Arsenal FC ran out high and deserved 3-0 winners at Brentford FC, who had previously been unbeaten in home games. The highlight was provided by a man with a common name in North London.
Not only had Brentford FC not lost a game at home so far, they had also routed Manchester United, against whom Arsenal had last suffered their first defeat, 4-0. However, a brash front-runner at the Bees almost took the lead after just two minutes, but Martinelli failed to hit the ball properly in a prime finishing position.
In the following, a dynamic, balanced game developed in which both teams sometimes attacked proactively, sometimes lurked on counterattacks – and hardly let their opponents find their offensive game. The Gunners emerged as the more hard-nosed side, with headers from Saliba (after a corner, 17th) and Gabriel Jesus (after a cross, 28th) giving them a deserved 2-0 lead at the break.
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After the restart, Arteta’s side picked up where they left off. Gabriel Jesus whirled in Brazilian style and Fabio Vieira scored a dream goal from 25 metres for a 3-0 lead (49th). The visitors’ block cheered exuberantly and came out to play: because of the similarity in names, the Arsenal fans promptly unpacked their chants for club legend Patrick Vieira again.
While defensive rock Saliba cleaned up at the back, Saka (66.) and Gabriel Jesus (86.) missed an even higher score up front – as did Joker Damsgaard on the other side in a one-on-one with Ramsdale to tie the game up (71.). In the closing stages, the Bees again laid siege to the visitors’ penalty area, who nevertheless held on unscathed – and who substituted Ethan Nwaneri (15 years, 181 days), the youngest player in Premier League history to date.
A point on the chasing duo
The Bees’ first home defeat, then, was a clear one and deserved in the amount it took Arsenal FC (18 points) to secure their top spot ahead of Manchester City and north London rivals Tottenham (17 each) in impressive fashion.