If there’s one thing we’ve learnt about football through the years it’s that things change extremely quickly, none more so in north London where an aura of pre-match frustration among the fanbase turned to celebration in the matter of minutes.
They’ve got Alexis Sanchez to thank for this one. The Chilean attacking maestro has come back into form in his last eight games, scoring 5 goals and assisting 3, drawing praise from manager Arsene Wenger before the game who went on to say that the former Barcelona man is “keen to stay” at the club along with his fellow talismanic team-mate Mesut Ozil.
Alexis joined Arsenal from a club whose slogan is “more than a club” and there’s no doubt that the Chilean attacking maestro is more than a footballer.
He’s a workhorse, a technician, a magician, an absolute joy to watch – and his infectious work ethic hasn’t gone unnoticed by his team-mates either who have nicknamed him “Duracell”.
His first goal against West Brom was stunning. Thirty-five yards out, Sanchez turned away from his marker and struck an accurate low shot past Ben Foster. It brought the game to life and provided a sign of things to come although the 27-year-old was lucky to escape punishment for appearing to handle the ball inside his own penalty area.
The years of Thierry Henry and Robert Pires taking Arsenal's free kicks have long gone but when Sanchez stepped up on 38 minutes there was a feeling among everyone in the stadium that he was about to produce something special – and he duly obliged.
Sanchez took his time to assess the wall before curling the ball over it - firstly past Olivier Giroud who ducked out the way, then crisply into the back of the net as Foster looked on in despair.
Before the game all the talk surrounding Arsenal focused on Wenger’s future, an empty Emirates and discontent among the fanbase. By full-time there was still a sense that those critics had not been silenced, and rightly so. Arsenal, who claimed their 500th Premier League win, never really got out of second gear in this game because they didn’t need to, but they should have mounted a better title challenge than this.
There was no hat-trick for Sanchez in the end but Arsenal’s battery-powered Chilean did inject some energy into the Gunners as they now look to consolidate a Champions League qualification spot. Sunderland are up next for Wenger's men as their quest for European football continues. Oh how it could have been so different.
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