Arsenal were denied victory on their manager Arsene Wenger's big day as West Bromwich Albion snatched a dramatic late point in a 1-1 Premier League draw on Sunday.
In Wenger's record 811th game in charge, Alexis Sanchez's 83rd-minute free kick, deflected home by James McClean, seemed to have secured an Arsenal win.
But Calum Chambers was adjudged to have handled in the penalty area and Jay Rodriguez converted an 89th-minute spot-kick to help his side climb off the bottom of the table.
The Arsenal players were furious with the decision and Wenger was spoken to by referee Mike Dean but his team did climb above Tottenham Hotspur into fifth place in the table.
West Brom XI: Foster, Dawson, Hegazi, Evans, Gibbs, Phillips, Livermore, Barry, Brunt, Rodriguez, Robson-Kanu. Subs: Myhill, Nyom, McClean, Burke, Krychowiak, McAuley.
Arsenal XI: Cech, Chambers, Koscielny, Mustafi, Bellerin, Wilshere, Xhaka, Kolasinac, Iwobi, Sanchez, Lacazette. Subs: Ospina, Mertesacker, Maitland-Niles, Coquelin, Elneny, Walcott, Welbeck.
Key match stats from Opta
- Arsenal have scored in all 24 of their Premier League games against West Bromwich Albion – the best 100% record in the competition.
- Petr Cech has failed to save any of the 13 penalties he’s faced in all competitions for Arsenal – only two keepers have faced more at a single club without saving one (Brad Friedel at Aston Villa, Craig Gordon at Sunderland both 15).
- The Baggies are now winless in 19 Premier League games – only three clubs have ever had a longer winless run in the competition (Derby 32, Sunderland 26 and Norwich 21).
- Arsene Wenger took charge of his 811th Premier League game – more than any other manager in the competition (W468 D198 L145).
- This was the first point that West Bromwich Albion had won from a losing position in the Premier League this season.
- Jay Rodriguez has played more Premier League games against Arsenal than he has any other opponent (8) though this was his first goal against them.
Arsenal player ratings
Cech 7
Denied his 200th Premier League clean sheet
Chambers 6
Penalised late on for handball for penalty
Mustafi 7
Booked. Good turn of pace to nullify Albion’s threats
Koscielny 6
Hobbled off injured in a blow for visitors
Bellerin 6
Did not get forward as much as would have liked
Xhaka 6
Drilled in a first half effort on goal
Wilshere 7
Well received by away fans but no more assists here
Kolasinac 6
Subbed early with a knock after a collision with Barry
Iwobi 6
Tested Foster first half a powerful swerving shot
Lacazette 7
The forward was quick to spin the home defence
Sanchez 7
Looked dangerous with ball and nearly won it
Subs
Maitland-Niles (Kolasinac 38) 6
Mertesacker (Koscielny 72) 6
Welbeck (Iwobi 74) 6
West Brom player ratings
Foster 7
Made several good saves and was solid
Dawson 7
His return from injury has improved Albion
Hegazi 8 MOTM
Booked. Superb second half tackle on Sanchez
Evans 7
Booked. Composed and never look flustered
Gibbs 7
Had a decent game against his old club and helped win penalty
Phillips 6
A threat but his crossing is erratic
Barry 7
Always available and composed on the ball
Livermore 6
England international yet to find his best this term
Brunt 6
Booked. Got stuck in and was creative but faded and was subbed
Rodriguez 7
Forced Cech into saves in both halves and took penalty well
Robson-Kanu 7
Cleverly won lots of free-kicks with intelligent play
Subs
Krychowiak (Brunt 72) 6
McClean (Phillips 72) 4
Nyom (Robson-Kanu 75) 6
5 things we learned from the match
Lacklustre Arsenal were held by a determined West Brom - but the Gunners were left furious by a late penalty decision.
Jay Rodriguez slotted home from the spot in the dying minutes after referee Mike Dean controversially adjudged Calum Chambers to have handled the ball in the penalty area.
Minutes earlier, Arsenal thought they had secured the win when Alexis Sanchez’s free-kick was deflected home off James McClean.
West Brom, for all their work rate, are suffering without a recognised striker and Petr Cech had a comfortable afternoon - but he was powerless to stop the penalty.
Here are five things we learned from the game.
FT West Brom 1-1 Arsenal
GOAL! Rodriguez scores a pen for the Baggies!
GOAL! Sanchez gives Arsenal the lead!
What a rubbish end to the footballing year.
This game has been anything but entertaining.
Big name players, such as Alexis Sanchez, have not done enough to add a spark to this game unfortunately.
If anything is going to come for Arsenal, it’s likely to come through Jack Wilshere.
He’s been by far the Gunners’ best player so far.
He’s the only one who looks even remotely capable of creating an opportunity out of nowhere.
Arsenal have come out the brighter of the two teams at the start of the second half.
West Brom are giving fouls away and the Gunners have had a few chances to put the ball into the box.
Positive signs for Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal fans can't deal with the all-red kit
Arsenal fans struggled to believe what they were seeing during their team’s New Year’s Eve clash at West Brom, and it had nothing to do with the performance.
