Arsenal 2-1 Brentford: 5 talking points from Premier League win

Arsenal secured a well deserved 2-1 win over Brentford at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon. A dominating first-half ended scoreless but second-half goals from Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka put the home side in a winning position. Christian Norgaard scored a late consolation for the visitors but it was Arsenal’s day in north London.

Arsenal started the game on the front foot, dominating possession and pushing the visitors back, with Brentford looking only reasonably dangerous on the counter-attack.

The Gunners found a lot of joy down the right-hand side with Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Cedric all combining well on that flank. Lacazette did have the ball in the net halfway through the first half but was ruled out for offside.

The home side continued its domination with wave after wave of pressure, and the hosts thought they had a good shout for a penalty after Yoane Wissa had the ball hit his arm – which was not definitely not in a natural position – however, after a VAR check, somehow it went unpunished.

Arsenal 2-1 Brentford: 5 talking points from Premier League win as Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka seal three points for Arteta’s side

Such was Arsenal’s dominance in the first half that they recorded 80.1% possession, had 16 shots (a Premier League record for a half this season), 333 passes to just 85 of Brentford, put in 32 crosses into the box and a had whopping nine corners to zero. However, for all the possession and pressure, Arsenal could not break the deadlock as they went into the half-time break still level.

It did not take Arsenal long after the restart to finally take the lead. With just two minutes played, Lacazette released Smith Rowe who took the ball, cut inside, and curled his shot into the far corner to give the home side a deserved lead.

Brentford slowly got into the game and had some good spells in dangerous areas however just as they were getting a foothold in the game, with 11 minutes left in normal time, the game was put beyond doubt. A swift counter-attack saw Partey release Saka who lashed his shot across Raya in goal to double the lead.

Brentford managed a late consolation with Norgaard netting a sloppy goal in the third minute of injury time, but overall it was a superb performance and a crucial win from Arsenal as they take yet another opportunity in the race for a top four spot. The game provided plenty of talking points, and here they are.

1. Emile Smith Rowe Returns in Style

The young Englishman marked his return to the starting side with a superb performance that was capped off with a fine finish to give Arsenal the lead just after the break.

His energy, movement, and willingness to take Brentford players on were a constant feature. His goal was his tenth in the league this season, the most in a single campaign by an Arsenal midfielder since Aaron Ramsey in 2017/18, and he continues to take giant strides after a breakout season last year.

Smith Rowe got his chance after Gabriel Martinelli’s red card against Wolves last time out and this performance has just sent a little reminder to Mikel Arteta that the 21-year-old deserves more minutes going forward.

Having not seen much action as of late, Arsenal’s No. 10 was replaced with 15 minutes to go with a raucous Gunners faithful giving him a great send-off.

Can you keep either of Smith Rowe or Martinelli out of the team, especially given Lacazette’s performance? There is a decision to be made there.

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