Alexandre Lacazette scored twice to earn the points for Arsenal, though West Brom will point to an early penalty that never was.
Updated
Mon 25 Sep 2017 16.53 EDT
First published on Mon 25 Sep 2017 14.00 EDT
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FULL TIME: Arsenal 2-0 West Bromwich Albion
Just enough time for Ainsley Maitland-Niles to come on for Aaron Ramsey. A few seconds of running about for Maitland-Niles, and that’s his lot! Arsenal were the better side, and deserved their win. One massive caveat, though: on another night, West Brom would have been awarded an early penalty, after which things might have panned out differently. But they weren’t, and they didn’t, and Arsenal move up to fifth. West Brom, having acquitted themselves well, drop to 12th. It’s been a blast. Thanks for reading. Nighty night!
90 min +2: Arsenal press and probe for that third goal, but it doesn’t look as though they’re going to get it.
90 min: There will be three added minutes.
89 min: West Brom press Arsenal back a bit, Phillips causing a bit of bother down the right. He feeds the ball into the box. Mustafi slices an awful clearance, but the ball somehow squeaks through a forest of players and suddenly Arsenal are breaking upfield! The ball ends up with Ramsey, to the right of the box and one of many options. He shoots low and hard, and his effort is kicked away by Foster.
88 min: Some pretty Arsenal passing. Then the ball loops to Giroud, level with the left-hand post, ten yards out. He brings it under control, spins, and lays off for Xhaka, who leans back and hoicks a shot over the bar from the edge of the box. A three-goal defeat would be cruel on West Brom. Arsenal have been the better side, but the Baggies have played their part in a good match, without getting the breaks.
86 min: West Brom have given a good account of themselves tonight. And have a couple of hard-luck stories to tell. But their race looks run now. Arsenal press them back. Bellerin hooks in from the right. Dawson rises to batter a header clear with Giroud lurking.
84 min: The corner leads to nothing of note.
83 min: Before the corner can be taken, Lacazette and Sanchez are replaced by Giroud and Ozil. Not a bad bench Arsenal have there, huh.
82 min: Some head tennis in the West Brom box leads to a corner for Arsenal on the right. From the set piece, the ball’s worked to Bellerin, on the edge of the box. He unleashes a fierce riser towards the top right. It’d be in the net were it not for Rodriguez, who bravely got in the way, the ball pinging off his bonce and out for another corner.
80 min: Dawson comes through the back of Sanchez. He gets a little of the ball, which is what probably saves him from getting a second yellow. That was taking liberties in his situation, though. He was really chancing his arm. He’s very lucky to still be on the pitch.
78 min: More of that lull. And then Monreal turns on the jets, races down the inside-left channel, one-twos with Sanchez, and very nearly breaks clear into the box. The ball breaks back to Sanchez, who tries to guide a cheeky curler into the top right from a very long way out. Foster gathers.
76 min: It’s been a rollercoaster ride all evening, but suddenly the match has gone a little flat. Shame, but we’ve had value for money so far.
74 min: A final roll of the dice by Tony Pulis: a still-seething Allan Nyom is replaced by Matt Phillips.
73 min: And now Rondon pops up on the right, turning into space from a throw and busting into the box. He earns a corner, which is dealt with easily enough by Arsenal.
71 min: Rondon threatens to burst clear into the Arsenal box, chasing a long pass down the left. But he’s getting harried and hassled, and can’t quite get the ball under control.
70 min: Lacazette is so close to his hat-trick! Sanchez, deep on the left, finds Lacazette in the area down the inside-right. The striker takes the ball down from the air wonderfully, and rounds Foster on the right, but slices hysterically over the bar. That would have been something.
69 min: Arsenal really have their tails up now, and tear at West Brom en masse. Poor decisions from Lacazette and then Monreal put a stop to their gallop, though, the move breaking down on the edge of the area.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 WBA (Lacazette 67 pen)
Lacazette slots the ball into the bottom right, and though Foster went the right way, he had no chance. Perfectly placed, and sweetly struck. Nyom, who was booked for his role in the penalty award, applauds the referee sarcastically. Careful, now!
Penalty for Arsenal!
