Albion’s outstanding 32-match sequence of scoring in every Premier League game had to end sometime and they could have few complaints about events at the Emirates on Sunday.
For a couple of hours at least Arsenal returned to the top of the table thanks to Gabriel Jesus’s 53rd-minute header and a late strike by Kai Havertz. Albion were up against it at tims and they defended superbly with Lewis Dunk and Jan Paul van Hecke catching the eye.
But for once Roberto De Zerbi’s side struggled to create chances, although Pascal Gross will feel he should have equalised when he diverted Kaoru Mitoma’s cut-back into the side netting. Arsenal made the points safe through Havertz with two minutes left.
There were five changes to the side which secured Europa League last-16 qualification against Marseille with recalls for Bart Verbruggen, Joel Veltman, James Milner, Adam Lallana and Evan Ferguson.
Albion headed to north London with optimism after winning on each of their last three visits. They also knew their defence would be tested and that was the case in the opening half, although they got to the 17th minute without conceding – something that had happened in each of the last five away league games.
Verbruggen had to deal with two efforts by Jesus and one by Bukayo Saka but the closest Arsenal came in the opening third was when skipper Martin Odegaard curled a shot from 15 yards with his left foot inches wide of the far post.
De Zerbi had been able to name his strongest bench for weeks but there was an early reshuffle when Joel Veltman, clutching his right knee, was replaced by Jack Hinshelwood. Nonetheless Albion worked diligently without the ball, their composure epitomised when Dunk calmly chested the ball back to his keeper in a congested six-yard box.
Arsenal were in control though. Gabriel Martinelli lifted the ball over after Saka had been played in by Odegaard’s fine pass before van Hecke stretched to block Havertz’s shot.
Mitoma was booked for a tug on Saka and the referee earned the wrath of the home fans for showing a yellow to Mikel Arteta moments later for his protests, before Dunk made a brave block with his head from Odegaard’s well-struck shot. Albion finally threatened in stoppage time as David Raya needed two attempts to hang onto Simon Adingra’s cross-shot, but for the first time in 49 league games under De Zerbi Albion hadn’t had a shot at goal in the first period.
Albion enjoyed a decent spell of possession in the Arsenal half at the start of the second half, but they went behind on 53 minutes. Van Hecke’s superb last-ditch tackle had prevented Odegaard from tapping in Saka’s pass but when Martinelli’s corner flicked off the Dutchman’s head it flew to the unmarked Jesus who stooped to nod in at the far post.
Hinshelwood found space in the box to test Raya with a header from Gross’s cross but it needed a superb goal line clearance by Dunk to stop White’s flick-on from a corner dropping in moments after the skipper bravely blocked Odegaard’s powerful shot.
With 20 minutes to go a second Arsenal goal looked more likely than an Albion equaliser. Verbruggen superbly palmed away Odegaard’s shot and Havertz somehow headed Martinelli’s cross over from inside the six-yard box.
Albion were still in the game though and with eight minutes to go their chance came. Joao Pedro played Mitoma in and his cut-back found Gross, but the German sliced his shot into the side netting. Gross couldn’t believe it, and neither could the Albion contingent so used to his ruthless finishing.
It was to prove crucial. With two minutes to go Arsenal broke, Martinelli played in Havertz and he finished across Verbruggen into the far corner.
Albion: Verbruggen, Veltman (Hinshelwood 26), Dunk, van Hecke, Milner (Igor 60), Gross, Gilmour, Adingra (Welbeck 79), Mitoma, Lallana (Buonanotte 60), Ferguson (Joao 60).
Subs not used: Steele, Dahoud, Moder, Baleba.
Referee: Tim Robinson
Attendance: 60,259 (2,985 Albion fans)