Image source, Opta

Arsenal with 67% possession in the first half but little to show for it with two shots on target.

Plenty of touches for Callum Chambers and Granit Xhaka (51 each) compared to Matt Phillips (35) for West Brom, but again, one stat still reads blank.

Steve Claridge
Ex-Premier League striker on BBC Radio 5 live

There's no snap in Arsenal's play - Granit Xhaka has it and he's too slow to get it out to Alex Iwobi - and once Iwobi does get it he doesn't want to attack, he just wants to get rid of it. They need some width, they're trying to play everything in the central area, but it's too tight and too congested for them to do anything with it.

Steve Claridge
Ex-Premier League striker on BBC Radio 5 live

I'm looking at the Arsenal fans, and I don't think anyone has clapped - and that's about right. They've been really, really poor and their system, and the way Arsene Wenger has set them up just isn't working.

There's not an awful not happening out there, so it's difficult to commentate on to be honest, West Brom haven't got enough to break Arsenal down, and Arsenal aren't prepared to use their wing-backs to get some width into their game.

Referee Mike Dean blows his whistle. Not been a classic this has it? Goalless and only a few chances of note. So to brighten up your New Year's Eve. Here's a tweet which Dan Walker flagged up, external which we just could not ignore.

Melvyn Jacobs: Is Alexandre Lacazette playing today? I haven’t heard his name since kick-off.

Steve Claridge
Ex-Premier League striker on BBC Radio 5 live

The problem with West Brom when they do break, and get the ball wide, is that there's no-one in the box. So, they have to try and play the perfect ball, because there's so little to aim for, and they haven't managed to do that yet. This is where they're missing Salomon Rondon - he gives them someone to aim at.

Image source, PA

Matt Phillips has been a bright spark for West Brom with some real purpose about his play down the right flank. The winger fires an early low ball into the six-yard box but nobody in a West Brom shirt is able to get a touch.

Moments later, Phillips dances past Ainsley Maitland-Niles and lifts a cross in but again there are not enough of the home side's players forward to apply a finish.

Steve Claridge
Ex-Premier League striker on BBC Radio 5 live

There's a lot of intriguing games this season - because there's so few teams in that middle ground. Everyone is either battling for the top four, or they're in that bottom set battling against relegation. So it means even games like this hold a lot of importance.

Anon: Arsene Wenger sees someone with better interplay and ball control in Alex Iwobi than he does in Danny Welbeck. I love Danny but he rarely looks like his feet know each other.

Ricky Kelehar: Alex Iwobi is faster, trickier, more direct and more physical. Danny Welbeck is lightweight and lacks any killer instinct in box

Steve Claridge
Ex-Premier League striker on BBC Radio 5 live

I don't like this shape Arsenal are playing - it doesn't look balanced. Especially going forward - there's no runners or movement for the midfielders to pick out. They've been really poor so far.

Image source, Reuters

Arsenal make a change. Sead Kolasinac is on the pitch clutching his knee following an earlier challenge by Gareth Barry. The defender gets to his feet and limps off the pitch. His replacement is Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Sarah Morgan: It really says something when West Brom seem more positive than Arsenal. Creativity seems to be taking a nap in Wenger's sleeping bag coat!

Ian: Arsenal look like they are playing with their minds on the Chelsea game on Wednesday. Very disappointing, no intensity.

Steve Claridge
Ex-Premier League striker on BBC Radio 5 live

There's enough in this game from a West Brom perspective to give them belief - Arsenal are not playing well. West Brom haven't exactly looked like opening them up yet, but they've had a few moments, and there's plenty for them to work with.

Image source, PA

West Brom Alan Pardew has clearly told his players to press Arsenal high up the pitch. Their defenders have less time to settle. When Arsenal do manage to get the ball forward, the West Brom players are quickly back into two banks of four and there is no way through.

Tactically pretty good from the Baggies so far.

Tim Miller: I'm confused by the Alexis Sanchez to Man City expectation. Pep Guardiola has spent 18 months perfecting a cohesive unit of stars playing as one, Sanchez's best moments are individual pieces of brilliance. Does that fit into a selfless City collective?

Steve Claridge
Ex-Premier League striker on BBC Radio 5 live

There's just no snap about Arsenal at the moment, they aren't fluent. There's one or two players who aren't up to the level they need to be for Arsenal to play the way they want to. They aren't firing yet.

Image source, Reuters

Much better from Alex Iwobi. The Arsenal man finds himself on the right side of the penalty area this time and his curling effort has West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster scrambling to his left to push the ball past the post.