West Bromwich Albion 2 - Arsenal 1

Summary:

Just because you have only 30% possession and a single shot on target it doesn't mean you can't win a game 2-1. Jonas Olsson was recalled to replace the suspended Gareth McAuley in an otherwise unchanged lineup.

Arsenal took the lead on 28 minutes when Olivier Giroud evaded Salomon Rondon to get the final touch on Musut Ozil's free kick after a foul on Alexis Sanchez by James Morrison, but the latter levelled the scores seven minutes later with a beautiful looping volley from Chris Brunt's free kick. Five minutes before the break, a good run down the left by Rondon fed James McLean in a great position to cross for Morrison, but before it got to him Mikel Arteta, on as a 14th minute substitute for the injured Francis Coquelin, turned the ball into his own net to give Albion the lead.

Two second half incidents may have suggested some curious refereeing decisions at the time, but replays proved both to be entirely correct. First, Albion were denied a 3-1 lead when Jonas Olsson's header from a corner hit the underside of the bar and was headed in by Saido Berahino, but the striker had been offside when the header was taken and the goal was disallowed. Then, after Chris Brunt had pulled Alexis Sanchez down in the area, Santi Cazorla slipped and blasted his penalty over the bar and referee Mark Clattenburg appeared to call for it to be retaken - but in actual fact, Cazorla's slip had caused him to kick the ball twice and he was awarding a free kick.

The win lifted Albion to twelfth place in the table.

Brendan Clegg:

A game of two halves I think - we were very good in the first half, sat back and rode our luck in the second and somehow obtained an unlikely but very welcome victory.

I was quite happy with the starting lineup - this is pretty much our strongest side, tactics and formation in my opinion - give or take swapping the suspended McAuley for Olsson and at maybe Saido for Rondon when Saido is on top form and fitness, neither of which he has been.

We started well, had Sess and McLean on the correct wings and Rondon and Mozza pressing Arsenal high up so that others followed.

We were brave in our pressing and showed courage on the ball. We had attacking threat when winning the ball back high up the pitch and defensively we also looked good.

Their goal was very soft and unfair on our performance and we might have collapsed but got back into the game quickly, thankfully, with an equally quite soft goal albeit a much better finish.

We then showed great bravery to continue press high and aggressively and were rewarded with a fortunate own goal that was deserved and earned by McLean's heart and refusal to give up.

The remainder of the first half was seen out well. We did drop a bit deeper and took fewer risks but I thought we were good value for being ahead.

Second half Arsenal came out with serious intent to push is back and we did struggle to get out of our own defensive 3rd. After 10 minutes or so it was clear we needed a change.

Probably my only criticism of Pulis for this match would be the subs - it was fair enough to sacrifice Sess but I'd have gone with McManaman as he is more aggressive, works hard but crucially still provides an out ball and can carry the ball 30-40 yards up the pitch.

The moment Gardner came on, despite his battling qualities, we had no way out - and the Arsenal attacks were relentless to the point where on another day despite our defensive heroics they still could've won by 2 or 3 goals.

But, somehow, it was our day and we held on - and we were always a threat from set plays.

The penalty would've been very harsh - I doubt we'd have got the same decision.

A huge win helped by a host of Arsenal injuries prior to and during the game, their squandered chances by poor quality and lady luck at the very end. But I will take the way we played first half every game and all season - not the greatest but hard working, entertaining, positive and with quality in some areas. We could finish anywhere from 10th-17th if we stay on this course but we'll enjoy it along the way.

• Myhill - 7 Not sure what he was doing for the goal but quietly reliable as always.
• Dawson - 7 A tough afternoon but coped very well for large parts.
• Evans - 8 My only worry is he is young enough to have another big move in him. Looks to be worth what we paid for him and Chester combined. Very impressive again.
• Olsson - 8 Delighted for him - despite the boo boys I don't think he's ever shirked a challenge or ducked a header for us ever. As always, slightly suspect with the ball at his feet but is a perfect guy to have for a battle with Giroud and he won it.
• Brunt - 7 Never gave up, was targeted a lot in the final 20 but stood up to it, just.
• Yacob - 8 Countless blocks and interceptions and some great use of the ball.
• Fletcher - 7 Struggled at times but it would be unfair to dismiss the clear influence he has on organization, leadership and the physicality he shows. Our worst passer on the day.
• Sess - 7 Based upon a first half 8 and a 2nd half 6. It makes a massive difference having a player who can beat anyone in the league and can keep the ball so well - at the heart of our best play.
• Mozza - 8 Seemed to enjoy it in his best role. Some cute fouls and niggles and deserved his goal. Great energy.
• McLean - 8 A manager's dream and as before much better on the left. Kept it simple, worked his nuts off and doubled up well defensively. One slip nearly cost us but it was an honest one.
• Rondon - 7 Did a great job in occupying their centre-backs all game. A great effort considering the traveling.

• Gardner - 6 Did his best.
• Saido - 6 Ran his legs off.
• Lambert - 5 Couldn't really get into it, thought it was the wrong sub to make.

Kev Buckley:

Having now watched the game via the Arsenal TV coverage, my thoughts pretty much echo Brendan Clegg's, albeit with one or two slight differences of view.

Not so sure about our first goal equalling out the softness of their first, on two counts:

1. Rondon seems to look to shoulder charge Arteta off a 50/50 ball but misses completely and so was already falling to the ground when the latter then won the ball before they both end up in a heap.
2. Olsson fouls Mertersaker by preventing him running towards goal and thereby creating the space within which Morrison is able to execute his volley so sweetly.

Their penalty looked like it might have been a tactic that worked for us once (possibly more than once given Olsson and Giroud's battle) but not the second time.

Brunt has his arm around the player who has got goal-side of him and then falls onto/into his back. There was a very similar occurrence at the start of the second half where Olsson fell onto Giroud on the edge of the box. As the defender, I guess that you're asking a ref to make a call as to whether you're falling accidentally or intentionally.

Think I'd rather see my defenders not letting their man get goal-side so as not to "be able" to fall on their backs but there you go. Man of the Match must go to the bloke who watered the area around the spot at that end at half-time who just edges out McLean.

Basically, if they score the penalty or the young striker with the pink boots they threw on as a last resort scores from inside the six-yard box then the "sit back and hang on" tactics would probably get more of an inspection.

Fully endorse Brendan's thoughts on the obligatory Gardner substitution but would go further by pointing out that unlike us playing Brunt, a winger at full back, Arsenal's injury list saw them playing Gibbs, a full back as a winger, so surely deploying anyone with some attacking intent down that flank would have been better than having Gardner drop back and surrender territory.

It was also pretty obvious what Sessegnon thought of being pulled off as well, so it's clearly not just the fans who can't see the point.

Yacob was immense, especially, in the 2nd half but often found himself with no out ball after winning it, and so was forced to win another challenge just to hold onto it: Fletcher, on the other hand, seemingly gave it away as soon as he could rather than take a touch.

Finally, a "hats off" to Morrison. After Rondon arrived, I was wondering if Bruiser would get a start again, what with the glue sniffer and Sessegnon both, I thought, likely to be deployed in the hole behind a target man However, with McMananaman seemingly surplus to requirements and Sessegnon doing a job out wide, it seems pretty clear than Mozza is the one player we have worth playing through the centre-midfield. Less Zzz, as the Batman would have it - more ZZR!