Alexis Sanchez Bursts into Life, but It's Too Late for Sorry Arsenal

If Arsenal fans have learned anything about Alexis Sanchez in his two seasons with Arsenal, it’s that he’s a streaky player. The Chilean can go for long spells without scoring before suddenly hitting a spectacular run of form.

After scoring in four consecutive games, the former Barcelona man appears to be in the midst of one of his purple patches. Unfortunately for Arsenal, however, it comes too late to reignite their title challenge.

There was a strange atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium for this 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion on Thursday. The ground was far from full, with plenty of season-ticket holders opting against attending. That may have been partly due to the unusual scheduling, but it’s also a consequence of the apathy surrounding the denouement of Arsenal’s campaign.

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Those who didn’t come missed a spectacular first-half show from Alexis. After just six minutes, he collected a pass from Aaron Ramsey 25 yards from goal. With former Tottenham Hotspur man Sandro paying close attention, Alexis produced a beautiful turn to leave the Brazilian in his wake. He then fired a low shot beyond goalkeeper Ben Forster and into the bottom corner.

If the goalkeeper looked somewhat stranded on that goal, he had even less chance with the second. When a free-kick was awarded to Arsenal on the edge of the box, West Brom’s wall was disjointed and disorganised. Per Mertesacker and Olivier Giroud were able to muscle their way into the centre of the blockade, and when Alexis shot, they parted to allow the ball to fly between them and into the net.

It was a good strike, but the goal owed as much to West Brom’s inattention to detail as Alexis’ ability.

Nevertheless, that means the Chilean has five goals in four games. His upturn in form is in part inspired by his switch to the right wing. On the left, he had become worryingly predictable, constantly ducking inside onto his preferred right foot. On the opposite flank, his runs into the channel between full-back and centre-half have been more direct and dangerous.

Unfortunately, Alexis’ resurgence has come too late to save Arsenal’s season. With leaders Leicester City still 10 points clear, the title remains out of sight. Instead, the Gunners are embroiled in a depressingly familiar battle to secure UEFA Champions League qualification.

The reasons for that slide out of contention were in evidence again against West Brom. Although Arsenal dominated the match, they could not score the third goal required to kill off the game.

It’s precisely that merciful streak that saw them punished against West Ham United and Crystal Palace in their previous two games. The Baggies struck the bar and missed another glorious chance from a couple of yards out. Had one of those chances found the net, the mood and the match would have been transformed. Instead, Arsenal survived—this time their profligacy went unpunished. 

Four matches remain in Arsenal’s season, and the supporters expect their team to give everything to ensure they finish as high up the table as possible. However, the excitement has been drained from their campaign.

Alexis was fantastic on Thursday night, but his contribution will likely be forgotten amid the broader story of Arsenal’s latest collapse.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.