Arsenal FC fittingly won the London duel against Brentford on New Year’s Day. Kai Havertz had to pass at short notice.
Thanks to the 3-1 (1-1) win in Brentford, Arsenal remains the first pursuer of Liverpool FC, but after 19 match days in the English Premier League they are already six points behind and have played one game more than Liverpool. Gabriel Jesus (29′), Mikel Merino (50′) and Gabriel Martinelli (53′) turned the game around after Bryan Mbeumo (13′) had given Brentford an early lead.
National player Havertz was not in the Arsenal squad due to illness. Havertz “didn’t feel well,” said Arsenal team manager Mikel Arteta before the game, and “some others” also felt the same. At the same time, the Spaniard Arteta rotated a little in view of the upcoming pressures – Arsenal FC will play nine games in January – and Declan Rice, for example, found himself on the bench.
At Brentford, former U21 international Vitaly Janelt played in midfield, Kevin Schade came on as a substitute in the 75th minute.
Odegaard with a serious bad pass
A sloppy pass from Arsenal playmaker Martin Odegaard and passive defensive behavior from the Londoners allowed Brentford’s Mbeumo to score the opening goal. Arsenal then increased the pressure on former Freiburg player Mark Flekken’s goal. In the 29th minute, the Dutchman was only able to parry a long-range shot into the middle, where Gabriel Jesus stood and headed it.
After the break, the Gunners made everything clear with a double strike from Spanish European champions Merino, with Flekken not looking good, and Martinelli. After that, Arsenal controlled the action.