Arsenal did the difficult part, but then faltered at what they’re supposed to be best at, making this title challenge that bit more testing. Except, much of that was down to Brentford. Keith Andrews’ side beat – or perhaps drew with – Arsenal at their own game.
Brentford fully deserved Keane Lewis-Potter’s set-piece equaliser, and the 1-1 draw ultimately leaves Arsenal’s lead down to just four points.
They even looked likelier to win it at the end, Gabriel Martinelli’s late chance only came after Arsenal required crucial interventions from Cristhian Mosquera and Declan Rice.
That is why Brentford are still seen as one of the Premier League’s acid tests, perhaps even more testing than ever before. It is the most classic battle, the one teams have to really work through.
Failing to win this fixture isn’t a sign you won’t win the title, but it’s a match that goes some way to showing your mettle and how you can really go through the gears in a title race.
Arsenal’s minimalism wasn’t enough here. It may end up serving as another warning.
Mikel Arteta will nevertheless be most frustrated that it should have been enough. Arsenal had the lead through Noni Madueke’s fine header, only for the team that normally shuts down games to see themselves opened up again and again.
Brentford just forced them open. On conceding the goal, they immediately upped it in so many ways. It’s rare to see Arsenal so threatened on set-pieces.
Maybe part of that was down to the absence of William Saliba.
The Gunners didn’t get going until it was too late in the game, allowing Brentford that margin.
That could be seen in the fact that they had just one shot in the first half, their lowest in an opening 45 minutes since a 5-0 thrashing to Manchester City in August 2021.
It is a balance that Arteta still has to figure out, as he too often leans towards control too often. The sense remains of a team trying to win the league on calculated probabilities rather than the true end product, of being so close now that the coach is now not taking enough risks.
You almost extend it to the expenditure.
One reason that Arsenal are where they are across all competitions is their squad depth, and yet there are moments when it’s hard not to wonder whether they could have used their budget in a slightly different way.
The starting attack in this game was a prime example. As good as Viktor Gyokeres and Madueke are in their own way, would the club have been better served pooling the money for both together, in the region of £107m, and going for one “killer”. An elevated star that they are still missing.
Even Leandro Trossard, brilliant as he’s been for the club, often feels like he should be the impact sub rather than the starter.
Eberechi Eze was signed to offer that extra stardust, but it is going to be difficult to rise to the occasion when he is constantly in and out.
And, after that first half, Arteta made the changes.
Martin Odegaard was introduced. The Norwegian did have an initial impact, which helped force the opener.
There was a sense of what might have been.
Madueke remains a tantalisingly frustrating player, as if there are still elements missing to complete his game. One is delivery.
There are so many occasions when he does wonders to beat his man, and often embarrasses them, only to try the same slowly floated cross that is so easy to defend against.
He perhaps saw the benefit of a more traditional effort on 61 minutes, which allowed the 23-year-old to show the productive player he often promises to be.
Arsenal’s changes had admittedly ensured that they were starting to pen Brentford in, with Odegaard looking especially lively.
It was his pressing that forced Andrews’ backline into an error, the ball then arriving at the feet of Piero Hincapie. He hooked over a fine cross, although one where Madueke looked like he might have stepped forward a touch too early. It was instead Caoimhin Kelleher who was wrong-footed, although only because Madueke showed impressive agility.
The winger arched back to loop a header across the goal and into the bottom corner.
That should have been that, only for Odegaard to then look a bit more culpable at the other end. He only stuck his leg out for one of Brentford’s aerial assaults, allowing Lewis-Potter to plunder a brilliant header.
Arsenal were lucky not to concede from that route again.
Brentford are more than just an awkward team, or a physical one. There’s so much calculation in everything they do, as befitting a modern club built on analytics. You can almost see the science behind every move, the manner in which the ball is played into areas of probability.
A favoured attack is one of the wingers immediately playing a first-time ball across the opposition area on the break, which tends to instantly cause angst.
Arsenal had to be on their toes, none more so than when Brentford’s pressure saw David Raya attempt to throw the ball to Rice. The delivery was loose, though, allowing Mathias Jensen to pick the midfielder’s pocket, turn, and swerve in the most inviting ball for Igor Thiago.
It really couldn’t have been better. Thiago no doubt thought he had the header to match, and he probably should have scored, but Raya had already scurried back to get across and down for one of the saves of the season.
It was a crucial recovery. It may prove important in the long run. Rather than such individual moments, though, Arsenal will be looking at those two points.
If they wanted more, though, they should have done more.
