Arsenal proved they can thrive without the injured Bukayo Saka, kicking off the year with a 3-1 win over Brentford on Wednesday. They recovered from an early setback to reclaim second place in the Premier League.
Saka, Arsenal’s standout player this season, faces a two-month absence following hamstring surgery, casting doubt on the club’s title ambitions.
Facing a Brentford team that has been formidable at home, Arsenal knew they needed a win, but the match got off to a rocky start when Bryan Mbeumo struck in the 13th minute, giving the hosts an early lead with their first attack.
Arsenal did not panic, though, and Gabriel Jesus continued his recent resurgence to equalize before halftime.
Mikel Arteta’s side came out firing in the second half, and Mikel Merino put them ahead five minutes after the restart after Brentford failed to deal with a corner.
Three minutes later, Gabriel Martinelli produced a clinical volleyed finish to put Arsenal in complete control.
The victory lifted Arsenal above Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, with 39 points from 19 games. Leaders Liverpool sit on 45 points from 18 games. Injury-hit Brentford’s second home defeat of the season left them in 12th spot with 24 points from 19 games.
Defeat would have left Arsenal nine points behind Liverpool, who also have a game in hand, but the way they reacted to going behind suggests they can still be a factor in the title race.
Arteta will also have been impressed with 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri after handing him his first Premier League start.
“I think the team showed a lot of composure. To keep insisting, keep attacking them,” Arteta, whose side is unbeaten in 11 games across all competitions, said.
“We can only win our next match and see what happens. It’s not in our hands, but what is in our hands, we need to make sure we do it.”
Arsenal did not lose a London derby in 2024 and have started off in similar fashion.
They were caught cold, though, when Brentford burst forward in the 13th minute, and Mbeumo was given too much space to cut in from the right and fire a shot past David Raya.
Raya was almost left red-faced soon after when he allowed a Mbeumo shot to burst through his gloves, but he managed to race back and claw the ball off the line.
It proved a pivotal moment as less than a minute later, Brentford was guilty of failing to clear the ball, and it eventually arrived for Thomas Partey to fire a shot that was parried by Mark Flekken. Jesus dived to head in the rebound.
It was the Brazilian’s sixth goal in his last four games for Arsenal in all competitions, as many as in his previous 48 games for the club.
“I keep working, and everyone at the club can tell how I work every day, not just me but everyone. I don’t give up, and it is not easy to play for a big club like Arsenal,” Jesus said.
Arsenal’s efficiency from set-pieces was evident again early in the second half when a corner caused chaos in the area, and Merino was able to fire home a loose ball.
Martinelli gave the visitors breathing space with a superb finish when the ball came out to him on the edge of the box.