Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by a good side from Brentford, missing out on a chance to regain a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
The lead over leaders Arsenal was cut to just three points after second-placed Manchester City swept away Fulham on Wednesday, but the Gunners could only improve that gap by one point on a tough night in west London.
The Gunners were unable to get a shot on target in the first half, despite Gabriel coming close to scoring from an early corner kick. Brentford had the best chance of the first half, with Igor Thiago’s 12-yard header well saved by David Raya.
Arsenal introduced captain Martin Odegaard, who had returned from injury, at half-time to replace the reluctant Eberechi Eze, which made a difference and the league leaders took the lead with their first shot on target.
Just as Bukayo Saka was ready to enter the game, Noni Maduke headed Piero Hincapie’s powerful cross into the top corner.
Noni Madueke celebrates after Arsenal take the lead
However, Brentford did not get discouraged by falling behind; in fact, it gave them a boost. Kean Lewis-Potter should have equalized, but he was free from a corner kick and headed wide.
At the other end, Michael Kayode made a superb last-ditch tackle to deny Victor Goqueres’ second goal when Declan Rice should have shot sooner.
And these two Brentford players contributed to the equalizer. Kayode’s long throw was deflected at the near post and Lewis Potter leveled the score by beating Odegaard’s ball at the far post.
And Brentford didn’t stop there – they came very close to beating Arsenal and getting their second point. Gabriel avoided a second yellow card for a high attack on Dango Ouattara, whose free-kick was tipped over by Raya.
Thiago then had a big moment when he broke through one-on-one, but Cristian Mosquera, who had replaced the sick William Saliba, thwarted him with a strong tackle. Rice threw in a similar final block to prevent further Ouattara-led departures.
Neither team could get a winner, boosting Brentford’s European hopes and damaging Arsenal’s challenge.
Arteta: “We lacked composure after the opponent’s goal”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta:
“In the end we had a big chance, one-on-one with Gabriel Martinelli, but it wasn’t meant to be.
“We have to do our job and come to all these places like any other team. We have to be at our best every game and also have the luck we need in the games to get three points every week.”
“We started the second half really well, the first 20 to 25 minutes.
“They scored the goal, but from there we lacked the composure to maintain the goal better, play in the right areas and instill more discipline.
“Because we started giving away a lot of unnecessary free-kicks and bad clearances and we started allowing the ball into the channels, so they started creating set-pieces – and they’re really good at that, so credit to them too.”
Arsenal’s David Raya saves from Brentford’s Igor Thiago
Andrews: We had a better chance of winning.
Brentford head coach Keith Andrews:
“I was really happy with our movements and body language in the box today.
“Arsenal’s set-pieces are made up of a lot of parts… We ourselves are not too bad.
“I thought we were great for the majority of the game, great in most aspects against a top team with great individuals.
“In the first half, we controlled the game our way and created better chances.In the second half, Odegaard came on and the dynamics and the way we played changed.
“They were in control for 15-20 minutes, but in the last 30 minutes we were great and I thought our team had a good chance of winning.”
Andrews has no intention of talking about Europe, but he may soon have to
Sky Sports’ Dan Long at Gtech Community Stadium:
“Those who doubted Keith Andrews have had to take their word for it. Superlatives are running out against Brentford.
“Following our first win against Aston Villa at Villa Park, we secured our first win at St James’ Park since 1934, holding current Premier League leaders Arsenal to a 1-1 draw.
“Incredibly, they are probably unhappy that they didn’t get all three points, given that Igor Thiago had two big chances (one in either half) to score his 18th goal in the Premier League this season.
Keith Andrews may have to have talks about European qualification soon
“In a subsequent press conference, Andrews referred to the team playing with ‘relentless football’ and a ‘fearless attitude.’ It’s hard to argue otherwise.
“Arsenal are a threatening team, especially at the moment, but they looked normal at times thanks to Brentford. The Gunners had just two shots on target and their total xG was 0.6, the third lowest in a Premier League game this season.”
“Andrews, like any manager, is not just thinking about the next game and he is certainly not going to start talking about qualifying for Europe because there are still 12 games left.
“But if the Bees continue to produce results and performances like this, it will only be a matter of time before he has to do so.”
