TIERNEY TURNS ON THE STYLE FOR ARTETA
Young guns and Lacazette double help sink Big Sam
MIKEL ARTETA looked done. His team were out for the count. Though the club backed him, you did not fancy his chances of making it through Christmas.
And then, as if from nowhere, Arsenal are back. All the optimism of a heady summer has been recovered in a three-match winning run, which has also made the league table look at least a little better.
No performance has been better than this. Granted West Brom were awful. But the Arsenal side that has looked abject but weeks ago, is suddenly sparkling into life, thanks largely to its youngsters, led by Emile Smith-Rowe and Bukayo Saka, with a helping hand from Alexandre Lacazette. This was a scintillating display, hard to reconcile with the months that preceded it.
But it was Kieran Tierney who broke the deadlock and ultimately stole the show. Even Arteta acknowledged that the Scotland international added steel in the snow in the Midlands last night.
‘He has something special in his blood,’ said Arteta. ‘We were all wearing snoods and hat and gloves and he just goes there with the shorts and T-shirts!’
For West Brom, the Sam Allardyce effect is patently not working as yet. In fact, the Baggies can be thankful that there are no fans at the Hawthorns. Since the man who was briefly England’s manager took over, they have conceded 12 goals at home and scored none.
Take the home run back a game and they have played four, conceded 17 and scored one. You can only imagine what a loyal home crowd would make of it all. If Allardyce does not insert some backbone into this side soon, the season finale is predictable, that lone point at Anfield currently looking like a small island of hope overwhelmed by a sea of despair.
Two weeks ago, Allardyce would have viewed this fixture and a chance to take on effete Arsenal with relish. But this is a chastened West Brom, resistant to the charms of Big Sam and a rejuvenated Arsenal, who somehow have resurrected their season.
Watching their first-half display, it was hard to believe quite how bad Arsenal have been in the run-up to Christmas. Slick, energetic and incisive, Tierney and Hector Bellerin in particular were excellent, giving a passable impression of Liverpool’s full-backs in their propensity to get forward with effect.
At the heart of everything though was Smith-Rowe. Injuries have held him back but he has been lingering in the Europa League team too long. And though just 20 and requiring some support, it will be a shame if Arteta’s caution sees Arsenal bring in a big-name No 10 in the transfer window and stifle this run he is having. Because this mini renaissance has coincided with Smith-Rowe’s elevation to the team.
And the confidence gained in that shock win against Chelsea and the victory they ground out at Brighton, is transforming this young team.
It is a revival inspired by youngsters and academy players rather than big-name signings. So, after watching Bellerin torment Dara O’Shea in the first 20 minutes, Tierney decided to get in on the act. In the 23rd minute he pushed the ball past Darrell Furlong, ran past him then turned to beat him again as he headed into the box. He then curled the ball past Sam Johnstone for a fine opener.
Six minutes later Smith-Rowe, who had been dominating midfield, produced one of those incisive bursts of which he is fond to set Arsenal on the offensive. Saka then exchanged passes with Lacazette, who found Smith-Rowe, who had continued his run expectantly. He drove to the byeline, pulled the ball back for Saka, who walked it into the net.
It was almost straight out of the Arsenal academy and it was a gloriously smooth move. Granted it was against West Brom, still smarting from their 5-0 defeat by Leeds. And they do look damaged goods at present. But it was fine football nonetheless.
West Brom had almost nothing by way of response. They huffed and puffed in the snow but to no effect. One breakaway did see Matheus Pereira lift the ball in for Matt Phillips, whose drive was blocked by Bernd Leno.
The hosts were better for the opening 15 minutes of the second half. They could not have been much worse. But a disallowed goal from Callum Robinson aside for offside there was little of note to report. Much shouting was heard, exhortations to ‘get in the box’ and an awful lot of energy was expended. Chances, however, were not forthcoming.
And Arsenal, suddenly a ruthless winning machine, were clinical on the counter. So in the 61st minute, Lacazette played in Saka, who simply ran past O’Shea, who clutched his hamstring and slumped to the floor but then seemed to recover a minute later.
Freed from his man, Saka fired in a cross which, bizarrely, Semi Ajayi met with a full-hearted volley. Fortunately for him it crashed off the post but it would have surpassed Romaine Sawyers own goal against Leeds had it not done so. Less fortunately, the rebound fell for Smith-Rowe, whose shot was parried away but only to Lacazette, who struck cleanly to make it 3-0.
Within four minutes, Arsenal broke again, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leading the charge and feeding Tierney down the left. His cross was met by Lacazette to make it 4-0.
Arteta hailed the i mpact of former Celtic star Tierney.
‘It was a convincing win, and to win three games over the festive period in the Premier League is not easy,’ added Arteta.
‘The first goal with Kieran was terrific and the second goal with the combination between players was fantastic as well.
‘The clean sheet, our second in a row, gives us a platform to go on and win the games and we looked more creative in the final third.
‘I am so happy because the table looks completely different, the energy around the place is much better, wins bring confidence, and you can see that in the way the team played today.’
Allardyce was in a dismal mood. ‘No disrespect to the players, but I have to find something better,’ he said.
‘We need to be more resilient in terms of our defending. And until we get enough clean sheets we won’t get enough points to move up the table because we don’t have a proven goal-scorer in our squad.’