Because for the first time since a 2-1 win at QPR on April 11, 1978, the Gunners lined up in an all-red strip - combining their iconic red and white shirt with red shorts and red socks.
The reason for the change was because of West Brom’s white shorts and socks.
They meant Arsenal were required to change their strip, but both their blue away kit and black third kit were considered too similar to the Baggies’ dark blue and white stripes.
Read the fans’ reactions to the kit here.
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HT: Goalless at the break
Blimey, that wasn’t the most entertaining half of football we’ve ever watched.
Nil-nil draws have been the story of the weekend but this has been the worst of the lot so far.
Both teams lacking any kind of conviction in the final third of the pitch.
Let’s hope that a short break is enough to liven both sides up.
This hasn’t been a thriller so far.
A disappointing game has lacked spark and Arsenal have lacked Mesut Ozil.
It’s not been the best watch in the world.
It’s been a weird start to this game.
West Brom are playing decent football, while Arsenal seem more resigned to the old hoofball.
Roles reversed, if you like!
The best chance of the game has fallen to Alex Iwobi.
The young forward was leaning back slightly as he curled the ball over the bar from the edge of the area.
Very even in the early stages. Arsenal appear to have settled down after a reasonably slow start.
It’s a big game for both managers today - but for very different reasons.
Arsenal have the chance to close the gap on the top four, while West Brom will be desperate to life themselves off the bottom of the league.
The Baggies have made the better start.
A nice touch at the Hawthorns ahead of kick-off.
Mascots from other local teams are in attendance, to pay tribute to Richard Eades who lost his life over the Christmas period.
Richard was regularly in the suit for the Baggies.
Arsenal are wearing all red this afternoon.
Red shirts, red shorts, red socks.
A new look on Arsene Wenger’s record-breaking day.
Warm-ups pretty much complete - all the action to come shortly.
Guardiola admits City could bid for Sanchez
Pep Guardiola opened the door to a January swoop for Alexis Sanchez after Gabriel Jesus was ruled out for up to two months.
Manchester City’s 18-match winning streak was ended after they failed to score for the first time in the Premier League as they drew at Crystal Palace yesterday.
And the runaway Premier League leaders also lost their Brazilian striker to a knee injury which saw him leave the field in tears and hobble out of Selhurst Park on crutches.
City failed with a £60m bid for Sanchez in the summer after Arsenal could not find a replacement.
But with the Chilean out of contract in six months and looking increasingly unhappy at the Emirates, the Gunners would now be willing to take £25m for Sanchez.
Guardiola said: “He is a player from Arsenal and I think he is going to stay at Arsenal.
“Now it is just about recovering from today. Sometimes you ask for that but I have a lot of things in my mind.
“In two days, we have another game. In terms of what happens, we will have meetings and see what is best. But my feeling now is Alexis is an Arsenal player.”
Full story on Ozil's fitness
Arsenal could be without Mesut Ozil of their first match of 2018 at home to Chelsea.
The German international was ruled out of Sunday’s trip to The Hawthorns to face West Bromwich Albion with a knee injury , with suggestions that he is also a doubt to face Antonio Conte’s men at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
The German international has been in excellent form of late, and scored on three of his last four home league appearances - against Huddersfield, Newcastle and Liverpool.
Alex Iwobi came in for Ozil in what was Arsenal’s only change from the XI that started the 3-2 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Thursday.
Here’s the scene outside the ground ahead of kick-off.
Baggies fans look to be in high spirits.
Times are beginning to get a little desperate for them in their pursuit of a win.
Reason for Ozil's absence
The news from Arsenal is that Mesut Ozil has a slight knee injury.
It means he misses this trip to the Hawthorns, but also the game against Chelsea in midweek.
A big miss for Arsenal - especially if he misses Wednesday’s game too.
Arsenal starting XI
The big news is that there is no Mesut Ozil for Arsenal - not even on the bench.
Arsenal XI: Cech, Chambers, Koscielny, Mustafi, Bellerin, Wilshere, Xhaka, Kolasinac, Iwobi, Sanchez, Lacazette
Subs: Ospina, Mertesacker, Maitland-Niles, Coquelin, Elneny, Walcott, Welbeck
West Brom starting XI
Jake Livermore gets a start in the centre of midfield for the Baggies.
West Brom XI: Foster, Dawson, Hegazi, Evans, Gibbs, Phillips, Livermore, Barry, Brunt, Rodriguez, Robson-Kanu
Subs: Myhill, Nyom, McClean, Burke, Krychowiak, McAuley
Wenger hails Wilshere
Arsene Wenger believes Jack Wilshere has demonstrated “special character” to bounce back from several career-threatening injuries.
Wilshere was outstanding for Arsenal in Thursday’s 3-2 win at Crystal Palace and Wenger said: “His performance deserves credit because it demands some character.
“I have big respect for that, because it is all nicey-nicey when you are super-talented and everybody says you are the greatest player at 17. But to come back to that level when you have gone through what he has gone through shows a special character.
“Did I fear his career was over? Never — because in my job what is a very important quality is always to continue to believe in human beings.
“I believe everybody is alive to fight, so I never gave up on him.”
“Give him credit for what he has gone through.”