LONDON, Dec 3 : Arsenal regained their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League as Mikel Merino’s early goal and a late one from substitute Bukayo Saka earned them an efficient 2-0 home victory over Brentford on Wednesday.
Spaniard Merino headed in from Ben White’s cross after 11 minutes as the hosts stretched their unbeaten run in all competitions to 18 but it was a night of hard graft and nerves as Brentford pushed them hard.
Kevin Schade hit the crossbar in the first half for the well-drilled visitors and Arsenal looked laboured after the break until Saka eased the growing sense of anxiety in the first minute of stoppage time.
It was far from fluent from Mikel Arteta’s side and they suffered some injury blows but he will not care about that as his team moved to 33 points from 14 games with Manchester City on 28.
“We had a very demanding week and we still performed in the way we did against a super well-organised team,” Arteta said.
“It is always uncomfortable because all Brentford need is a throw and it’s chaos. One nil is never enough against them but I thought we dominated the game and created the biggest chances.”
The contrast between the way City won 5-4 at Fulham the previous evening, having led 5-1, and the way Arsenal got the job done against Brentford could not have been more stark.
It also illustrated perfectly why many believe this will be the season Arsenal finally get their hands on the Premier League trophy for the first time since 2004.
While City diced with danger in a memorably wild and wonderful Craven Cottage clash, Arsenal, even without injured first-choice centre backs William Saliba and Gabriel, were a model of control and efficiency against dangerous opposition.
Merino’s goal was one of the few moments of real quality. A patient Arsenal build-up eventually saw the ball arrive at the feet of Noni Madueke and his clever flick released White who stood up the perfect cross for Merino to head home.
Arsenal dominated the first half but were given a warning shot when Schade met a corner with a header which home keeper David Raya did brilliantly to turn onto the crossbar.
Gabriel Martinelli blazed over the bar and Madueke twice got in good positions but was snuffed out by Rico Henry tackles.
Brentford grew in stature after the break and when manager Keith Andrews sent on 11-goal Brazilian powerhouse Igor Thiago along with Mikkel Damsgaard and Jordan Henderson on the hour – all three surprisingly left out of the starting line-up – it increased the tension around the stadium.
But Arsenal calmly dealt with Brentford’s stream of crosses and long throw-ins and Saka eventually sealed it with a shot on the turn that Caoimhin Kelleher partially saved but could not stop from crossing the line.
The only worry for Arsenal was the sight of defender Cristhian Mosquera limping off, followed later by Declan Rice who gave another high-energy display in midfield.
“We’ll know more tomorrow. They need to be tested. Declan had to come off… let’s see who is available,” Arteta said.
The fixtures are coming thick and fast for Arsenal with a trip to third-placed Aston Villa on Saturday.
Brentford, who are 13th with 19 points, have another north London date on Saturday, at Tottenham Hotspur.
