Arsenal, 3-0 at Brentford and leaders in the Premier

by our correspondent Davide Chinellato

September 18
– London

Top of the class. The peremptory 3-0 at Brentford, never questioned, allows Arsenal to arrive at the stop in front of everyone, with 18 points out of 21 and the perfect schedule of victory after victory ruined only by the misstep of two weeks ago at Old Trafford. At the Gtech Community Stadium the Gunners are as peremptory and ruthless as Brentford is of a lower level: captain Ødegaard and Zinchenko were missing, but no one noticed, confirming that it is the group that makes the difference in this magnificent start to the season of Arteta’s men .

domain

–

Scoring in the first real lunge, Arsenal dominated the game without needing to overdo it, leading 2-0 after 28 ‘when Gabriel Jesus header doubled Saliba’s advantage, always aerial, in the 17’. The defending Frenchman played another extraordinary game: he is at ease in any situation, even when he has to jump on a set piece in the opponent’s area to look for the goal, rather than prevent it. With Gabriel Jesus less exceptional than usual, the Gunners shone as a collective: solid, orderly, capable of unhinging Brentford’s resistance and harnessing their game. It is the best news for Arteta, the confirmation that this sprint start is not a coincidence but the signal that Arsenal is ready to move to the next level. In the final remnants of the match for Ethan Nwaneri, the youngest debutant ever in the Premier League at 15 years, 5 months and 28 days. Thomas Frank’s team (in the sights of Leicester if he were to give Rodgers the welcome) went out after three useful results in a row and reached the stop with 6 points in 7 games, a more than acceptable roadmap for those who aim to save himself. Arsenal are too high a level to think of bothering them, but Brentford hardly even tried, with the best chance of the match coming with Toney (leaving for Italy with Southgate’s England for the match on Friday at San Siro in the Nations League) when the Gunners already had three goals ahead.

the match

–

Arsenal hit the mark on the first occasion, with Saliba who rose to the sky in the 17 ‘to deflect a corner from Saka on the net. The doubling again with his head, with Gabriel Jesus perfectly primed by Xhaka. Brentford closed well, but failed to build and at the interval came down 2-0. The Gunners start again as best they could, with a very precise left from the edge of Vieira who slips on the near post for the 3-0 and the Portuguese party for the goal in his first as a starter in the Premier. It is the 4 ‘of the second half: Toney shortly after creates the best chance for Brentford, a shot from the edge on a free kick that ends up by a whisker, but the reaction of the hosts is all there. And Arsenal earns their first stop in the class.