West Bromwich Albion 0 Arsenal 2

You only had to listen to the West Bromwich Albion fans at the final whistle last night to realise the pride they still feel about their team.

Bryan Robson's men put in one of their best performances of the season, but were beaten purely and simply because they were up against one of the best sides in Europe.

Any slim hopes which might have been nurtured that FA Cup finalists Arsenal, minus the Premiership's top marksman Thierry Henry, might not give this game their totally undivided attention were destroyed in the most brutal manner.

The Baggies bravely tried to out-football their guests. But, in the end, an Arsenal side still with good cause to wonder just how they let Premiership champions Chelsea out of their sights in late autumn were just too good.

Robin van Persie's clinical strike gave ArsEne Wenger's men the advantage, and when Edu clipped home a killer second in injury time, it merely added an extra degree of cruelty to the scoreline. It certainly did not stop the Baggies fans, however, serenading their team off the pitch with a standing ovation.

"That's how cruel football can be," said a punchdrunk Robson. "Sometimes there's no justice. We just didn't get a break.

"I'm not sure how anyone could question whether our players are good enough for the Premiership.

"The way we went about our business all around the pitch was different class and we deserved to take something out of it. Some of the football we played was top drawer.

"We need a bit of help now if we're to go into our last game still with a chance of staying up. But if we perform anywhere near as well as we did tonight against Manchester United on Saturday, we'll have a chance of getting something out of that one too."

After a nervy showing against Blackburn Rovers six days earlier, it was uplifting to see Albion so vibrant.

Despite the seemingly defensively-orientated readjustment of playing with five at the back, following the decision to recall club captain Darren Moore, Robson's men took the game to their opponents.

Helped by playing an Arsenal side far more likely to trade footballing blows than the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Albion were intent on trying to cause havoc down the flanks through their fullbacks. But they had so little to show for it, other than Zoltan Gera's spectacular, but off-target, far-post scissors kick from an early Kieran Richardson free-kick.

By contrast, Patrick Vieira - lucky not to be booked after three first-half fouls - twice went close. The Arsenal captain drilled a right-foot shot two feet over the crossbar, before having another effort blocked by Ronnie Wallwork after a poor Martin Albrechtsen clearance.

And it took a fine save by Russell Hoult to keep the scores level, the Albion goalkeeper racing from his line like a whippet to deny van Persie after Lauren's neat ball had pierced the offside trap.

Albion's sheer persistence offered hope. And, when Gera's intricate run opened up the Arsenal defence for the first time, Wallwork was not far away from making a breakthrough, shooting over from 18 yards.

Showing fortitude in defence and high energy in midfield, Albion continued to dictate the pace and, with the atmosphere inside The Hawthorns reaching fever pitch, they came close to taking the lead in the 51st minute.

Arsenal failed to deal with a cross by Albrechtsen from the right and the ball fell invitingly for Paul Robinson just inside the penalty area. His right-footed shot seemed goal-bound but Kolo Toure, the Arsenal defender, managed to block.

Gilberto and Vieira got in a near-post tangle in trying to clear a Richardson corner, and Neil Clement saw a header bundled wide by an Arsenal defence just beginning to show signs of losing their cool. But it took just one short insertion of true class to tip the balance of this contest as Arsenal tore open the Albion defence with a breathtaking demonstration of pace and penetration worthy of the great Henry.

Vieira's 40-yard cross-field ball stretched Albion, Jose Antonio Reyes played the killer pass and van Persie had the time and space to turn Clement before instantly steering a low left-foot shot beyond Hoult.

It should have been 2-0 when Reyes dribbled round the keeper, only for Clement to get back and make a superb clearance on the line.

Even then, there was still hope, and time, more importantly, to do something about it.

Clement so nearly did do something special when he made a storming run into the box, only to trip himself up. From the resulting confusion, Richardson powered a leftfoot shot too hot for Gunners keeper Jens Lehmann to handle.

Although Robson hauled off his limping lone striker Kevin Campbell and played with a three-man attack for the final ten minutes, there remained no way through.

And when Edu ran through to collect fellow substitute Dennis Bergkamp's neat pass in injury time to add some gloss to the scoreline for Arsenal, it was very, very tough on Albion.

The Great Escape is still possible. But, after playing the theme music with monotony before the game, it maybe says everything that even the man on the Albion Tannoy had abandoned it by the final whistle.

Scorers: Van Persie (66), Edu (90).

ALBION (5-4-1): Hoult; Albrechtsen ( Horsfield, 80), Gaardsoe, Moore, Clement, Robinson; Greening, Wallwork, Richardson, Gera (Kanu, 80); K Campbell (Earnshaw, 80). Subs: Kuszczak (gk), Scimeca.

ARSENAL (4-4-2): Lehmann; Lauren, Toure, Senderos, Cole; Fabregas (Edu, 74), Vieira, Gilberto, Pires; Reyes, van Persie (Bergkamp, 74). Subs: Almunia (gk), S Campbell, Alliadiere.

Referee: N Barry (Scunthorpe). Attendance: 27,351.

Albion man of the match: Paul Robinson - epitomised the Albion spirit.