Arsenal were held to a draw at home to Brentford as Ivan Toney cancelled out Leandro Trossard's first goal for the Gunners to earn a share of the spoils.
Arsenal dominated possession but it was Brentford who had all the biggest openings of the first half. Toney put it on a plate for Rico Henry in the fifth minute but the left-back mishit his shot entirely with the goal at his mercy.
Toney was involved in all of Brentford’s attacks, he played a great one-two with Bryan Mbuemo to open up the Gunners defence midway through the first half but his effort rattled the crossbar.
The chances kept coming for the visitors after the break with the best of them following to Toney in the 56 th minute, but he skewed his effort wide from inside the area.
Arsenal made them pay as substitute Trossard found the net just four minutes after his introduction as a substitute in the first time Mikel Arteta’s side had opened up the visitors. However, Toney levelled up eight minutes later after Arsenal failed to clear a free-kick into their area. Here are five talking points from an entertaining encounter at The Emirates.
Arsenal's concerning defeat response
Arsenal lost 13 Premier League matches last season – over a third of their games – with just three of those defeats coming in isolation. When they lost, they tended to lose another – a trait that put paid to their top four chances, with two runs of three successive defeats.
Their ambitions this season are much higher so anything else than returning to winning ways after dropping points threatens to destabilise their title hopes. Last week’s loss at Everton was just their second league defeat of the campaign, with the previous loss at Manchester United bringing the start of a four-game winning run which began with victory against…Brentford.
Of course, the recent league defeat at Goodison Park followed on from their FA Cup exit, which made the response in this game all the more important to ensure that the blip in form was only temporary. A draw was far from reassuring, especially with an unconvincing performance without the verve of previous months.
Gunners season-defining week
This game was always going to be a huge test for Arsenal after their loss at Everton, but the fixture carried even greater significance with the visit of Manchester City just four days away. They will conclude a busy week with a huge test away to Aston Villa and their old boss Unai Emery.
Despite their stunning season to date, a run of form can swiftly see a points advantage at the top of the standings crumble. Realistically, this spell of form was always going to come at some point over a season but it now marks the biggest test of Arteta’s side title credentials to date – how can they cope under this scrutiny? The visit of City now demands a huge performance - avoiding defeat is a priority.
Bees buzzing
Brentford went into this match on a nine-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, stretching back to 23 October. That run included a stunning victory at Manchester City, while they had won four of their last five in the league.
This visit to the league leaders was their biggest test yet but they played as a side full of confidence and vigour, with unwavering belief in the gameplan of boss Thomas Frank. This performance was the latest vindication of their top-half status and their outside ambitions of securing their first ever European qualification.
Terrific Toney
Ivan Toney remains instrumental to Brentford’s approach, offering them a proper target man and attacking outlay who can win the ball in the air and hold-up play effectively.
He offers a true cutting edge too, with a goal return of 13 and counting in the Premier League this campaign. He also turned creator in this game, putting the ball on a plate for Rico Henry in the fifth minute before his combination play with Bryan Mbuemo leading to the striker thundering an effort off the crossbar during the first half. He got his well-earned goal to earn Brentford a point with his header 16 minutes from time.
Goal-shy Gunners
Arsenal have been flying in front of goal all season initially with an attack led by Gabriel Jesus and then, following an injury to the Brazilian star at the World Cup, by academy graduate Eddie Nketiah.
However, the Gunners have been blunted in front of goal in recent weeks – drawing blanks in the losses at Manchester City and Everton. It took them 66 minutes to break down Brentford in this game and the goal came from the first real time they had got in behind the opposition’s defence.
The absence of Jesus is significant and the signing of Trossard has helped provide spark, but Arsenal will be aware of early goals in future games to open matches up and ensure self-doubt does not begin to creep in.
