MADLEY’S SPOT OF BOTHER
Blundering ref denies Albion penalty before Lacazette hits double
ARSENE Wenger will look for positives, as he always does, and there were some here at the Emirates — another victory in the Premier League and two more goals for new striker Alexandre Lacazette.
It is a month now since Arsenal were embarrassed by Liverpool and Wenger’s team have inched back on to an even keel. This, however, was a game that hung in the balance for quite a while.
Referee Bobby Madley erred spectacularly in only the eighth minute with the game scoreless. How he missed the foul by Shkodran Mustafi on Jay Rodriguez in the penalty area, only he will know. It should have been a spot kick and West Brom should have been in the lead.
Even after Arsenal went ahead, West Brom were very much in the game. Twice in the moments before the interval, Tony Pulis’s team could have equalised and although Arsenal went on to dominate the second period and secure the game through a Lacazette penalty, this was a performance that left enduring questions unanswered.
Credit to West Brom. They were more ambitious than usual away from home. With more quality in front of goal and some fortune, they may have taken something.
Arsenal were grateful for Madley’s early error because they had started sloppily. As Wenger had been more than happy to explain before the game, this was the start of a long week for Arsenal and he will hope his team start forthcoming games against Bate Borisov and Brighton better than they did this one.
In the opening 10 minutes, West Brom were sharper to the ball and, frankly, just looked more hungry. Playing with a back three, they looked comfortable and broke well to create the opportunity that led to the controversy. Gareth Barry’s pass from deep found Rodriguez with a yard on Mustafi as he scampered into the area.
The visiting player was caught by his opponent as he turned but regained his footing to bring a save from Petr Cech, who diverted the ball on to a post. Jake Livermore should have put away the rebound, only to scuff his shot wide. But none of this really mattered because it should have been a penalty, pure and simple.
It was hard to escape the feeling West Brom would suffer further and that is exactly what happened. Even taking Arsenal’s indifferent form into account, they don’t give up many opportunities at the Emirates and it was not long before they were more fluent and, more importantly, in the lead.
On this occasion, in the 20th minute, Madley did spot a foul as Jonny Evans caught Mohamed Elneny on the edge of the area. Pulis looked exasperated but this time he had no cause to be.
Alexis Sanchez — close with a free-kick in the fifth minute — curled this effort on to the bar via Ben Foster’s fingertips and Lacazette reacted first to head the rebound into the empty net with West Brom’s goalkeeper lying on his back.
It was tough on West Brom and they did not react well at first. Aaron Ramsey could have doubled Arsenal’s lead, only to overrun the ball, then Sanchez had Foster scampering across goal with another dead-ball effort that whistled by a post. West Brom reasserted themselves and they should have levelled in the 38th minute. A cross from Grzegorz Krychowiak found Rodriguez in space at the far post and the striker’s downward header across Cech was hacked off the line by Nacho Monreal. It was superb work from Monreal but Rodriguez should have done better.
Soon after, Hal Robson-Kanu’s flick-on almost set up Krychowiak at the far post as West Brom built momentum and then, in first-half stoppage time, Barry almost marked his landmark appearance with a goal, arriving late to meet a Livermore cross only for Arsenal to hack clear.
By half-time, West Brom had created more clear chances than Arsenal. They left the field, though, reflecting on the early moment of controversy that had robbed them of a vital foothold.
Wenger would not have been particularly happy at half-time. His team had been patchy at best and defensively they had looked vulnerable.
Early in the second period, at least, they showed aggression and played at a better tempo. A square pass from Elneny to Lacazette in the 51st minute looked as though it would yield a goal, only for the forward’s shot to be deflected.
Then, from a corner, Mustafi ran to the near post from the penalty spot to cleverly back-heel an effort towards the top corner. On this occasion, Foster’s positioning was perfect and he was able to gather above his head with both hands.
It was a much-improved secondhalf display by Arsenal and they sealed the win with 25 minutes left when Ramsey burst past Allan Nyom and was bundled over by a crude shove. Foster went the right way for Lacazette’s penalty but it was struck too well and beat the goalkeeper low to his left. ARSENAL (3-4-2-1): Cech 6; Mustafi 6, Koscielny 6, Monreal 6.5; Bellerin 6, Xhaka 6, Elneny 6, Kolasinac 6; Ramsey 6.5 (Maitland-Niles 90min), Sanchez 7 (Ozil 83); Lacazette 7.5 (Giroud 83). Subs not used: Ospina, Mertesacker, Walcott Wilshere. Scorer: Lacazette 20, 67 pen. Booked: Sanchez. Manager: Arsene Wenger 6.5. WEST BROMWICH ALBION (5-3-2): Foster 6; Nyom 5.5 (for Phillips 74n, 6), Dawson 6, Hegazi 6, Evans 6, Gibbs 6; Livermore 6 (Morrison 63, 6), Barry 6.5 Krychowiak 6; Rodriguez 6.5, Robson-Kanu 6 (Rondon 64, 6). Subs not used: Myhill, Yacob, Brunt, McClean. Booked: Evans, Dawson, Krychowiak, Nyom. Manager: Tony Pulis 5.5. Referee: Bobby Madley 5. Attendance: 59,134.