This was billed as a test of Arsenal’s mettle after Manchester City had picked themselves off the canvas against Liverpool at Anfield to reignite the title race. But having seen their lead at the top whittled down to three points since the weekend, Mikel Arteta’s side showed their fallibility as they were held by a dogged Brentford side who felt that they should have even claimed victory.
Just when they needed to put in a statement performance, Arsenal were edgy throughout and struggled to create anything of note until Noni Madueke opened the scoring. Keane Lewis-Potter’s equaliser that came from a Michael Kayode long throw was fully deserved as Keith Andrews’ side showed exactly why they are enjoying such a successful season since he stepped up to replace Thomas Frank last summer.
Had Igor Thiago not blazed over in injury-time after Cristhian Mosquera and then Declan Rice had both made last-ditch tackles, it could have been even worse for Arsenal. Gabriel Martinelli could also have won it late on but he was denied by a diving save from Caoimhín Kelleher. After three successive runner-up finishes, it promises to be an anxiety-filled run-in for their long-suffering supporters.
Arteta had insisted before kickoff that his players would be able to shut out the noise despite City – as Pep Guardiola has put it – now breathing down their necks after their win over Fulham on Wednesday night. “For seven months we have been doing that. We are used to it,” said the Arsenal manager.
But the absences of William Saliba and Kai Havertz due to illness and a muscle injury that the Germany forward picked up in the win over Sunderland proved to be vital as Arteta’s side looked jittery in defence and lacked creativity in attack. Eberechi Eze, who started for the first time in the Premier League for two months, looks a shadow of the player who scored a hat-trick in the north London derby back in November and was unsurprisingly hooked for Martin Ødegaard at half-time. The England forward’s World Cup hopes are in serious jeopardy.
The usually unflappable Gabriel Magalhães betrayed some of Arsenal’s early nerves when he passed the ball straight out for a corner in the third minute. Even at that stage, it looked set to be a battle of the set-pieces given both sides’ excellence in that department. Andrews had promised that his team like to “create chaos” and that was evident from their physical approach to every dead-ball situation in an attempt to unsettle their opponents. The former Republic of Ireland midfielder earned himself an early booking after protesting a decision that went against his side.
It was Gabriel who had the first sight of goal in the 10th minute when his header from a Rice corner was cleared by Sepp van den Berg. Brentford’s first opportunity came when David Raya gifted possession to Mathias Jensen as he attempted to launch a quick break. The Dane’s cross picked out Igor Thiago perfectly but somehow Raya was able to redeem himself against his former club by making a tremendous point-blank save.
Brentford visibly grew in confidence and started to enjoy more possession, with Eze struggling to have an impact in his No 10 role. Viktor Gyökeres was full of energy but found himself isolated as Arsenal’s attacks lacked urgency. Arteta showed his frustration when Martín Zubimendi gave the ball away cheaply five minutes before half-time, although at least Arsenal started to look more threatening before the break. Chances were few and far between, however, with a shanked effort from Lewis-Potter summing up the quality on show.
There was a heart-stopping moment for Arsenal at the start of the second half when Lewis-Potter jinked his way past Jurriën Timber and it required a timely intervention from Gabriel to block Igor Thiago’s shot. They continued to pen Brentford back but still hadn’t managed a shot on target after an hour, with a strike from Ødegaard sailing into the stands. “Top of the league, you’re having a laugh,” mocked the Brentford fans.
Their jeers were silenced less than a minute later when Madueke – not exactly renowned for his heading ability – rose to meet Piero Hincapié’s excellent cross and directed his header across a helpless Kelleher. Lewis-Potter should have equalised almost immediately from a corner but headed wide as the game finally came alive. Kayode pinched the ball off Gyökeres’ toe just as he was about to score before Raya saved from Igor Thiago at the other end. Gabriel – having escaped being sent off when he chopped down Dango Ouattara after picking up an early yellow card – brilliantly blocked a shot from the marauding Kayode.
Fittingly, it was the Italian’s long throw that caused panic in the Arsenal penalty area and allowed Lewis-Potter to equalise after Van den Berg’s flick-on that would have done a certain Steve Bould proud. “Set-piece FC,” sang the jubilant Brentford fans as Arsenal’s were left to fret over whether this could end up being yet another season with a disappointing twist in the tale.
