West Brom will equal an unwanted Premier League record of 19 consecutive matches without a win - exactly half a season - if they fail to beat Arsenal at the Hawthorns on Sunday, and there’s a stack of other statistics that suggest this ought to be a routine afternoon for the Gunners.
The Baggies have won only two of their last 29 games in this competition, a sequence that stretches all the way back to March, during which time they’ve failed to hit the net on 15 occasions and been reduced to a solitary strike on a further 10. On home soil, their miserable record reads W1 D6 L7 F9 A18.
But Arsene Wenger will need no reminding that Albion’s last notable triumph was against his team and Albion regulars who have been starved of entertainment for so long might just be encouraged by the quirky possibility of seeing their team record a third straight home win against the Londoners.
The Alan Pardew era has yet to take flight, but performances have improved and this could be just the sort of banana skin that habitually catches the Gunners unawares. Victory at Crystal Palace in midweek stretched Arsenal's current unbeaten league sequence to five matches, but they haven’t gone six unbeaten for more than a year.
West Brom were dominant against Everton in their last outing but failed to force the all-important breakthrough. Only the final piece of the jigsaw was missing, according to Pardew, who praised his team for a balanced, 90-minute performance that delivered quality down both flanks and put a resolute visiting defence under continual pressure.
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This game will follow an entirely different pattern, of course, but it might just transpire that Albion are more clinical when the focus is mostly on their defensive duties in the face of prolonged spells without the ball and where opportunities to get on the scoresheet are relatively few and far between.
Everton were stubborn opponents when defending crosses and set plays, staying touch-tight to Albion players whenever the ball was delivered into the box, with Pardew insistent that he was delighted with the quality provided by wingers Chris Brunt and Matty Phillips. Should the Gunners be up against the same standards, you wouldn’t bank on them remaining so switched on.
Indeed, it was a James Tomkins header from an Andros Townsend corner that set up a nervy finale in their 3-2 success at Selhurst Park. Arsenal did hold out for a deserved three points against the Eagles, but it all got a bit last-ditch in the four minutes that remained, serving up one last shot of adrenaline that no doubt stayed in the bloodstream beyond midnight. When your next opposition has a 53-hour rest advantage, as West Brom do here, then such small matters can make a big difference.
Arsenal have needed late goals to do themselves justice on Sunday trips to Burnley (1-0) and Southampton (1-1) following their final two Europa League group games, despite rotating heavily, and they were held by West Ham (0-0) on the back of a three-day turnaround earlier this month. On that evidence, there's not a great deal to put you off a speculative wager on the Baggies.
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1pt West Brom to beat Arsenal at 9/2
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