Alexis Sanchez grabs both goals as Arsenal sweep aside West Brom in the final fixture of Gameweek 34. Aaron Ramsey supplies both assists upon his return to the starting XI, whilst Gabriel drops to the bench as the Gunners earn a fifteenth shut-out of the season.
Sanchez at the double
Arsenal leapfrogged Manchester City into third spot by virtue of a 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.
Alexis Sanchez grabbed his second and third goals of the Gameweek, meaning he’s now produced attacking returns (six goals, three assists) in each of his previous seven starts. The Chilean subsequently ended Gameweek 34 on 25 points, just one less than Sergio Aguero, in what proved a titanic armband tussle between the duo. Considering that Mesut Ozil served up his sixth blank in seven outings, Sanchez has established himself as the clear favoured route into Arsenal’s attack ahead of showdowns with three of the current bottom four.
Drafted in for Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey supplied the assists for both goals. Although the Welshman’s price tag (7.8) could furnish us with an alternate source of Gunners coverage, his lack of security of starts keeps him on the periphery of our thinking.
At the expense of Gabriel, Per Mertesacker made his first start in five fixtures and earned a single bonus point, whilst Olivier Giroud usurped Danny Welbeck as the Gunners’ lone striker. In both cases, one would imagine that the displaced player will regain their starting berths at Sunderland next time out, yet the uncertainty will likely prompt owners to explore their options given that Gameweek 35 is already without three fixtures.
Arsenal enjoyed their third clean sheet in five match-ups, positioning them joint-second for shut-outs (15) this term. With home matches against Norwich City and Aston Villa also still to follow, the North Londoners still boast strong clean-sheet potential in their final quartet of fixtures.
Baggies season stutters to a standstill
West Brom slumped to their fourth defeat in five outings as they managed a solitary shot on target at the Emirates.
Bearing in mind that Tony Pulis’ side have scored just once in the last five matches, investors in Spurs’ defence will be buoyed ahead of their duel at White Hart Lane on Monday. Indeed, having managed just a single clean sheet over that period, and with showdowns against West Ham United and Liverpool also to follow, those still holding the Baggies’ assets will surely be looking for a way out now.