66 min: After the events of the first half, a decision like this was inevitable. Ramsey bursts down the left, reaches the byline, and runs into the box. He’s barged to the ground by Nyom, who has attempting a shoulder charge but hit his man from behind. On the touchline, Tony Pulis sinks into a quiet seethe, the most frightening type.
65 min: Bellerin one-twos his way down the inside-right channel, first with Elneny, then Ramsey, and earns a corner. Bellerin’s been very bright tonight. The set piece is dealt with easily enough, though.
64 min: London Buses dept. Salomon Rondon replaces Hal Robson-Kanu.
63 min: The first change of the evening is made by West Bromwich Albion: James Morrison comes on for Jake Livermore.
61 min: Sanchez twists and turns down the left, and very nearly finds Ramsey free on the penalty spot with a cute ball inside. But Ramsey can’t quite battle his way into possession, and isn’t able to get a shot away.
60 min: A free kick for West Brom, deep on the right. Krychowiak sends a teasing floater into the Arsenal box. Cech comes a long way off his line and punches confidently clear, taking out Hegazy as he does so. No foul, all part of the rough and tumble of Premier League football. But the West Brom defender felt that all right.
59 min: West Brom launch their first sortie into Arsenal territory in this half. Nyom wins a throw deep down the right, and takes it himself. It’s easily cleared. All of which is not much. But it’s something. Before that little sequence, only four percent of the second half had been contested in Arsenal’s final third.
57 min: And now Krychowiak goes into the book for a cynical clip on Elneny, who had checked back as the pair scampered down the Arsenal left. A free kick just to the side of the Baggies box. Sanchez takes, and again looks to cause trouble at the near post, but there’s nobody there to attempt mid-air video-game gymnastics this time.
55 min: Rodriguez is lucky to stay out of the book after stepping on Monreal’s tootsies. It wasn’t aggressive, but it was late and clumsy.
53 min: Free kick to Arsenal wide on the right, from a deep position. Arsenal load the box. Koscielny’s delivery is appalling; he fails to beat the first man. But Arsenal are soon coming back at the Baggies, Bellerin forcing a corner down the left. The set piece is flicked to the near post, where Mustafi spins and nearly dispatches a mid-air back-heel into the top left from a tight angle! That would have been something else had it whistled into the net, but Foster was right behind it and gathered cleanly.
52 min: Kolasinac bursts down the inside-left channel. He’s got ahead of Nyom, and fires low into the West Brom box. Elneny traps and spins, setting up Lacazette on the penalty spot. He must score! But his shot is deflected over the bar by Gibbs, a marvellous last-ditch challenge, and the resulting corner comes to nought.
50 min: Dawson is booked for a pointless hack at the back of Sanchez’s legs near the centre circle. That was fairly witless, and he’ll needlessly play the rest of the match under unnecessary pressure. With Evans also on the tightrope, Sanchez and Lacazette could do worse than embark on a dribbling frenzy.
48 min: Lacazette buzzes around the front of the West Brom box. He slips the ball wide right for Bellerin, who lashes a stunning ball along the face of goal. Had any Arsenal attacker taken a gamble ... but they didn’t, and the ball rolls harmlessly out to the left of goal.
47 min: Sanchez tries to zip down the left, but runs into a wall called Nyom. West Brom attempt a break upfield through Livermore, but that move falls apart. The ping-pong continues as Sanchez has another look along the left flank, but his shot-cum-cross from 25 yards isn’t much cop.
And we’re off again! West Brom, who were bright and impressive in that first half, get the second period underway. No changes. Meanwhile here’s Sean Swift with more reasoned observations, and from a referee’s perspective’s to boot: “I’m a new referee working my way up here in the States, but even at the U-13 level that I’m working at right now, we’re strongly encouraged to let play go on in any case where the play can still possibly develop, such as when the fouled player stays on his feet. In most cases we can stop play after a few seconds and bring it back for a free kick, but I can sympathise with the referee that bringing it back for a penalty kick after already playing advantage would be a massively brave decision ... especially with the bright lights and TV cameras of the Premier League.”
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HALF TIME: Arsenal 1-0 WBA
Nothing comes from the second corner, and that’s that for the first half. Phew! The scoreline doesn’t tell half the story. Both sides have legitimate penalty-related grievances, while West Brom have also missed a couple of gilt-edged chances. A highly entertaining first half, with the promise of more fun coming up soon. Don’t go anywhere, now!