks last year – but Lacazette could change that with his 83 per cent conversion rate from 29 penalties at former club Lyon.

Wenger confirmed that Lacazette would be Arsenal’s penalty taker for the time being, adding: “Until now I gave it to him. I observed him a little bit because we work as well on penalties in training. He took his penalty well tonight.”