Yoane Wissa cancelled out Thomas Partey's goal as Brentford salvaged a 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Emirates Stadium, pushing Liverpool closer to the Premier League title.
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Four days after beating Real Madrid 3-0 in the UEFA Champions League, Arsenal needed over an hour to break down Thomas Frank's stubborn visitors.
Partey finished across Mark Flekken after the Gunners' midweek hero Declan Rice led a devastating counter-attack following a Brentford corner.
But Wissa swivelled in a crowded penalty area to hook past former Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, and despite Mikel Arteta bringing Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard off the bench, Arsenal – who finished with 10 men due to an injury to Jorginho – were unable to find a winner.
A second successive league draw for Arsenal means Liverpool need just nine more points to secure the title, and could be crowned champions next weekend.
Brentford climb above Crystal Palace to go 11th in the table.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
31 | +42 | 73 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
32 | +30 | 63 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
32 | +13 | 57 |
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
32 | +20 | 55 |
How the match unfolded
Brentford made an assured start, though Arsenal carved out the first half-chance when Gabriel Martinelli's dink was smothered by Flekken.
Kristoffer Ajer worked former team-mate Raya, then Arsenal had a potential opener chalked off following a VAR review. Kieran Tierney headed Ethan Nwaneri's cross home, but the semi-automated offside technology showed the Scot to have been offside.
Arsenal's first shot on target did not arrive until the 41st minute, when Flekken turned Rice's drive away, then the visiting goalkeeper produced a better save from Leandro Trossard's 20-yard effort.
But the Gunners went ahead through a brilliant counter-attacking goal in the 61st minute. Raya fed Rice after claiming a Bryan Mbeumo corner, and the midfielder drove forward before teeing up Partey for a thumping finish.
Brentford, though, were only behind for 13 minutes. Michael Kayode's dinked cross was headed back across goal by Nathan Collins, and Wissa improvised brilliantly to finish on the turn.
Arsenal finished with 10 men as Jorginho hobbled off injured after they had used all their substitutions, and Saka curled wide as their search for a winner proved fruitless.
Arsenal cutting corners
With the title race nearing its completion and a 3-0 aggregate lead to protect against Madrid, Arsenal were widely expected to make changes for this match.
And with Saka and Odegaard starting on the bench, the Gunners struggled to create from open play.
This match featured two teams known for their set-piece prowess, and Brentford were certainly tested from dead balls. Arsenal had 10 corners in the first half alone, twice as many as they had won in the first 45 minutes of any other game this campaign.
But without the imposing figure of Gabriel Magalhaes to aim for, Arsenal failed to make those situations count.
They did, however, catch Brentford cold from a corner at the other end. After gathering Mbeumo's delivery, Raya showed great awareness to bowl the ball out to Rice, who carried it from the edge of one penalty area to the other for his assist.
But after half clearing another Mbeumo set-piece, Arsenal were slow to get out and were promptly punished. They were physically outmatched as Collins kept the ball alive, and Raya was left flapping at Wissa's finish.
Arteta's focus will be on ensuring Arsenal navigate the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final, but he will also be keen to keep Liverpool honest in the coming weeks. After Wednesday's trip to Madrid, the Gunners go to Ipswich Town on 20 April.
Brentford on the right lines
Brentford arrived at the Emirates having won five of their last six away Premier League matches, and that form translated into a confident start as they moved the ball well.
The Bees got particular joy down their right-hand side, with Ajer flying forward to test Raya with an angled drive in the 22nd minute. The Norwegian then showed his worth at the other end, denying Martinelli with a courageous block.
And when Ajer was withdrawn in the 69th minute, his replacement Kayode continued that good work.
It was his intelligent run and hanging cross that led to Wissa's equaliser, while he also made a potentially goal-saving challenge to deny Saka almost straight from the restart.
Arteta felt Brentford could have been reduced to 10 men in the first half as Christian Norgaard chopped Martinelli down with a scissor-like challenge, but referee Simon Hooper and the VAR deemed the foul was only worthy of a yellow card.
Ultimately, Arsenal could have no complaints at Brentford taking a deserved point. After back-to-back draws against two of the league’s top-five teams in the form of the Gunners and Chelsea, Frank's side host Brighton & Hove Albion next.
Club reports
Arsenal report | Brentford report
What the managers said
Mikel Arteta: "We are disappointed with the result. We had full control of the game and conceded a very poor goal. It was not good enough and when you don't do what you have to do against this team, you concede a goal."
Thomas Frank: "I thought it was a great performance in many ways. It is difficult to play Arsenal and I thought that the team showed great character. One thing to improve on is probably a bit more on the ball and the moments we had to get a bit more out of them. That is the next step."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Arsenal have dropped 16 points from winning positions this season with eight draws. This is just one fewer than they had in the past two campaigns combined (eight in 2022/23, nine in 2023/24).
Brentford had an Expected Goals (xG) total of just 0.19 against Arsenal. It’s the fourth-lowest xG for a team to avoid defeat in a Premier League match this season, with two of the other three also coming against Arsenal (Everton 0.09 in December, Fulham 0.16 in December).
Wissa scored his 15th Premier League goal this season, making Brentford the first side to have two players score 15+ this season (Mbeumo, 16). Wissa is also the first Brentford player to score 15 non-penalty goals in a single Premier League campaign.
Rice has been involved in 16 goals in 44 games in all competitions this season (seven goals, nine assists), his joint-best return in a single campaign (also seven goals and nine assists in 51 games last season).
