Arsenal held at home by Brentford to leave Liverpool closer to title

Arsenal’s slim Premier League title hopes faded further on Saturday, April 12th, as a rotated side was held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford at the Emirates Stadium. Yoane Wissa’s second-half equalizer cancelled out Thomas Partey’s opener, leaving the Gunners 10 points behind leaders Liverpool, who can extend that gap to 13 points against West Ham on Sunday.

With a crucial Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid looming on Wednesday, manager Mikel Arteta made five changes from the side that impressively beat the Spanish giants 3-0 in midweek. Key players like Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard started on the bench.

The first half was largely uneventful, though Brentford’s Kristoffer Ajer forced a good save from David Raya. Arsenal thought they had taken the lead when Kieran Tierney headed in Ethan Nwaneri’s cross, but the goal was disallowed for offside following a VAR review using the new semi-automated technology. Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken also saved well from a Leandro Trossard long-range effort just before the break. Controversy arose when Christian Norgaard received only a yellow card for a tackle on Gabriel Martinelli, a decision that infuriated Arteta.

Arsenal broke the deadlock just after the hour mark (61st minute) with a swift counter-attack. Goalkeeper Raya quickly distributed to Declan Rice, who surged forward from his own half before setting up Thomas Partey (playing at right-back) to smash the ball past Flekken.

However, Brentford responded 13 minutes later (74th minute). After Arsenal failed to clear a corner effectively, Nathan Collins headed the ball back into the danger zone, and Yoane Wissa cleverly hooked the ball past Raya on the turn from close range.

Arteta introduced Saka and Ødegaard, with Saka coming close to a late winner, flashing a shot just wide in stoppage time. Arsenal finished the game with 10 men after Jorginho was forced off injured late on, with Arteta expressing concern about potential rib damage post-match, adding to worries over Partey (who also “felt something”) and Ben White (who missed the game entirely with a knock).

“We are disappointed with the result,” Arteta told Sky Sports. “We had full control of the game and conceded a very poor goal… When you don’t do what you have to do against this team, you concede a goal.”

Brentford manager Thomas Frank praised his side’s “exceptional defensive performance” and “character” in fighting back for a “very good point.” The draw moves Brentford up to 11th place. For Arsenal, the dropped points all but extinguish their title challenge, shifting focus firmly towards overturning their advantage against Real Madrid in the Champions League.