Alexis Sanchez lifts Emirates mood with two goals against West Brom

Of all the times, of all the places, for Alexis Sanchez to remind us all that world-class football can be played in an Arsenal shirt after all.

The time, of course, is far too late as far as this season is concerned, although this win - Arsenal’s 500th in the Premier League — did take the Gunners back above Manchester City into third.

The place was an Emirates Stadium noticeably less full than usual. The club announced there were “59,568 tickets sold” but clearly not everyone in possession had turned up.