Posted in Arsenal, Brentford, Premier League

Another stumble for Arsenal against Brentford

 February 11, 2023

Goals: Arsenal – Brentford – Played on 02/11/ 2023

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Leaders Arsenal faltered, and drew 1-1 at home to Brentford on Saturday evening, in the twenty-third round of the English Premier League.

Leandro Trossard scored Arsenal’s 66th goal, while Evan Toni scored Brentford’s goal (74).

With this tie, Arsenal’s balance rose to 51 points in the lead, 6 points behind its pursuit of Manchester City, who plays in the same round against Aston Villa on Sunday evening, while its balance settled at 34 points in eighth place.

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta relied on the 4-3-3 method of play, as William Saliba stood next to Gabriel Magalhaes deep in the back line, with the support of the full-backs Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Ghanaian Thomas Partey played the role of the pivot player, while Granit Xhaka and Martin moved in front of him. Odegaard, behind the attacking trio of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Eddie Nketiah.

On the opposite side, Brentford coach Thomas Frank resorted to the 4-5-2 method of play, where the back line consisted of Christopher Ager, Ethan Pinnock, and Ben Mei, and Rasmussen Roslev and Rico Henry were present on both sides of the field, and Christian Norgaard played the role of the pivot player, and Vitaly moved in front of him. Janlett and Matthias Jensen, and Brian Mboymou teamed up with Ivan Toney on the front line.

Brentford had a dangerous opportunity in the fifth minute, when Tony launched from the right wing, before directing a cross toward the penalty area, which Henry followed from close range, far from the goal.

Arsenal responded in the 15th minute when Saka exchanged the ball with Odegaard before he fired a hasty shot, and the ball landed in the hands of Spanish goalkeeper Raya.

Brentford almost opened the scoring in the 25th minute, when Tony received a pass from Mboimo before he shot it, and it bounced off the crossbar.

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Things calmed down a bit, before Tony broke the deadlock with a long-range shot, trying to take advantage of the lead of goalkeeper Ramsdale, who, in turn, saved the ball at the appropriate time in the 39th minute.

Two minutes before the end of the first half, White sent a cross from the right, and Xhaka prepared the ball through it towards Martinelli, who shot “on the fly” over the goal.

Arsenal started the second half better, and Nketiah dodged his captain Agger, before sending a cross toward the far post, Odegaard reached it to hit the ball, which was saved by goalkeeper Raya in the 51st minute.

Arsenal’s defense failed to clear the ball in front of its penalty area, to pass Jensen to Tony, who hit a ball that settled next to the right post in the 56th minute.

Arsenal made their first substitution by taking Martinelli out and involving substitute Leandro Trossard, and Nketiah’s shot was wide from the outskirts of the penalty area, from Brentford’s goal in the 56th minute.

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The relief came for Arsenal in the 66th minute, when Saka received a through pass from Odegaard on the right side, to pass a casual ball toward the far post, which Trossard followed uncontrollably into the net.

Trossard came close to adding his second goal in the 70th minute, when he received a cut ball from Brentford’s defense, to advance to the right, and shoot toward the stands.

But Brentford equalized the score in the 74th minute when a cross kicked a trail inside the Arsenal penalty area, so Norgaard reached the ball before Ramsdale and winked at Tony, who followed it with his head into the empty goal.

Arsenal pressed in the last quarter of an hour, without succeeding in his efforts to regain its lead, and Nketiah almost scored the goal had it not been for the defense’s removal of the ball in front of him at the last minute in the 88th minute, and the nerves of the players of both teams were strained in overtime.

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