December 04, (THEWILL) — Arsenal returned to winning ways at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening, defeating Brentford 2-0 to restore a five-point gap at the summit of the English Premier League.
The victory came after Manchester City had narrowed the Gunners’ advantage to just two points following their 5-4 triumph at Fulham the previous day.
Mikel Arteta’s side took the lead inside 11 minutes when Mikel Merino headed home from close range. Ben White delivered a cross from the byline after Noni Madueke’s inventive backheel created the opportunity, and Merino’s effort beat goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Brentford’s best moment came when David Raya pushed Kevin Schade’s header against the woodwork, but the visitors managed no further attempts on goal.
The second period began sluggishly for the hosts, prompting Arteta to introduce Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka from the bench.
Riccardo Calafiori tested Kelleher before Declan Rice forced another save, with Merino unable to convert the rebound.
The England midfielder subsequently left the pitch with an injury as the list lengthened for the ghosts.
Saka sealed the three points deep into added time. His strike was parried by Kelleher, but the ball looped into the net to confirm a comfortable evening for the home side.
The result maintained Arsenal’s momentum at the top of the table with a controlled performance against limited opposition.
Brentford offered little attacking threat throughout the 90 minutes, failing to register a single shot on target after Schade’s early header.
Arsenal will look to build on this victory when they return to league action, whilst the Bees face an uphill battle to climb into the upper half of the log.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
