February 19, (THEWILL) – Arsenal improved their chances of finishing in the top four of the Premier League with a 2-1 win against Brentford at the Emirates Stadium, avenging a shock setback to the Bees in August.
The Gunners started brightly, with Ben White sending a header goalward that Christian Norgaard had to save at the back post.
The ball was subsequently put in the net by Arsenal in the 12th minute after Kristoffer Ajer stopped Bukayo Saka’s cut-back. Alexandre Lacazette headed home Granit Xhaka’s cross, but VAR determined that the Swiss had drifted marginally offside in the build-up.
Mikel Arteta’s team pressed on, with 82 percent control after 20 minutes, but David Raya in the Brentford goal continued to make it difficult for the Gunners to find a way through. Soon after, Odegaard fired from range, but Pontus Jansson used his leg to deflect the ball behind for a corner.
Raya was called into action from Ben White’s rasping effort from the edge of the area after Ethan Pinnock nodded Kierney’s dangerous delivery away from danger. It was last-ditch stuff from Thomas Frank’s side.
Just 90 seconds later, the Arsenal supporters inside the Emirates Stadium were chanting for a penalty. The ball appeared to contact Yoane Wissa’s arm as the forward slid to block Cedric Soares’ effort, but VAR determined that the Bees man had not infringed the rules.
Arteta’s team, on the other hand, never let their frustrations show, as they broke the deadlock just two minutes into the second half. Lacazette moved the ball out wide to Smith Rowe, who was open. After squaring up Ajer, the midfielder jinked infield before curling a superb attempt beyond Raya’s reach.
Tierney then came within a whisker of extending the lead on the hour mark when he received the ball in space on the outskirts of the box, but his strike was blocked by the backtracking Bryan Mbeumo.
Brentford were starting to get into the game, with Mbeumo going close at the other end, but Arsenal put the game out of reach with 12 minutes to go.
Thomas Partey gathered the loose ball and strode forward as Pontus Jansson went down under slight touch from Lacazette on the halfway line. The Ghanaian took his time before supplying Saka, who scored a spectacular goal off the far post.
Brentford grabbed a late consolation goal when Norgaard converted a ricochet from a free-kick sent into the penalty box, but it was too little, too late for the away side.
With the double, Arsenal scored their 600th (and 601st) Premier League goal at the Emirates, doing so in their 297th game, with only Manchester United at Old Trafford (283) and Manchester City at the Etihad (290) having done it in less games.
With a couple of matches in hand, Arsenal are now one point behind Manchester United in fourth place and level with West Ham United in fifth place, and they will face Wolves in midweek. Brentford, however, is still in 14th place and will face Newcastle United next weekend.
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.
