Arsenal 2 Brentford 1
Mikel Arteta’s side had the chance to return to the top of the table as they welcomed Brentford to The Emirates. The race for the title is heating up and with Liverpool and Man City playing on Sunday, the opportunity to put the pressure on their rivals was real for The Gunners.
Last season Aaron Ramsdale was one of the reasons why Arteta’s side found themselves competing for the Premier League crown. Twelve months later, the England stopper is resigned to just playing against Brentford when David Raya is ineligible. How times have changed for the keeper.
The hosts started on the front foot with Saka causing problems down the right. As a corner came in, Kiwior headed towards goal but Toney was on the back post to clear off the line. It was an early warning for the visitors.
Arsenal did not have to wait long to break the deadlock as White clipped a ball into the box for Rice to head into the bottom corner to give them the lead. All seemed to be going according to plan for the North London outfit in this derby.
Credit: @Arsenal
Jorginho then picked out Havertz, who clipped the ball past Flekken but sadly for the German his effort went well wide of the far post. To add to his frustrations he was then booked for catching a Brentford player with a stray arm while competing for a header.
Confidence is a big thing with keepers and Ramsdale’s was soon to plummet. As the hosts looked to play out from the back, Wissa slid in to block the keeper’s clearance. The ball ricocheted off him and into the back of the net to make Arsenal’s number two want the ground to swallow him up.
If this game was a chance for him to remind his manager that he was worthy of a first team place, this was not going according to plan for Ramsdale. A deathly silence fell upon The Emirates as, out of nowhere, The Bees had levelled.
As the second half started, the ball dropped to Toney some forty yards out. The striker audaciously hit the ball on the half volley, spotting Ramsdale off his line. The keeper pulled off a great save as it seemed the shot was sailing over the top of him.
The rules of football seem to be a mystery to most now, including the officials. While teams are penalised for blocking at set pieces, The Gunners seemed to employ a Royal Rumble approach to theirs as both sets of players wrestled in the box.
However, despite their heavy-handed approach, Arsenal are the first to let the referee know when they feel they should have a penalty. Havertz went tumbling to the ground but the replay shows there was no contact whatsoever as the German flung himself to the floor.
Credit: @Arsenal
Considering he had already been booked in the game, he was lucky not to receive a second yellow card. The only way simulation will be stamped out from the game is if the officials start taking action and cautioning players responsible for trying to con the referee.
In a rare attack, Ajer lifted the ball into the box and Collins had a free header. Ramsdale acrobatically flicked the ball over the crossbar. That would go some way to helping him forget his part in the Brentford equaliser just before halftime.
The Gunners were desperately trying to find the goal that would give them the victory they craved, to take them to the top of the table. Odegaard laid the ball off to Rice who looked to bend one in the top corner, only to see his effort rattle the woodwork.
With merely minutes remaining, White crossed from the byline and Havertz headed home to send The Emirates into raptures. Arsenal held on for the win and knew they would spend at least some of the weekend at top of the Premier League.
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