After weeks of hitting opponents for six, this was a battle for Arsenal as they beat Brentford to go top of the Premier League.
The Gunners were not at their flowing best, but Mikel Arteta will have taken just as much satisfaction from this 2-1 win as previous thumping victories.
For so long, it felt like this was going to be two dropped points for Arsenal and they would have squandered the chance to go top before Liverpool and Manchester City face each other on Sunday.
The Gunners, however, found a way to pull the three points out the bag right at the death and that is now eight straight wins in the Premier League.
Kai Havertz with a HUGE goal for Arsenal 😤💪 pic.twitter.com/gTPh8Q77gF
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 9, 2024
Havertz the hero for Arsenal
So much of the talk before this game was about Ivan Toney but, at the full-time whistle, it was Kai Havertz grabbing the headlines.
After a difficult start to his Arsenal career, Havertz is now flying and his goal here made it four in his last four League games.
It was a massive moment for the Gunners, who before then had been staring down the barrel of a frustrating draw.
Havertz had been guilty of missing a good chance in the first-half when played through by Jorginho, but he made amends at the death. It was, fittingly, the type of goal you can imagine Toney scoring, with Havertz heading home after a cross from Ben White.
Havertz scored the winner against Brentford in November and that felt like a turning point in his Arsenal career.
His winner here this evening, however, was just a reminder of how right now he is the man who should be leading the line for Arsenal.
Ramsdale recovers from horror error
Handed a first Premier League appearance since November, and with England manager Gareth Southgate watching on, this felt like a chance to shine for Aaron Ramsdale.
Instead, it was largely an afternoon to forget.
There were seconds left of the first-half when Ramsdale was caught out. The goalkeeper took far too long to clear a back-pass and Yoane Wissa charged him down.
It was a horrible moment for Ramsdale, who unsurprisingly looked rusty after a lack of football. Perhaps Arteta should have stuck to what he initially said of rotating his goalkeepers, and even subbing them mid-game?
As Ramsdale headed down the tunnel at half-time, some of his team-mates went to console and he will take some comfort from his performance after the break.
The goalkeeper made a good save when Toney almost caught him off his line and an even better one from Nathan Collins’ header.
Rice continues to revel in advanced role
After finding the net against Sheffield United on Monday night, Declan Rice declared that he wanted “way more”.
The midfielder has been in excellent form recently and he continued that here by giving Arsenal the lead.
The header meant Rice has now been involved in seven goals in his last nine games, making this the most prolific season of his career.
The 25-year-old has spent much of this season playing at the base of midfield, but he is now shining further forward.
Rice took his goal incredibly well, bursting into the box to head home White’s cross into the bottom corner. It was the type of finish a seasoned striker would be happy with.
He so nearly grabbed another in the second-half as well, but the woodwork kept his curling effort from finding the net.
Long term, there is a debate about whether Rice is best used as No8 or No6 by Arsenal - right now it feels clear he should be used further forward.
