Arsenal recorded their first win of the season as they beat West Bromwich Albion to reach the Carabao Cup third round at The Hawthorns on Wednesday, August 25th, 2021.
Gabon national team captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang marked his first start of the season by scoring a hat-trick with two first-half tap-ins and a curling finish after the break.
He also acrobatically set up Nicolas Pepe for the third, with Bukayo Saka slotting in the Gunners’ fourth.
Frenchman Alexandre Lacazette came off the bench to fire in his side’s sixth.
The win could have been even bigger too, with Martin Odegaard hitting the outside of the post from a tight angle and Pepe striking the bar with a chip.
The Baggies, who have made a superb start to this season under new boss French-German coach Valerian Ismael from Championship side Barnsley fielded six debutants, five of them teenagers, but showed spirit right to the end on what was a difficult night for them.
Arsenal striker Aubameyang, speaking to Sky Sports: “Great feeling. I’m happy we won this game. It’s good to build confidence of the team.
“The commitment of every player is always there 100%. We try our best to give the fans what they want.
“This hopefully can give us something to build our confidence for the next games. We had to work hard and keep pushing.
“Everyone knows I like the space [in behind a defence]. My team-mates played very well. It was a good game today.
“We still have 36 (league) games left so we will give our best for a good season.”
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