West Brom vs. Arsenal: Score and Reaction from 2015 Premier League Match
West Bromwich Albion dented Arsenal's title hopes in the Premier League on Saturday, beating the Gunners 2-1 at the Hawthorns, as Santi Cazorla missed a late penalty to rescue a draw.
James Morrison's strike and a Mikel Arteta own goal gave the Baggies the victory after Olivier Giroud grabbed the lead for the visitors.
West Brom coach Tony Pulis was without suspended defender Gareth McAuley, with Jonas Olsson coming in to replace him.
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Hector Bellerin returned for the Gunners after injury, replacing Mathieu Debuchy in the starting XI.
Arsenal took the lead after dominating possession in the first 30 minutes, as France international Giroud kept up his good form with the opener.
Mesut Ozil was productive once again, as he has proved all season, and his floated free-kick found the striker for the simplest of finishes. Pulis will be disappointed his Baggies defence failed to pick up opponents in the box.
Bleacher Report UK highlighted the German provider's consistency this term:
However, the Gunners' advantage was to last only seven minutes as Morrison struck back for the hosts.
The Scotland international finished with skill and precision, lifting a controlled volley over Gunners goalkeeper Petr Cech into the far corner in a rare moment of creativity from Pulis' men.
Arsenal's misery was compounded five minutes before the break as they once again conceded, handing the hosts a 2-1 lead at half-time.
James McClean bundled his way through the visitors' defence, and his fired cross into the six-yard box was converted by Mikel Arteta into his own net.
Journalist and Gunners fan Piers Morgan berated his team:
Bleacher Report Arsenal writer James McNicholas gave his thoughts at half-time about manager Arsene Wenger's team:
OptaJoe highlighted how lucky West Brom were to take the lead into half-time after a hugely ineffective attacking performance:
There was an air of intent from Arsenal in the second half as they chased the game and a positive result.
Jonny Evans was in tremendous form for West Brom, making several important tackles and interceptions to halt the Gunners' forward charge.
Ozil went close for Arsenal, hitting the post after collecting a deft pass from Alexis Sanchez, but the visitors were struggling to find the vital goal they needed.
Substitute Joel Campbell had one of the best chances of the match after his arrival in the second half. The attacker missed an easy chance after breaking free from McClean, but the Arsenal man made a mess of his effort, missing the target to the moans of the travelling contingent.
West Brom nearly put the contest to bed after 71 minutes after a delivery from Chris Brunt was almost bundled over the line by the hosts, but good work from Cech and Campbell kept the ball out of the Arsenal goal.
The Gunners thought they had saved themselves with eight minutes to spare as Brunt fouled Sanchez to give Wenger's side a penalty. Cazorla stepped up to convert the spot-kick, but his stumble at the vital point saw him smash his shot high over the crossbar.
Arsenal pushed hard in the final seconds as they desperately searched for a second goal, pressing high up the pitch against the Baggies defence.
However, Wenger was left disappointed, as his side collected a rare defeat, hurting its claim for silverware in the Premier League.
Post-Match Reaction
Wenger complimented West Brom on their first-half comeback that saw Arsenal fall to defeat but claimed his side will recover in the weeks ahead, as quoted by the Gunners' official Twitter feed:
Arsenal now face Champions League action as they host Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday, Nov. 24, and West Brom are in action on Sunday, Nov. 29 when they travel to West Ham United in the Premier League.
