Mikel Arteta wanted to send a warning to Liverpool that Arsenal can push them all the way for the Premier League title and this was evidence that they mean business. Facing a Brentford side boasting the division’s best home record and trailing to an early Bryan Mbeumo strike, Arsenal hit back with goals from Gabriel Jesus – his sixth in his past four games – Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli to ensure that they moved to within six points of Arne Slot’s side, albeit from a game more.
It was far from a vintage performance from Arsenal and they once again needed a goal from a corner – their ninth of the season – to settle this contest. But having now gone 12 matches in all competitions without defeat and with the 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri making another big impression on his first Premier League start, Arteta will sense that their momentum is slowly building even in the absence of their talisman Bukayo Saka.
Both these sides had to wait until the new year to round off the first half of their campaigns, with Liverpool having moved nine points clear thanks to their 5-0 thrashing of West Ham. So the onus was on Arsenal to keep up the pressure on the leaders in the first of nine fixtures they will play this month in all competitions.
It was perhaps with Saturday’s trip to Brighton in mind that Arteta made four changes from the team that narrowly defeated Ipswich in their last outing. That included an opportunity for Nwaneri to fill the big boots of Saka on the right, with Martinelli reverting to his usual left flank. Kai Havertz was not even part of the match-day squad because of a sickness bug in the camp that forced the Germany forward to isolate from the rest of the squad and Declan Rice had to settle for a place on the bench.
Brentford lost their unbeaten home record last time out against Nottingham Forest but after picking up only a second away point of the season, at Brighton, Thomas Frank clearly fancied their chances of making it an eighth win from 10 games here. But despite racing into an early lead, an inexperienced defence could not hold out in the face of concerted pressure from the visitors.
Brentford had already scored 26 goals at home – more than any other side – and they served early notice of their danger when Mbeumo beat William Saliba to a flick-on but David Raya was able to smother the cross from Keane Lewis-Potter.
The Arsenal goalkeeper excelled during his five seasons at Brentford but on his first return to west London he will know he could have done more to prevent them from taking the lead after Martin Ødegaard’s pass was intercepted by Mikkel Damsgaard. The Denmark midfielder’s through ball for Mbeumo was brilliant, although Riccardo Calafiori allowed him to enter the area unchallenged before fooling Raya with a clever finish at the near post. The visitors then needed Calafiori to clear away another dangerous cross as Brentford looked much slicker going forward.
Fortunately for Arsenal, a scrappy equaliser from Jesus hauled them back into the game but only after a heart-in-mouth moment for Raya when he spilled Lewis-Potter’s shot and just managed to claw the ball off his line. Jesus pounced after Mark Flekken saved from Thomas Partey’s drive when Brentford had repeatedly failed to clear their lines, with Arteta assembling his players into a huddle on the touchline as the video assistant referee checked for a potential handball that wasn’t found.
Nwaneri has excelled in Arsenal’s Carabao Cup run this season but, having become the youngest player in Premier League history here in September 2022 at the age of 15 years and 181 days, his first start has been a long time coming after 10 substitute appearances this season.
He was kept largely quiet during the first half but it is a measure of how highly regarded he is that when Arsenal won a corner on the right early in the second half, it was the teenager who stepped up to take it. Nicolas Jover, who was Brentford’s set-piece coach for three years before linking up with Arteta at Manchester City, watched on as Flekken fumbled Nwaneri’s corner and Merino fired in from close range after the initial shot from Jesus was blocked on the line. “Set piece again olé, olé,” sang the Arsenal fans in delight.
Their mood was only improved three minutes later when Nathan Collins headed Nwaneri’s cross straight to Martinelli and he made no mistake to give Arsenal some precious breathing space. Frank threw on four substitutes at the same time in an attempt to find a way back into the game but they could not quite summon the energy of the first half and Arsenal were able to soak up everything they threw at them.
Nwaneri left the field to a standing ovation from the away end when he was replaced late on and enjoyed a warm embrace with Arteta. With him and his fellow academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly having also forced his way into the manager’s plans this season, the future looks bright for Arsenal as they attempt to make it a year to remember.
