Arsenal made a perfect start to 2025 by coming from behind to earn a 3-1 victory at Brentford on New Year’s Day that moved them up to second in the Premier League table.
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Mikel Arteta’s men did not have it all their own way, with Bryan Mbeumo continuing his fine campaign by netting an 11th league goal of the season to give the Bees a shock 13th-minute lead.
But in-form Gabriel Jesus restored parity just before the half-hour mark, heading in from close range after Thomas Partey’s effort was spilled by Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken.
Two goals in three minutes early in the second half were enough to secure a key Gunners win, as Mikel Merino finished following another set-piece routine before Gabriel Martinelli brilliantly netted Arsenal’s third.
Wednesday’s triumph sees Arsenal leapfrog Nottingham Forest in the table to move six points behind leaders Liverpool, while Brentford - who have now gone four top-flight matches without a win - remain in 12th place.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
18 | +28 | 45 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
19 | +21 | 39 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
19 | +7 | 37 |
| 4 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
19 | +15 | 35 |
| 5 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
19 | +11 | 32 |
How the match unfolded
Brentford went ahead against the run of play when Mikkel Damsgaard won possession following a poor Martin Odegaard pass and found Mbeumo, who directed his shot inside David Raya’s near post on the Arsenal goalkeeper’s return to his former club.
Arsenal could have found themselves further behind when Raya almost spilled Keane Lewis-Potter’s effort into the net, but he recovered brilliantly to claw the ball away on the line.
That intervention proved crucial, and just 55 seconds later the Gunners drew level through the head of Jesus, who reacted quickest when Partey’s powerful strike from outside the box was parried.
One-way traffic soon ensued after the break, with Arsenal capitalising on Brentford’s defensive hesitance with another set-piece - this time Merino fired home after Flekken failed to deal with a 50th-minute corner.
The victory was sealed three minutes later. Nathan Collins’ headed clearance found Martinelli, who controlled with his thigh before firing impressively into the bottom corner, with the goal awarded on pitch and confirmed following a VAR review to check whether the Brentford defender had been fouled.
Bees stung by their own defensive errors
Having made the Gtech Community Stadium a fortress at the start of the season, Brentford have now lost consecutive home matches, and Thomas Frank’s side will be frustrated with elements of this performance.
The Bees were content with allowing Arsenal to dominate the ball early on, instead showing their threat on the break. Lewis-Potter’s cross was pushed away by Raya with Mbeumo lurking behind him, and the Brentford talisman would make his mark in similar fashion soon after.
But Frank will be annoyed at the way his side conceded the leveller having failed to clear their lines on multiple occasions, with Sepp van den Berg’s slow reaction to Flekken’s stop ruthlessly punished by Jesus, who netted his sixth goal in four matches in all competitions.
More defensive errors followed during Arsenal’s most potent attacking threat, with Flekken flapping at a corner that saw Merino pounce, and despite Martinelli’s finish being a moment of individual quality, the strike came from a poor clearance from Collins.
Brentford rarely threatened after Arsenal’s third with Mathias Jensen narrowly missing a flighted ball into the box late on. The Bees could do with a return to winning ways when they face Southampton on Saturday.
Arsenal deliver on ‘hammer time’ promise
Ahead of kick-off on Wednesday, Arteta said that his side would have to be “like a hammer” in their pursuit of Liverpool, and they hit the nail on the head with their response to falling behind, keeping their title hopes alive this season.
Despite a stuttering start against their London rivals, the Gunners looked measured in their approach as they looked to break down Brentford’s stern defensive rearguard, with the hosts’ resolve eventually breached through Jesus.
Arteta had made a huge call by naming Ethan Nwaneri in Arsenal's starting line-up for the first time in the Premier League, with the teenager becoming the third-youngest player ever to start a top-flight game for the Gunners after Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott, and he proved his worth.
It was Nwaneri’s corner that caused confusion in the Brentford box that led to Merino’s goal, before his teasing delivery resulted in Martinelli putting the result beyond doubt.
Jesus could have added more gloss to the scoreline when Raya’s brilliant punt forward picked out Martinelli, who laid the ball on to his compatriot, but he could only prod wide of the mark.
Arsenal will be hoping to keep up the pressure on Liverpool when they travel Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
Match reports
Brentford report | Arsenal report
What the managers said
Thomas Frank: "I think we did a lot of things right and overall it was a good performance. First half was extremely good and I liked the way we played - we were brave on the ball. We were brave under high pressure as well and overall I think we did well.
"The finest of margins we have to do better. We need to do better than one more goal. If you want to beat Arsenal we need to do everything right."
Mikel Arteta: "We won in a difficult stadium, against a good opponent. The record they have here is incredible and when you go 1-0 down it makes it even harder. We have to navigate through some difficult moments.
"We started really fast and aggressive and again adapting. We had some injuries and sickness and we had to play some different players."
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Match facts
Since the start of last season, Brentford have lost 47 points from winning positions in the Premier League (30 last season, 17 this), at least 10 more than any other side.
Arsenal won a Premier League away match in which they fell 1-0 behind for the first time since February 2023 at Aston Villa (4-2).
Gabriel Jesus has scored six goals in his last four Arsenal appearances in all competitions – as many as his previous 48 beforehand. The Brazilian has scored in back-to-back away matches in the Premier League for the first time since April 2023.
