When you are down on your luck, you need a handout from somewhere - anywhere - and Arsenal were thankful when referee Mike Jones provided them with a gift. There has been enough home discomfort for Arsenal this season to have Arsène Wenger shrinking into his enormous coat, but a game that might have been tricky became a whole lot easier once his team were awarded a penalty that was feather-down soft.
Midway through a first half that hadn't flickered to life, Santi Cazorla was well positioned in the penalty area and tried a cute cut back, when he must have felt a waft from Steven Reid's fresh-air kick. He certainly appeared to anticipate it. The tumble was convincing as far as the official was concerned. Penalty kick.
Mikel Arteta, who had been so devastated to miss a stoppage-time penalty here against Fulham last month, stepped up and placed his effort straight down the middle, over the diving Boaz Myhill, and in.
Although West Brom were hardly blessed with the rub of the green, they strained to make much of an impact over the course of the game. Their early season vibrancy was dulled and they can now consider themselves in the midst of a genuine blip having lost their third consecutive match. Save for a couple of set pieces that Arsenal dealt with comfortably enough, a sumptuous curler from Chris Brunt, which drifted past the post, and a fizzer from distance from Markus Rosenberg, they offered little.
Arsenal were brighter than they have been lately, perhaps benefitting from the rest that Wenger gave many of his starters in midweek as he omitted them from Champions League duty. They were keen to shake off their slump from the off.
Wenger has been eager for early goals to ease some of Arsenal's tension, and they forged an excellent opportunity to go ahead in the fourth minute. Olivier Giroud used his strength to win a header ahead of Boaz Myhill, and Thomas Vermaelen nodded on to Gervinho. The Ivorian slashed wide. The touch, from a promising position, was typically careless.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has found Premier League starts difficult to come by this season, exerted an encouraging influence with his willingness, pace and drive. In the first half he saw a shot blocked, then hooked a clever cross back to Cazorla, who volleyed high. The youthful fearlessness he – along with the increasingly effective Jack Wilshere – brought made Arsenal much more punchy.
Their first of two penalties inevitably changed the course of the game and West Brom also had reason to lament when Per Mertesacker handled the ball in the opposite penalty area. Jones waved that one away.
But overall, Arsenal were dominant. If they could have added ruthlessness to their many chances, West Brom may have had a hiding. Wilshere and Gervinho had chances to add to the lead before half-time, and there was no change in the direction of traffic after the break.
Wilshere began pulling strings with a compelling blend of authority and creativity. He cleverly found Oxlade-Chamberlain at the far post, whose lob from an acute angle bounced against the crossbar. Another move prompted Giroud to pick out Gervinho, whose header was woeful from another decent position. Then, to the exasperation of the crown, the Ivorian fluffed his lines again. Late on, Lukas Podolski did an impression of Gervinho and fired wastefully over, but the crowd were slightly more forgiving.
The outcome was decided when Oxlade-Chamberlain broke with more menace in the 63rd minute and was fouled by Brunt for a penalty that was far more difficult to dispute. Arteta produced a replica of his earlier spot-kick.
After four games without a win, you take what you are given and hope to push on from there.
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