West Brom 2 Arsenal 3 - match analysis

So goodbye Roy Hodgson, auf Wiedersehen Paul Scharner and so long Dave Matthews.

And farewell, too, to Albion's finest season of football in the Premier League era.

The Hawthorns revelled in an afternoon of pride and goodwill as Baggies fans closed the book on the best campaign in their Premier League history.

And even a defeat to Arsenal that owed much to calamity keeper Marton Fulop could not dampen the mood of celebration at the end of a season to treasure.

It was the best campaign statistically as Hodgson's men ended in a club record 10th position.

And it was the best year in terms of abiding memories as Hodgson established the club as a stable Premier League presence before yesterday finally saw him take his leave to answer a higher calling.

Had Fulop not marked his only league appearance for the Baggies with the most hapless goalkeeping display the ground had witnessed in many a year, Hodgson might have claimed one more famous win to add to his impressive collection.

But after the final whistle brought the curtain down on his unforgettable spell in charge, he and his adoring public still had famous wins over Wolves, Villa, Liverpool Chelsea and countless other opponents to warm their spirits.

And while the final result was not what they wanted, they did at least have one more rousing performance to savour from their team.

Yesterday's occasion couldn't match the drama of Albion's most famous Premier League finale. But then one Great Escape in a lifetime is enough for anyone's nerves.

Instead they enjoyed a day of reflection and revelry that was dampened only slightly by the comical performance of stand-in keeper Fulop.

Having stepped in for an injured Ben Foster, it took just three-and-a-half minutes for the Hungarian to make an impact for the wrong reasons.

A challenge 25 yards out saw the ball break towards the keeper but, anxious not to handle the ball outside his box, he misjudged his attempt to gather just inside and allowed Benayoun to steal it and roll a shot into an unguarded net.

That sent the Gunners fans into raptures but they were silenced just seven minutes later as Albion got the benefit of a contentious offside call to draw level.

James Morrison was allowed to skip too easily through the visitors' midfield and his pass found Shane Long. He paused briefly awaiting a flag, but then resumed his advance away from Laurent Koscielny and found the bottom corner of Wojciech Szczesny's net.

And things got better for the Baggies just four minutes later when Arsenal again failed to get close to Morrison in the heart of midfield and Dorrans provided an exquisite goal as a result.

Morrison's lofted pass found his fellow Scotland international, who produced a fine first touch to escape two defenders and an emphatic second to blast a shot past Szczesny.

But Arsenal regained their composure impressively after the shock of Dorrans' strike and might have drawn level when Benayoun volleyed high and wide at the far post.

And parity was restored on the half-hour when Fulop had another moment to forget.

The initial mistake was from Youssouf Mulumbu, who was robbed by Alex Song 30 yards from goal. He found Andre Santos, whose powerful low shot bent late but still crept in disappointingly for Albion at Fulop's near post.

The remainder of the half passed with little incident aside from the frustrated lunge on Gareth McAuley that earned Robin van Persie a booking.

The second half began with the Gunners chasing the game but it took another huge helping hand from Fulop for Arsene Wenger's side to regain the lead.

The shell-shocked keeper fluffed a two-fisted punch from a van Persie corner and Koscielny's bundled home the loose ball.

The hosts might have levelled moments later when one of a series of corners from Dorrans found the head of Jonas Olsson, whose goal-bound effort was cleared off the line by van Persie.

And they threatened again when substitute Keith Andrews unleashed a 20-yard shot that Szczesny did well to push away.

It was a spirited effort from the Baggies that showed how badly they wanted to give their departing gaffer a fitting send-off.

And it left a nervous Wenger and his retiring No.2 Pat Rice pacing the touchline anxiously as their side chased down third place and a guaranteed spot in next season's Champions League.

The announcement of five added minutes did little to improve their mood.

Neither did a chance for Albion's Billy Jones in stoppage time, with the full-back denied by a fine challenge by Kieran Gibbs.

Albion could not find another equaliser, but the final result did little to dampen the spirits on a day of pride and celebration at the West Midlands' No.1 club.

By Steve Madeley