The callous chill at the Hawthorns confirmed the arrival of winter, while misery on the pitch left Arsenal fearing another season of discontent. This defeat dredged up those old concerns about the mental fortitude of Arsène Wenger’s men and also highlighted the damage wrought by their long casualty list.


Their problems on the latter front were aggravated by injuries to Francis Coquelin and Mikel Arteta. Wenger could have done without such blows ahead of Tuesday night’s match with Dinamo Zagreb, which Arsenal must win to avoid an unusually early exist from the Champions League.