Result: West Brom 0-6 Arsenal
Competition: Carabao Cup, 2nd Round
Date: 25 August 2021
Venue: The Hawthorns
Arsenal: Ramsdale, Tavares, Chambers, Holding, Kolasinac, Elneny, Xhaka, Odegaard, Pepe, Saka, Aubameyang
Subs: Leno, Mari, Maitland-Niles, Sambi, Smith Rowe, Martinelli, Lacazette
Arsenal beat West Brom 6-0 at The Hawthorns as Mikel Arteta’s side made light work of a first appearance League Cup second round in 26 years.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang kick-started his season with a hat-trick and Nicolas Pepe, Bukayo Saka and Alex Lacazette also got on the scoresheet as the Gunners attacking unit finally found its groove after two blanks in the league.
Arsenal’s reward is a showdown with AFC Wimbledon in three weeks time.
Pre-game
New signings Aaron Ramsdale and Martin Odegaard were both handed their first starts as Mikel Arteta mixed things up following the defeat to Chelsea. The Norwegian filled in for Emile Smith Rowe in the number 10 role and, alongside Bukayo Saka and Nicolas Pepe, was charged with providing ammunition to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Mo Elneny, in for Sambi, and Granit Xhaka sat in front of a defence made up of Nuno Tavares, Sead Kolasinac, Rob Holding and Calum Chambers. Alex Lacazette, back from his bout of Covid, was on the bench.
First Half
If there were fears pre-game that an in-form West Brom would go hell for leather with a physical approach, they were allayed when the team sheets revealed the home side’s average age was 22. Manager Valerian Ismael, citing the league as a priority, was happy to play his kids despite knowing the potential consequences.
To be fair, the Baggies made a go of things early on. While Arsenal had most of the ball, the home side created a flurry of half-chances inside the opening 15 minutes. Ramsdale had to deny Tom Fellows with a save low to his right and from the resulting corner, Adam Reach’s effort trickled just past the post.
Despite our recent problems, the Gunners looked confident and composed. Odegaard had a few neat touches that kept things moving in midfield and Bukayo Saka buzzed around with his usual energy.
It was the England international’s determination that led to our opener. Having attempted a cross that was cleared, he pounced on the loose ball on the edge of the area, barged past a couple of defenders and drilled a low effort that keeper Palmers spilt into the path of Aubameyang. The striker, showing good awareness, couldn’t miss from three yards out. (1-0)
It should have been two five minutes later when Saka caused more havoc with a run and shot that was deflected into the path of Odegaard. The Norwegian from a tight angle hit the post.
Palmer denied Aubameyang the chance to double the lead on 34 minutes when he raced out of goal to clear but the reprieve was only temporary.
In the closing stages of the half we scored a quick-fire brace to kill the game. Pepe, played in by Elneny, hit the post before Auba tucked home the rebound. (2-0)
Our captain then squandered a fine chance for a hat-trick but after having a clipped effort saved managed to fortuitously find Pepe with an overhead kick that the Ivorian tapped home. Again, Saka had done brilliantly in the build-up. (3-0)
Second Half
We picked up where we left off. Saka charging from midfield played the ball to Odegaard who flicked the ball around the corner and the 19-year-old finished on the run with real swagger in front of the travelling fans. He, they, we all, enjoyed that one. (4-0)
The home side made life difficult for Ramsdale for five minutes as they forced the new boy into a couple of saves. He then winded himself as he fell awkwardly claiming a corner.
Odegaard, who was very polished all evening. made it as far as the hour mark before being replaced by Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Playing in midfield, he immediately helped himself to an assist, laying off to Aubameyang who cut in off the left to curl a beauty into the top corner. (5-0)
Alex Lacazette came on for his first appearance of the season in place of Granit Xhaka and with his first touch released Pepe. One on one with the keeper, the winger beat the keeper with his chip only for it to clip the bar. We didn’t have to wait long for our sixth. Pepe turned provider for Lacazette who crashed home first time as he burst into the box. It was a lovely finish. (6-0)
Ramsdale produced another eye-catching stop to ensure some of the plaudits went his way, Auba went off to a standing ovation and Laca nearly added a seventh. There was a late scare then Saka was floored by a late challenge but he managed to limp his way to the final whistle.
After a horrible start to the new campaign, this evening certainly provided some light relief. That said, there won’t be many of you sticking money on us repeating the trick at the Eithad on Saturday.
What a talent Saka is. A pure joy to watch!
Agreed. Glad he is getting back into his stride after his summer exertions.
Was expecting him to get a rest after we won the game. But I guess Arteta wants him to reach full fitness as soon as possible.
Yep. Recall the first time I saw him play last year. He has to start I thought. Oh my the kid can play.
I enjoyed watching that
Yes, very much. We attacked with pace and verve. We didn’t force Auba back into hold up play. Bloody good to see. Also glad Blogs made a mistake and Kola was a CB and not LB. Tavares looked great on the left (nice crossing and he has a good right foot). Shout out to Mo-Neny too, he put in a really dyanmic display, running everywhere like he did, but some really nice crisp passing.
