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Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Brentford
Arsenal suffered a setback in their quest for a first Premier League title since 2004 after being held at the Emirates by Brentford in a 1-1 draw in the Premier League.
Arsenal took the lead through substitute Leandro Trossard but were pegged back by Ivan Toney, as they failed to pick up maximum points at home for only the third time this season.
They were expected to bounce right back after losing to Everton in the last game week, but their revival has not gone to plan, leaving Mikel Arteta’s men vulnerable ahead of their match against Manchester City in midweek.
How it happened
Arsenal came into the fixture on the back of a shock 1-0 loss to Everton in the Premier League but would have been confident of getting a result since they had not dropped points in consecutive matches this season.
However, things would not go their way and they got early warning signs when Rico Henry was found unmarked in the six-yard box, but the Brentford wing-back managed to miss when it would have been easier to score and let Arsenal off the hook.
Despite Arsenal dominating possession, seeing up to 70% of the ball in the first class, they failed to create any real guilt-edged opportunities, and instead, it was Brentford who came close to scoring again.
This time, English forward Toney struck the crossbar from a brilliant cut-back from Cameroonian forward Bryan Mbeumo.
Luckily for the gunners, Arsenal allowing Brentford two big chances in the first half went unpunished and the teams entered the halftime break tied at 0-0.
Arsenal came out of the halftime break smoking and looked like the Arsenal of old, threatening to suffocate the Bees, but they still struggled to find clear scoring chances. They managed to create a shooting opportunity for captain Martin Odegaard, but his effort was saved easily by David Raya in goal for Brentford.
They tried to switch things up by bringing on winter signing Leandro Trossard for Gabriel Martinelli, and it worked as Trossard scored within five minutes of his introduction with a far-post tap-in from Bukayo Saka’s brilliant cross.
Arsenal had hoped that Trossard’s goal would be the winner in another tight affair for the Gunners, but on the balance of things, that would have been unfair to Brentford.
The Bees would get a well-deserved point through Toney’s goal in the 74th minute after confusion in the Arsenal box left with an open goal following a mistake by Aaron Ramsdale and a brilliant pick out by Christian Norgaard.
Are Arsenal starting to let it slip?
Toney’s late equaliser for Brentford was fully deserved and in truth, the Bees could have gotten a better result on another day.
Arsenal simply were not at the races, just as they were not at their best against Everton, and doubts will begin to creep in about whether the Gunners can see out their quest for the Premier League title.
Prior to the Brentford draw Arsenal had not dropped points in consecutive Premier League games, and before losing to Everton, they had not lost in the Premier League since September.
To do both in such quick succession, with Manchester City coming up, inevitably casts doubts in the minds of Arsenal fans, but hopefully not in the minds of the Gunners’ players who have to navigate a difficult month of football.
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