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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2. Cedric Again Proves His Worth

Back-to-back weeks of solid performances for the Portuguese right-back. Bet nobody saw that coming not too long ago…

In a similar fashion to his game at Wolves, he got forward at every opportunity and was a catalyst for many of Arsenal’s whopping 32 first-half crosses into the Brentford box. Not all of them were accurate, but it demonstrated his willingness to attack and build triangles with Saka and Odegaard down that side.

Again, he was defensively sound at the back and was a constant outlet down the right-hand side in the first half as the Gunners controlled much of the game. With Takehiro Tomiyasu not deemed fit enough to start, Cedric has filled in superbly and the Japanese international may just have to wait until he is restored to the side.

Although Tomiyasu is the bonafide starting right-back, Cedric has shown his capabilities over the last two games to suggest that he can be a valuable backup for the rest of the season.

And, can we please talk about that Ronaldinho-esque touch when he picked the ball out of the air that fell 60 feet down? Glorious stuff.

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3. VAR & Refereeing Again Questionable

Many thought that when the ball struck the arm of Yoane Wissa that referee Jon Moss would point to the spot. However, as Arsenal fans have become accustomed to, the referee and VAR saw no wrongdoing and did not award a penalty.

Why, though?

This was despite multiple replays showing Wissa’s arm in an unnatural position and away from his body in an attempt to block a goal-bound shot. Why that was not given will require further explanation.

The home side again had a penalty shout in the second half when Nicolas Pepe dazzled his way through multiple Brentford defenders, with replays showing there was some contact on the Ivorian, but again the appeal was waved away. Two very decent penalty shouts.

Beyond VAR, though, was the showing from Jon Moss, who seemed to do everything in his power to prevent Arsenal from winning this match. Saka was getting kicked to pieces without so much as a free-kick, while other decisions left everyone scratching their heads.

Much more would have been said if Arsenal didn’t win this game.

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4. Granit Xhaka Refuses the Captain’s Armband

In what could potentially be a huge story to come out of the game – although in the grand scheme of things means absolutely nothing – Granit Xhaka refused to take the captain’s armband from Alexandre Lacazette after the Frenchman was substituted late in the second half.

Eddie Nketiah took the armband from Lacazette and sought out Xhaka, only for the Swiss international to show zero interest in taking it. The whole situation was somewhat odd.

Nketiah was then forced to hold onto the armband until the next phase of play to then which Kieran Tierney took charge and was captain for the remainder of the game. There is sure to be some interesting dialogue on this going forward, in what was a weird situation all-around.

It’s not like he hasn’t worn it since being stripped of it, and perhaps it’s Xhaka showing humility in the situation because he knows Tierney is next in line. Equally, he might not want anything to do with it anymore, and he’s just doing a job until the summer when he leaves.

Who knows? It’s all conjecture. But there is no denying that it was a peculiar situation.

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5. Martin Odegaard Runs the Show With Technical Elegance

The Norwegian maestro was again silky as ever in the middle of the park for Arsenal. He’s found a level and he is not dropping below it.

Picking up superb positions in the final third, the 23-year-old showed several classy touches and kept the Gunners ticking over nicely. Some of his roll-overs, flicks, tricks and feints were mesmeric, including a dummy air-shot in the first half that had the whole of the Emirates up on its feet applauding.

His ability to weave in and out of pressure to create space for himself and his teammates were a regular feature as he kept getting his team driving forward. Operating as the right-sided No. 8 in this system he can build triangles with Saka and Cedric, facilitate play and keep Arsenal’s rhythm flowing.

The partnership with Saka in particular is a blossoming one.

After his initial six-month loan spell last season, Odegaard is now finding his feet and is justifying his price tag. £30m is an absolute steal for a player still not near his peak. These kinds of performances are now becoming the norm for Arsenal’s No. 8 and he is simply a joy to watch with the ball at his feet.