WBA 0 - 6 Arsenal

 West Brom is off to a good start in the Championship (10 points from four games) so this looked to be a real test.  But their manager decided he'd rather see how his young players could do on the pitch than have the distraction of the EFL, so it was a mismatch with the strong lineup the Gunners put out there.  Kolasinac as a center back alongside Holding was a surprise.  Tavares was left and Chambers right in defense.  Xhaka and Elneny played in front of them, with Odegaard as the #10 and a superstrong front line of (from L-R) Saka, Aubameyang, and Pepe.  Ramsdale was in goal, and made some nice saves to keep a clean sheet.  Arsenal sliced through the Baggies' midfield and defense on numerous occasions with stylish attacks.  The final score did not flatter Arsenal; they really were that much better.

Man City will be a very different proposition this weekend.  But Auba's hat trick ought to boost his confidence (the third was very nice) and it can't hurt for the forwards to have been rewarded for making good runs.  The makeshift defense wasn't severely tested.

This was just the second round of the League Cup.  Arsenal got a bye to the third round for the last 25 years because they were playing in Europe.  With no European football, the domestic cups take on added importance, and Arteta should be able to put out a strong team every time.