Arsenal overcame West Bromwich Albion in their league encounter on Monday night. This win was their fourth in five games across all competitions, and a third successive clean sheet in a row. A brace from summer signing Alexandre Lacazette helped Arsenal jump to 7th position in the league standings.
Let’s look at 5 talking points from the game.
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A few records broken, a few remain
Gareth Barry became the most capped player in the Premier League with 663 appearances, surpassing Ryan Giggs in the process. It’s an unbelievable feat, considering the fact that he’s made over 30 appearances in every season, 18 years in a row. Though the result was not what he would have hoped for on such a momentous occasion, his longevity and fitness certainly deserve a special mention. Football as a sport has been ever-changing. To be a constant in such a situation speaks volumes of the talent the Englishman possesses.
Alexis Sanchez too, made his 100th Premier League start in an Arsenal shirt. Could that be the last milestone in his Arsenal career? We will have to wait and watch.
As for records that remain, Olivier Giroud will have to wait for another day to break into triple figures in terms of goals for Arsenal FC. He remains on 99, after making a substitute appearance against the Baggies.
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Consistency reaps rewards
It was another game that saw both Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac play at their preferred position of RWB and LWB respectively. Both of the wingbacks were exceptional on the night. Defensively, Kolasinac had more to do as most of the attacks came down West Brom’s right, but he was up to the task. Bellerin too has worked on his crosses and was a real force in attack. Neat link-up play and resolute defending from both on the night, almost as if they’re enjoying playing in their preferred position.
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Granit Xhaka needs to get it together
Granit Xhaka had yet another night to forget. Sloppy passes, poor positioning and absolutely no contribution whatsoever from the night from the Swiss international. In a team that performed well, he was the only player who seemed out of sync. His performances may give Arsene Wenger a great headache on whether or not to select him regularly this season. He is a long way away from justifying his £35 million price tag.
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Alexandre Lacazette – The goal poacher Arsenal have always needed
Alexandre Lacazette helped himself to two goals on the night, his first brace in Arsenal colours, taking his season’s tally to 4 goals in as many games for the Gunners. However, the manner in which he took both goals deserves plaudits. The first goal was the poacher’s delight, as Lacazette was the first to respond as Sanchez’s freekick thundered off the cross-bar to nod home Arsenal’s first on the night. The second one was an unstoppable penalty that the keeper could not deal with though he had gone the right direction. Lacazette will look to continue in this fine form as Arsenal finally seem to have found some sort of stability heading into the new season.
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Arsenal look a more balanced side
Arsenal’s victory against West Brom made it 4 wins in the last 5 games for the Gunners. It also was their third consecutive clean sheet. It has been promising from the gunners after their disappointing outing at Anfield. They now head into a decent fixture list with Brighton, Watford, Everton and Swansea up next. They will definitely go into those games with confidence and will look to build on this momentum gathered in the past 3 weeks. Slowly and steadily might not be enough, but at least they are going up the league table and not succumbing to further defeats, that’s a positive for sure!
