Lacazette scores 2 as resurgent Arsenal beats West Brom 4-0

WEST BROMWICH, England (AP) — Arsenal continued to revive its season after thumping West Bromwich Albion 4-0 in the Premier League on Saturday to pile more misery on the Baggies.

Alexandre Lacazette’s second-half brace added to excellent strikes from Kieran Tierney and Bukayo Saka before the break as Arsenal recorded three successive league victories for only the second time under Mikel Arteta.

West Brom remained second from bottom, with just one win in 17 matches, and has now conceded 12 goals in Sam Allardyce’s three home games.

Arsenal climbed to 11th but is at least within striking distance of the top six, sitting three points behind Chelsea albeit having played a game more.

Baggies coach Allardyce had said the Gunners were in the relegation battle with them before Arsenal beat Chelsea and Brighton over the festive period.

West Brom came into the game after Tuesday’s 5-0 hammering by Leeds.

Arsenal grabbed the lead and total control after 23 minutes when Tierney proved why, when fit, he is such an asset.

The full-back twice beat Darnell Furlong to embarrass the defender on the left and cut inside before firing high past Sam Johnstone from 15 yards.

Five minutes later it was 2-0 when the Gunners tore their hosts to ribbons with an incisive move.

Emile Smith Rowe swapped passes with Saka and Lacazette before being slipped through by the Frenchman to cross for Saka, who had continued his run unmarked, to tap in.

Just like Leeds, Arsenal threatened to run riot at the Hawthorns and Johnstone twice denied Lacazette before the break.

The hosts needed a response and Callum Robinson fired in after Matheus Pereira hit the post after the restart only for the offside flag to halt their celebrations.

But Arsenal wrapped up the points with two more goals from Lacazette.

Saka again caused chaos for the first of them when his 61st-minute cross was turned onto his own post by Semi Ajayi, who then blocked Smith Rowe’s follow-up strike, but Lacazette gobbled up the rebound.

The second, after 64 minutes, was equally as simple as the striker converted Tierney’s cross from close range.

Johnstone stopped Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang adding a fifth late on and saved from Willian before Arsenal 'keeper Bernd Leno denied Rekeem Harper a stoppage-time consolation.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports