Kai Havertz underlined his top form in Arsenal’s laborious win against Brentford – but was also in the spotlight afterwards because of another scene
When Mikel Arteta substituted Gabriel Jesus for Jorginho in the 70th minute against Brentford, it was doubly risky: because a striker came on for a midfielder – and because Kai Havertz remained on the pitch. The German international striker had escaped a yellow card five minutes earlier and was only able to play a different role because of it: He headed Arsenal to a 2-1 victory shortly before the end and thus temporarily to the top of the Premier League.
“We really wanted these points and we got them,” said Havertz on the BBC microphone, breathing a sigh of relief. “Sometimes these games make you stronger than the 6-0 victories” that the Gunners have been celebrating recently. The match-winner did not mention the 65th minute. In a duel with Nathan Collins, he – already yellow-carded from the first half – went down very lightly in the penalty area, although he had barely been touched.
Brentford coach Frank: “That was a clear foul “
“From my point of view, Havertz shouldn’t have been on the pitch when he scored,” said an annoyed Brentford coach Thomas Frank. “That was a clear foul. It may have been difficult for the referee to see, but the linesman should have seen it.” Frank did not mention the fact that the visitors had also been lucky in some penalty area situations when the hosts were awarded penalties
Arteta didn’t care about any of that. The coach, who had celebrated Havertz’s goal exuberantly on the touchline, found the hard-fought victory – the eighth in a row – “100 percent” better than the temporary leap to the top of the table.
And so Arsenal can watch the top game between Liverpool and Manchester City on Sunday with complete peace of mind. A draw would keep Arteta’s team at the top. “We can’t change what the other teams do,” explained Havertz. Well, he did put a little pressure on both rivals on Saturday
This included his team-mates successfully setting up substitute keeper Aaron Ramsdale, who replaced David Raya, who was ineligible to play against his regular club and promptly conceded the 1:1, at the break. “Everyone in the team has already made mistakes this season,” said Havertz. “We talked about that during the break.” Ramsdale then saved the Gunners from going 2-1 down twice.
