By Minal Vachheta
Arsenal hosted West Brom at the Emirates and after a successful mid week carling cup tie; they were seen to be the favourites for today. The Baggies had a penalty saved in the first half and it looked like the game wouldn’t go their way today that was until they took the lead early in the second half with a shot from Peter Odemwingie. They then scored their second goal 2 minutes later, the Gunners hadn’t had much chance to recover from the first goal and before they knew it they were 2-0 down at home. Gonzalo Jara scored the second in the 52nd minute, Jerome Thomas playing against his ex team Arsenal, scored West Brom’s third goal in the 73rd minute. Almunia was at fault for both the second and the third goals. Samir Nasri got Arsenal’s attack going with two late goals but it was too late in the day and they couldn’t find a third to salvage a point.
So what went wrong?
Arsene Wenger says
“I didn’t recognise my team today.”
Arsenal’s performance was a far cry from their mid week performance. It was sloppy and lacked focus. It was obvious that they were missing their injured captain Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie and Theo Walcott.
West Brom on the other hand were ready for a battle at the Emirates, they were sharp and dedicated. They have had a good week after knocking Man City out of the Carling cup mid week and have now claimed their first away win in 18 premier league games. The Baggies had purpose, they knew what they wanted and got their 3 points.
Arsenal had a brief attacking moment before Nasri scored Arsenal’s double where they looked threatening Chamakh headed wide and Nasri shot wide. They never looked comfortable, as West Brom kept the pressure on.
This defeat has definitely put a dent in Arsenal’s challenge for the title and has certainly given them something to think about for their trip to Chelsea next Sunday. Chelsea dropped 3 points at Man City today and this was Arsenal’s chance to close the gap between them both. You can watch all the goals here.
Are Arsenal’s title hopes in danger?
