Arsenal played out a 1—all draw against Brentford at the Emirates Stadium in a match where they lacked the sharpness to break down a solid Brentford defence.
The Gunners dominated play in both halves of the match but created few clearcut chances. Brentford had the better chance of the first half, but their top scorer this season Ivan Toney failed to score from a crisp pass from his strike partner Bryan Mbeumo in the 24th minute. His shot hit the crossbar on its way out of play.
Arsenal kept coming at Brentford with their wide players Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli trying to make things happen, but the best this yielded was a shot by Martinelli that went way over the bar in the 42nd minute. In between Toney’s and Martinelli’s chances were shots from both teams that went over the bar.
The second half started with the same intensity from the hosts but Brentford were happy to sit back and try to catch their opponents on the break. Arsenal however, got the breakthrough in the 66th minute when substitute and new signing Leandro Trossard put the ball at the back of the net after good interplay from captain Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka. It was his first goal for Arsenal.
With a goal down, Brentford upped a gear to try to get something out of this match and their efforts paid off in the 74th minute when Toney nodded home Christian Norgaard’s cutback pass to level matters. That goal came after Arsenal failed to clear their lines from a set piece. There was a shout for offside, but after a VAR check, the goal stood.
The draw means that this is the first time this season that Arsenal have failed to win a match in which they have scored first. It also means that Brentford are now unbeaten in 10 Premier League matches.
Arsenal stay top of the Premier League table while Brentford stay eighth.
