ARSENAL made it three Premier League wins on the bounce as they thrashed West Brom at the Hawthorns.
- Final score: West Brom 0-4 Arsenal
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THANKS FOR JOINING US
That’s all for tonight, as Arsenal continued their charge towards the top half of the Premier League with a comfortable win over West Brom.
The Baggies have still won just one league game so far this season and will need some January additions to help Sam Allardyce try and keep them up.
Next up for the Gunners is a home game against Newcastle in the FA Cup a week today, while the Baggies travel to Blackpool on the same day in the same competition.
That’s all for now though.
Thanks for joining us, it’s been a pleasure.
MATCH REPORT
Plenty to talk about from tonight’s game, as the Gunners breezed past West Brom to pick up a third win on the bounce in the league for the first time this season.
Goals from Kieran Tierney, Bukayo Saka, and a brace from Alexandre Lacazette heaped more misery on the Baggies who have conceded nine and scored none in their last two home games.
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WEST BROM WOES
The Baggies are well and truly in a relegation scrap.
Their six points adrift of safety and will need some reinforcements to arrive in January if they want to avoid the drop.
AS IT STANDS
The Gunners will now be looking up the table instead of down, after three wins on the bounce have put them just three points off a European place.
SAM SPEAKS
This is what Baggies boss Sam Allardyce has to say at full time:
“Well I mean you know there’s another game gone by where we learn more and more about the players that we have.
“I think that we’ve learnt an awful lot about what we can and cannot do.
“We’ve got Blackpool in the FA Cup where some of the players who have not performed yet will get the opportunity to play.
“That will be the final assessment of everybody and then obviously I think we need to work out a way of trying to make sure we don’t be as sloppy as we are as conceding goals.”
ARTETA’S THOUGHTS
On Kieran Tierney being one of the first names on the team sheet:
“Absolutely, he’s been fantastic since I’ve been here.
“[From] the moment that he got back from his shoulder injury he’s been terrific.
“He’s a lad that gives you absolutely everything.
“He’s improving, he’s willing to do better and better and he brings a great energy and quality to the team.”
ARTETA’S ANALYSIS
These are the full time thoughts of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta:
“A very convincing win.
“To win the last three games, [over] the Christmas period in the Premier League is not easy.
“I think today in phases, when the weather was better and the conditions to play were better I think we played some great football, and then at the end we have to manage in certain moments as well the conditions and the way we had to play because the pitch was very difficult.”
FULL TIME STATS
Here’s a look at the full time stats.
The Gunners managed a whopping twenty one efforts at goal, with twelve of them hitting the target.
The Baggies meanwhile could muster just three shots in the entire game.
TIERNEY TALKS
These are the full time thoughts of Arsenal goalscorer Kieran Tierney:
“[We] Wanted to build up wins, build up points, climb up the table, [and] in the last few games we’ve done that.
“It’s just consistent hard work, we haven’t changed anything for the last three games, we’ve been working hard every day like we were in the dry spell as well but it’s eventually coming together now.”
HAPPY NEW YEAR
An ideal start to 2021 for Arsenal, as they made it three wins on the bounce with perhaps their most impressive performance of the season so far.
GLORIOUS GUNNERS
Mikel Arteta will be delighted with the performance from his side tonight in what were tricky conditions at the Hawthorns.
You would have thought the snowy surface would have played into West Brom’s hands, but Arsenal played some excellent football at times, and well deserved their four goal win.
Kieran Tierney opened the scoring with a wonderful right footed curling effort, before Bukayo Saka finished off a wonderful team move to make it 2-0.
Alexandre Lacazette then scored twice in four second half minutes, rifling home his first from twelve yards out, before bundling in from close range after a Kieran Tierney cross.
WEST BROM 0-4 ARSENAL
Arsenal win comfortably in their first game of 2021, stretching their winning run to three.
It’s another disappointing defeat for the Baggies, who have lost two games in a row at home, to an aggregate score of 0-9.
FULL TIME: WEST BROM 0-4 ARSENAL
PEEEEP! THAT’S FULL TIME!
WEST BROM 0-4 ARSENAL
93. GOOD SAVE!
Leno preserves his clean sheet with a smart stop low to his left after an effort from Harper from the edge of the box.
West Brom will have a corner.
WEST BROM 0-4 ARSENAL
92. Willian fancies getting on the scoresheet.
He cuts the ball onto his left foot on the right wing, and breezes past O’Shea.
He drives into the box, looks up and goes for goal, but Johnstone catches the effort easily.
WEST BROM 0-4 ARSENAL
90. Three minutes of added time are signalled by the fourth official.
WEST BROM 0-4 ARSENAL
90. Arsenal break as Willian is played in over the top on the right hand side.
Again the marking from West Brom is non existent and Willock has a free header from Willian’s cross.
He can’t make a good connection with it though and it scuffs off his head for a goal kick.
WEST BROM 0-4 ARSENAL
89. Gallagher finds himself in a bit of space thirty yards out.
There’s not a lot on for him so he goes for goal, but it’s straight down the throat of Leno.
WEST BROM 0-4 ARSENAL
87. Arsenal yellow card.
Ceballos slides in on Robinson, taking the ball and the man, and is booked for his challenge.
WEST BROM 0-4 ARSENAL
86. Four minutes plus stoppage time left to play at the Hawthorns, and you wouldn’t bet against Arsenal getting a fifth before the final whistle goes.
HOW LONG LEFT?
Sam Allardyce counting down the seconds until the final whistle.
Credit: Reuters
WEST BROM 0-4 ARSENAL
83. The corner from Willian doesn’t beat the first man, but Arsenal recycle the ball.
Tierney tries to slide it into the path of Willock, but Austin plays the ball off the Arsenal substitute and out for a goal kick.
WEST BROM 0-4 ARSENAL
82. Arsenal corner.
Furlong does brilliantly to poke a ball across the face of goal from Lacazette away from the waiting Tierney.
The Gunners are slicing through West Brom at will here.
WEST BROM 0-4 ARSENAL
81. West Brom substitution.
Rekeem Harper replaces Matt Phillips for the last ten minutes.
WEST BROM 0-4 ARSENAL
80. Good save!
Johnstone is on hand to stop Aubameyang from making it five.
The Gunners break, and Aubameyang drives from the halfway line all the way in to the West Brom box.
He shoots on his left foot from a tight angle, but Johnstone parries away.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
