Arsenal and Mikel Arteta would have hoped for a strong reaction following their 1-0 defeat away to Everton, however unfortunately this was not quite the case as The Gunners struggled throughout and dropped two points against an impressive Brentford side.
Many predicted the game to be tough for Arsenal, as Brentford topped the form table in the Premier League heading into the game week. And a tough test was exactly what they got as Brentford could have been two up in the first half, with Rico Henry and Ivan Toney both missing great chances respectively as Arsenal struggled to deal with Brentford’s physical presence and counter-attacking speed. Although Arsenal did play some very strong football at times they largely failed to create any clear cut chances in a mostly uninspiring first half performance.
The second half for Arsenal did see a slight improvement as they tested David Rays twice within the opening minutes following the interval, but Brentford still possessed a threat on the break and both sides pushed for the breakthrough. And that breakthrough finally came for Arsenal with just over twenty minutes to go as Leandro Trossard came off the bench to net his first goal in red and white. The Belgian firing in from close range getting on the end of a brilliant Bukayo Saka delivery.
Unfortunately for Mikel Arteta though, their 70 minutes of hard work was undone minutes later as some poor defending from a set piece led to Ivan Toney heading into an empty net after the ball was stabbed back across the Arsenal goal with Arteta’s defence unable to clear. There was a strong suspicion of offside however the goal stood and the Bees held on for a well deserved point as Arsenal dropped points for a second Premier League game in a row.
Arsenal will want to put these last two results right behind them as they prepare for a huge game at home to Manchester City on Wednesday evening.
Player Ratings:
Aaron Ramsdale: 6 – Good distribution throughout but perhaps could have come out quicker for the Brentford goal
Ben White: 6 – Better than last two games, influenced the attack well but struggled defensively
William Saliba: 5 – A poor afternoon for the Frenchman. Struggled to deal with the physical presence of Toney
Gabriel: 5 – Had a tough afternoon against the quick Mbuemo
Oleksandr Zinchenko: 5 – A rare off-day for Arsenal’s latest Player Of The Month winner. Misplaced a few passes and was caught out at the back at times
Thomas Partey: 6 – Calm and composed but didn’t offer a large amount. Solid but far from spectacular
Granit Xhaka: 6 – Similar to Partey, tried but lacked a particular cutting edge of sorts
Martin Odegaard: 7 – Arsenal’s best player. Showed strong intensity where others didn’t and passed around very well
Bukayo Saka: 6 – Shut down relatively well by Brentford but still produced a brilliant assist
Eddie Nketiah: 5 – some nice moments on the ball but mostly anonymous throughout
Gabriel Martinelli: 6 – Like White, better than recent weeks but still struggled at times
Leandro Trossard: 7 – Looked bright on the ball and scored a good goal. A big positive for Arsenal