Arsenal bid farewell to the Emirates for this season with a game that dealt only in the minimum of entertainment and felt high on routine.
With the Gunners assured Champions League football next year thanks to Manchester City’s 3-2 win over Everton yesterday evening there was an air of procession about this build up to the game, and that proved to be prevalent throughout the 90 minutes.
West Brom were, technically, fighting for survival here, but it seemed they were happy enough to take their chance that the largely improbably confluence of events needed to see them lose their Premier League status would not come to pass over the next week and they could kick back in the early summer sunshine.
Olivier Giroud scored the game’s only goal on 14 minutes, rising above marker Craig Dawson to score a header from a Santi Cazorla header.
Lukas Podolski struck the post later in the game but that aside there was little to get the blood pumping on a glorious day in north London.
West Brom rarely threatened the Arsenal goal and they know that despite this loss they will be safe if Norwich lose to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the 4 o’clock kick off.
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