Dam we all needed that! Hopefully another 6-0 on the weekend. I much prefer seeing opposition doughnuts than that describing our passing maps.
And to xhaka who passed it forward! tried a good few through balls today. must have seen my comment on last games match report 😉
Xhaka had time snd space. He rarely gets that in premiership.
Lets let Xhaxa have his moment today.
Xhaka tried to slow the game down whenever possible. It was Odegaard who constantly upped the tempo with his one touch passes and flicks.
Daveo, hopefully it’s not the “bad” kind of 6-0 that happens this weekend!
Nothing beats the winning feeling. Wouldn’t care less about the opposition.
We needed that. Well done lads.
Ode is a star.
Great to see our captain firing again.
Hopefully that last finish was what was required to get him back in rythym – Auba of old.
Auba looked on it, not seen him look that sharp for a while, hope he’s got his mojo back for good, we’re gonna need him firing this season
Also, Xhaka and Odegaard were able to consistently find his movement, which was missing in other games. So, that’s nice too
Fair play to him, given he has just recovered from illness.
I know it was only West Brom but something about having Ramsdale in goal just puts me more at ease. He just looks comfortable in goal. Some great saves tonight as well. Hope he really pushes Leno for that starting spot
Exactly right. Leno has made outstanding saves while hes been here, one of the best shop stoppers i have seen yet I’m never convinced when hes in goal and this is all seperate from the issues with the ball at his feet and his general kicking.
Lucky Arsenal.
Start a diet brother, it might do you good.
Would have liked to see us really go for the throat
don’t know why some people like you love negative attention and hogging the downvotes on this article, just enjoy the win ffs
And I don’t know why so many people on this website have had an irony bypass operation.
Can’t stop laughing at that one
It’s hard to present irony through text, especially when you’ve got s reputation for being a bit of a tit
Why
Not asking why you think we were lucky, by the way.
Come on mate, I want Arteta gone too, but let’s not let that prevent us from enjoying an Arsenal victory. A win is a win, even if it is small beer.
One or two of the lads did really well tonight. Once we’ve got a new manager at the helm, there’s hope for the future.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what sead kolasinac brings to the team.
Sign da ting.
He must start every match for us the rest of the season! We have a +6 goal differential when he plays, MUCH better than any of our other defenders .Numbers don’t lie! Give him a contract extension and a raise NOW!
100% cleansheet with him on playing CB. Where are all the Kola doubters now??? Assured AND versatile
Wow, forgot how amazing our away fans can be. They were electric and the players definitely felt the love.
And oh, Saka is a treasure to this football club
The away supporters are some of the best in the country. Funnily enough I’m pretty sure I saw (and heard) at least 10 people from AFTV chanting”We Love You Arsenal”.
AFTV don’t love arsenal. They love arsenal losing
I don’t care if we played against a bunch of youngsters and I don’t care if we play City next, I thouroughly enjoyed this win and I’m gonna happily ride this wave until Saturday!
Aaron Ramsdale is a keeper
He looked full of confidence unlike Leno of late
More like it! 6 of the starting 11 were left-footed: Tavares, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Odegaard, Pepe and Saka. I wonder if this is some sort of record.
No coincidence the score-line was 6-0. We should do this more often.
Isn’t Tavares right footed?
No, left
The score shows the gulf of quality between the two clubs, but this doesn’t have to discredit the much needed performance the team has shown. A hattrick will give Auba the confidence he needs ahead of the Man City game. I thought Saka and Pepe were superb too.
Yes, Pepe is really putting in the effort.
Whisper it quietly, but that Nuno Tavares could be better than Tierney.
He certainly looks very enthusiastic. Makes me wonder, how would they play if we play both him and Tierney on the left? Tierney as a left back and Tavares as the winger. Tavares looks more a winger than a defender.
Wait…what?!
He was full of energy but he lost the ball a lot.
then play him at right back and we might have something
Wouldn’t say better but he’s a really,
really good signing. Big future at this club.
Agree. Needs some minutes but is way for comfortable with the ball and doesn’t constantly vlast crosses ro no one.
Slightly different sort of player if that’s possible… Tierney has strengths like old fashioned wing play (i.e. knock and run) and also neat long passing but struggles in tight spaces and defending one v one whereas Tavares is probably a bit better at dribbling and stuff.
Yeah i did not see that
I really thought he was pretty poor on the ball to be honest.
tavares looked really impressive. and he will be great for the sing song on the bus home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0Ced5nKzMU
It’s nice to see people smile again. Odegaard makes me happy. So, so happy. Top professional effort from the rest.
A thumping 6-0 win!
The Wenger Out Mob who became Umai Emery Out Mob who are now the Arteta Out Mob maybe a little quieter tonight but wait till they lick- off after this weekend
Some of us see what Arteta is trying to build ( including age profile). Easy to criticise mistakes but also credit where due – the way he is developing Saka, Smith Rowe etc. I also think he has got a real talent in Odegaard
Arteta 10/10 tonight
Oh yeah and how many criticised the Ramsdale signing
Patience and support!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You mean the AFTV mob? I have nothing against people making money from the club but AFTV is plain toxic.
