Arsenal FC drew 1-1 with Brentford FC, losing two important points to Manchester City in the title race. In the end, the Gunners could even be happy that they didn’t come away empty-handed.
After their unexpected 3-2 defeat to Manchester United, Arsenal quickly got back on track in the league, picking up two wins in a row without conceding a single goal. In order to continue this streak at Brentford FC, coach Mikel Arteta, who once again had to do without Havertz due to a muscle injury, made four changes: In addition to the German international, Calafiori, Saliba, and Gabriel Jesus were also left out. Instead, Eze, Hincapie, Mosquera, and Gyökeres started.
The Gunners struggled in the first half. Scoring chances were few and far between, with Brentford throwing themselves into every challenge. The Bees, sent onto the pitch by coach Keith Andrews with only Yarmolyuk replacing Henderson after their 3-2 win at Newcastle United, were even the slightly better team at times. After winning the ball, the home side looked to move forward quickly and repeatedly found themselves in dangerous areas. The only notable chance in the first half came from the home side in the form of Igor Thomas. After a cross, the striker rose high and headed powerfully towards goal (22′). However, Raya dived and made a strong save. After that, the visitors continued to struggle against a compact defense, which is why the score remained 0-0 at halftime with few chances.
Madueke goal not enough
The game only picked up pace in the second half. The Gunners came out of the dressing room with much more momentum and were the dominant team in the opening minutes. Although the Bees were able to repel their initial attacks, Madueke finally broke the deadlock in the 61st minute: after a cross from Hincapie, he rose highest and nodded home to make it 1-0.
A shock for Brentford? Not at all! Just three minutes later, Lewis-Potter had a chance to equalize with a header, but he put the ball just wide of the right post after a corner (64′). But while Arsenal seemed to be resting on their lead, the home side continued to press. And so it came to pass: Van den Berg flicked on a long throw-in in the penalty area, Lewis-Potter came rushing in and scored the equalizer with a powerful shot (71′).
The Gunners’ brief spell of pressure was suddenly over. Brentford took control again and created a number of chances. Time and again, it was Igor Thiago who tried his luck from all angles. But either an opponent’s leg got in the way (88′) or his shots were too ambitious (90+2). The Bees almost invited the visitors to score a late lucky punch. Arsenal pushed forward again on the counterattack, but an alert Kelleher made a strong save against the unmarked Gabriel Martinelli (90+3).
The score remained 1-1, meaning Arsenal missed the chance to defend their six-point lead over Manchester City. But now all eyes are on the FA Cup. Brentford will be away to Macclesfield FC in the fourth round on Monday (8:30 p.m.), while the Gunners will host third-tier Wigan Athletic the day before (5:30 p.m.).
