Arsenal were given an early penalty that they currently didn't deserve, but clearly outplayed West Bromwich Albion on Saturday afternoon, and were a bit unlucky not to score four times as many goals as they did. The Gunners finished poorly throughout the game, but netted two penalties -- one legitimate, one incorrect -- to beat WBA, 2-0.
Arsenal vs. West Bromwich Albion: Final score 2-0, Gunners better, but helped by the official
Though Arsenal received a bit of a gift from referee Mike Jones, they deserved their win over West Brom on Saturday.
Santi Cazorla dove to win a spot kick in the 25th minute, going down after a swing of the leg at the ball by Steven Reid. While Reid got absolutely none of the ball, he also made no contact with Cazorla. Mike Jones thought he saw a foul as Cazorla went down, and Mikel Arteta converted from the spot.
Arsenal's second came in the 64th minute, after Chris Brunt chopped down Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from behind in the box. Unlike the first penalty, this one was clear-cut, and Jones correctly pointed to the spot. Arteta buried his second of the game without a problem.
Lukas Podolski and Gervinho could have scored a hat trick each during the game, but both were absolutely dreadful in front of the goal. The 2-0 score, coupled with an illegitimate penalty for Arsenal, suggests that they were a bit fortunate to win, but in reality they were very unfortunate to not score many more times.
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