… and the social media trollers many of whom have never seen Arsenal struggle in the way I did in certain years during the 1970’s and 1980’s before George Graham. Not every team can win. It’s cyclical & takes time to rebuild. Also, I think many do not understand the full extent of the expenditure of Man City &Chelsea
Toxic club makes toxic fans.
It might interest you to know several of the AFTV mob were there tonight.
Not seen or heard anything on there i haven’t on here. Just stay clear of the jokers. Got some good guys on there. Thought Robbie was a good ambassador on Skysports and Talksport this week,
Credit where credit is due. We played bloody good football at an exceptional attacking pace. This is really what everyone has been asking for. Get things going at a higher tempo, play a bit more direct, don’t have direct strikers and wingers playing hold-up roles, have them playing off the last man, running into channels at pace.
I’m all about Ed Sheeran in goals, keep him in there on the weekend. He might have cost a pretty penny, but we’re desperate for an upgrade over our flappable German.
We just need to convince the lads that De Bruyne is just a budget Robert Snodgrass. They’ll be playing with no fear in no time.
I think that’s all any of us want is up tempo football, you could see the players enjoying themselves which filters down to the fans regardless of who is manager people just want to be entertained
Why do you have to divide the fanbase? Just enjoy this moment and be together.
Exactly. It’s also hardly a vindication of anything tonight but who cares. Best just to appreciate the win. Forget who we play next, what competition this is, etc. Our team won, scored lots of goals and played well.
I’m very happy with the football played, of course, but all we’ve seen is that Artetaball works against a second string Championship side that chose to defend high and wide.
There’s still no evidence it may ever work against PL teams defending deep and narrow.
Yea we really missed Auba, Laca, and even Odegaard. Midfield play is still awful as our double-tandem is way too deep and flat but we actually played long balls in the right spots when West Brom pressed and let their back line exposed. Ramsdale is owed an apology.
Also, someone get Tavares some longer studs , man was slipping all over the pitch!
Spot on😁.He really does remind me of Welbeck. I’m not sure what it is. Maybe their legs are too long for their body😂
He’s got a similar gait when running.
That’s how Arteta ball is supposed to work. Now if it would only work against Premier league opposition we’d be alright
That Odegaard – Saka combination for the goal was great, hopefully there is much more to come. I enjoyed away fans today, they really can create superb atmosphere and Ramsdale looks good. Now let´s get something from the sheikhs´ club, ideally 3 points. COYG
So Blogs was right, Auba really was saving his goals for the actual season.
All in all a very enjoyable evening, was very nice to see us playing with such positivity.
I couldn’t care about the opposition or the competition – scoring goals like that is awesome. We should definitely do this more often.
Unfortunately we won’t have many more shit teams to play now we are out of the Europa League.
What are you on about? We have two North London derbies yet to come
haha 🙂
Loved it! It was great watching a game where it wasn’t Tierney blindly crossing foe 90minutes.
After a shaky start we managed to beat West Bromwich Albion reserves. I feel sad having watched us be rubbish until we scored a few.
One of the most heart-warming scenes I have witnessed as an Arsenal fan for a long time was seeing Auba, Saka and Pepe celebrate together after Pepe’s goal. All three have had testing times of late, seeing them embracing with their distinctive smiles and happy was a joy – let’s hope we see it many more times this season and beyond
Sorry not Pepe’s goal, his pass off the post for Auba’s second
We’ve done this before. I know I should know better but I don’t care.
I’ll be happy until the weekend. I’m happy thinking this is something we can build from. I’m hoping Aubameyang has another charge for Golden Boot and that somehow drags us into top 4.
I’ll believe and hope until we concede to City in the first 10 minutes.
Let’s enjoy the positivity whilst it lasts.
Really liking what I’ve seen of Tavares so far. What do people think of him as a possible right back? The best fullbacks at the Euros were right footed left backs, don’t see why it couldn’t work on the other side
Nice morale boosting win and the 4th goal was a joy to watch
I’m just going to enjoy it while I can
I know it was a nothing game in some ways but i really dislike how slow the comments move when we win compared to when we lose. Keep the same energy both ways.
Real chuffed today just seeing some nice football and the ball hitting the back of the net. and that back four…who thought clean sheet before the game.
We needed a team to play as a team, we needed for some players to start scoring and get minutes in, we got all of that. I don’t care that we played so called weakened side in WBA, we had our own agenda and our tasks to complete. Done. We really need a new Right Back though ASAP.
Over/under on the number of times the announcers will say “Man City are no West Brom” on Saturday? 5 at least.
Doesn’t matter, we could only play one team today and we kicked that team’s ass. That’s all we could do.
Kicking their asses is better than not kicking their asses. Job done well, now try to keep it going.
Ramsdale looked like a tree frog 🙂
Saw only highlights, but the effort was there. Missing 4 starters by my count. Not including gk