The Gunners recorded a second straight win in the Premier League on Saturday. Arsenal defeated Brentford 2-1 in an impressive performance at the Emirates. The result put Arsenal just one point behind 4th placed the Red Devils with 2 games in hand. But, United’s latest win at Leeds restores the 4-point between them and the 6th placed Gunners. Meanwhile, Brentford remain 14th after Leeds lost their game to United yesterday.
Starting Line-Ups:
Arteta named a 4-2-3-1 formation. Emile Smith-Rowe replaced a suspended Martinelli on the left wing. Cedric continued as a right-back, as Tomiyasu was deemed fit enough to only start on the bench. Brentford made one change from their 0-0 draw to Crystal Palace, with Arsenal product Josh Dasilva replacing Vitely Janelt in the midfield.
First Half:
Arsenal dominated proceedings right from kick-off. The Gunners showed great intent and relentlessly attacked David Raya’s goal. Action in the first half was largely concentrated around the Brentford penalty box. Arsenal were very reliant on the wide areas for build-up.
Integrating Smith Rowe into the side gave Arteta more flexibility on the left-flank too. Smith Rowe and Odegaard could drop deeper to allow the full-backs to overlap. At times, the 2 playmakers would drop into the wings allowing the full-back to invert.
The full-backs were very flexible throughout the game. Cedric and Tierney often inverted in the middle third of the field. This allowed Saka and Smith Rowe to stretch out Brentford’s 5-man back by taking up positions higher and wider.
Xhaka was another player given more freedom in the game. The Swiss midfielder often found himself playing considerably higher up the field. Xhaka adjusted his positioning well to cover Tierney’s overlap or Smith Rowe dropping deeper.
The Bees retreated deep into their own half. Brentford often pressed in a 5-4-1 shape, which made progressions all too easy for Arsenal. Ramsdale faced minimal pressure and could pick out a pass leisurely. Thomas Partey was also excellent throughout the game. The former Atletico Madrid man recycled possession brilliantly and always provided an open passing option.
Higher up the field, Brentford defended their penalty area very well. Thomas Frank’s men often committed 6-7 bodies in their own defensive box. In comparison, the Gunners often had only Lacazette and Xhaka attacking the penalty area. Arsenal looked to use the overlap rather than the underlap to create superiorities out wide. This put Cedric, Tierney, Odegaard and Smith Rowe in good crossing positions quite often.
The Gunners, however, counter-pressed brilliantly. Even when they failed to win duels inside the box, players were positioned excellently to win rebounds and second balls. The Bees made 33 clearances in the first half alone. However, their players were caught too deep to kickstart counter-attacks.
Brentford rarely initiated attacks on the ball. Raya often looked to pick out Mbeumo and Wissa, but Gabriel and White looked comfortable defensively. On the occasions that Brentford did build from short passes, Arsenal adjusted their press well. Odegaard was positioned behind Lacazette rather than as a dual centre-forward. This allowed Smith Rowe and Saka to cover the wide areas more effectively.
Thomas Frank’s men played with a relatively narrow formation, as Canos and Henry acted as the only source of width. A flat midfield line also made pressing easier for Mikel Arteta’s men.
The Gunners’ backline and double pivot were far more proactive in defence. The full-backs were willing to commit higher up to out-number the Bees’ wing-backs. Xhaka and Partey also jumped well to force errors when an opposition midfielder received the ball with his back turned.
The North London side also executed side-overloads brilliantly. The Gunners often had 7-8 out-fielders on the same half of the field, suffocating the Bees in possession.
Brentford attempted only 97 passes in the first half, in comparison to 332 by Arsenal. The Bees also had a pass success rate of just 64%. Mikel Arteta’s men thoroughly dominated the first half and had 16 shots to Brentford’s 2. The Gunners also had 78% of the ball and 9 corners. However, they forced Raya into only 2 saves, as 7 shots were off the frame, and 7 were blocked by the opposition defence.
However, the first half marked one of Arsenal’s finest displays this season. Odegaard, Partey, Smith Rowe and Cedric were all exceptional. Brentford barely threatened Ramsdale’s goal, and there seemed no way for the Bees to garner a result from the game with such a performance.
Second Half:
The Bees began the second half with more life. Canos often dropped into the midfield as the visitors pressed in a 4-2-2-2 shape. However, the hosts were able to find attacking passes via the full-backs or Thomas Partey. Brentford’s narrow shape allowed the Gunners to better utilise the wings with minimal pressure. They also found a lot more space between the lines owing to the haphazard structure of the opposition.
Arsenal’s goal came from such a situation. Alexandre Lacazette had the time to pick out Smith Rowe. Canos was caught in-field allowing the Englishman to attack and beat Ajer before curling in a smart finish.
Thomas Frank’s men held more possession in the second half but managed only 4 shots. Only 1 of these came from within the box. Arsenal defended in a narrow 4-5-1 mid-block and looked to utilise the space between the lines to counter-attack.
Brentford’s best spell came from around the 65th-minute mark. Arsenal’s outfielders, Lacazette and Smith Rowe, in particular, seemed to tire out a little. This gave the Bees more space to attack and made the Gunners less decisive on the break. Arteta responded by bringing on Pepe for Smith Rowe, and the move paid off almost immediately. Odegaard forced a smart save out of Raya, and heroic defending from Norgaard prevented Pepe from tucking the rebound in.
Arteta switched Saka onto the left wing, and Arsenal managed to score with their next counter-attack. Partey found Saka on the left in acres of space. The 20-year-old placed an emphatic effort beyond the reach of Raya to seal the result.
Read More:
- Analysing How Martin Odegaard Has Been So Good This Season
- Arsenal Looking to Sign Middlesbrough Right-back as Arteta Wants the Player as a Cover for Tomiyasu
- Where Does William Saliba Fit in Into Mikel Arteta’s Team?
Arteta brought Nketiah on for Lacazette to see the final five minutes out. Meanwhile, Brentford did manage to pull back a goal in the dying minutes. A poorly cleared free-kick found its way back into the box. Norgaard took a couple of smart touches to shrug off Ramsdale and the Arsenal defence before slotting in a simple finish.
The final whistle brought down the curtains on one of Arsenal’s most impressive performances this season. The scoreline does not do enough to justify the gulf in class between the two sides on the field. Arsenal were better than Brentford in all aspects of the game. They failed to create enough clear-cut chances, but never really looked to be in the danger of conceding either. A massive three points will also boost the Gunners’ stake for a top-4 finish.
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