Arsenal looked to come back from the international break strong with a group of fixtures that looked, on paper, to be quite winnable. However, despite scoring the opener through a beautiful Mesut Özil delivery and Olivier Giroud finish, the Gunners gave up a pair of disastrous goals and were unable to find the equaliser in the second half, falling to West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns 2-1.
The Gunners opened up the game tentatively but soundly, and neither team could find a real foothold in the game until the 28th minute when Giroud glanced a header past Baggies keeper Boaz Myhill to give Arsenal a 1-0 lead.
An injury to Francis Coquelin forced Arsenal into a change in the midfield, and Mikel Arteta was directly involved in both West Brom goals. He gave up the free kick (and lost his man) for the Baggies equaliser and gave up an own goal for the eventual game-winner.
Despite creating a number of chances in the second half, including a penalty that Santi Cazorla failed to convert, Arsenal could not find a second-half goal and fell in a game that could see their title hopes severely damaged in the process.
Here are five things we learned from the game this afternoon.
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