Arsenal FC maintains its lead at the top with a mature performance against Brentford. In the style of a top team, the Gunners showed their guests their limits, especially in the first half.
Gunners coach Mikel Arteta changed his starting lineup in three positions after the 1-1 draw in the city derby at Chelsea FC, sending Ödegaard, White, and Madueke into the fray for Eze, Timber, and Saka.
Brentford coach Keith Andrews rotated his squad after the 3-1 win over Burnley FC: Ajer, Pinnock, Henry, former Bochum player Janelt (54 games for VfL) and Yarmolyuk replaced Collins, Hickey, Henderson, Damsgaard and Igor Thiago.
Merino heads Gunners into the lead
The Gunners took control from the start and repeatedly threatened Kelleher’s goal. Much of the league leaders’ play came down the right flank. Ben White and Noni Madueke repeatedly combined behind the defensive line. This was the case with the home side’s early goal: White was set up on the right wing by Madueke with a backheel and then delivered a pinpoint cross to Merino’s head. He effortlessly headed the Gunners into the lead (11th minute).
The Gunners then had a scare in the 28th minute when Schade was completely unmarked and got his head to a Jensen corner. Raya showed great reflexes to tip the former Freiburg player’s effort onto the bar. The attacking move turned out to be a flash in the pan, as the Londoners were much closer to making it 2-0 than the visitors were to equalizing. However, Martinelli (28th minute) from the back and Madueke (37th minute) from a tight angle both missed their chances, meaning the Gunners only took a narrow half-time lead into the break.
Gunners don’t let anything slip
The visitors came out of the dressing room with plenty of momentum. However, their mini-surge, which included numerous corners, did not result in any real scoring chances. A good ten minutes after the restart, the Londoners took control again and kept the ball moving.
Arsenal remained the dominant team, but did not do more than was absolutely necessary.
Merino could have sealed the deal, but failed to convert two rebounds after Kelleher’s saves (66th & 69th). Arsenal then played out the game in the style of a top team, stifling the visitors’ attacks by repeatedly maintaining possession.
Saka seals the deal
Shortly before the end, substitute Saka sealed the deal: Merino picked apart the Brentford defense with a clever through ball, leaving Saka free to shoot. Although the in-form keeper Kelleher got his hand to the ball, he couldn’t prevent it from going in (90+1).
This result cemented the Gunners’ lead at the top of the table and restored their five-point lead over ManCity. Next Saturday (1:30 p.m.), Arsenal will travel to Aston Villa, while Brentford will face Tottenham Hotspur in the afternoon (4 p.m.).
