Key events
42 min: Another non-event.
41 min: Roerslev and Mbeumo combine to win a corner down the right. The latter to take.
40 min: Mbeumo battles to win the ball off Calafiori, then a free kick from Merino. A precious release of pressure, because Arsenal are lightly turning the screw.
38 min: Arsenal are back in pass-and-probe mode. Odegaard caresses a cross in from the right. Jesus competes but can’t meet it. Goal kick. This doesn’t feel like it’s going to end 1-1.
36 min: Flekken’s long ball forward is enough to panic Gabriel into the concession of a corner. Mbeumo takes. It’s a non-event.
35 min: Partey has another crack from the edge of a crowded box. Some pinball. It’s eventually cleared, but Brentford can’t afford to keep giving Arsenal these opportunity to cause chaos.
33 min: With Raya miles out of his box, Wissa tries to score from his own half. Well inside his own half, in fact. The effort is always sailing wide right, but full marks for ambition.
31 min: A mere 55 seconds passed between Raya clawing off his line to stop Brentford going 2-0 up, and the equaliser. That’s football, and Brentford still haven’t kept a clean sheet at home this season.
GOAL! Brentford 1-1 Arsenal (Jesus 29)
Arsenal pin Brentford back. Mbeumo has an opportunity to hack clear but tries a clever pass that’s intercepted by Martinelli. Partey has a dig through a crowded box. Flekken parries, but the ball drops to Jesus, who head it straight back past the keeper and in!
28 min: Brentford immediately go up the other end and very nearly make it two. Mbeumo drifts in from the left and aims a shot towards the top right. Raya attempts a block, but the ball squirts through his hands and looks like floating into the corner anyway. But the keeper responds to his mistake by spinning and clawing off the line. What a big moment, because Arsenal counter the counter, and …
27 min: The resulting free kick, out on the right, is wedged into the box by Odegaard. The ball drops to Partey on the penalty spot. But Partey can’t get a proper shot away, and then the flag pops up for offside.
26 min: Norgaard is booked for a late slide on Odegaard. No quarter given in this London derby.
24 min: Lewis-Potter advances down the left, cuts infield, and loops into a crowded six-yard box. Calafiori does well to win a clearing header. The visitors have been lightly shaken by that opening goal.
23 min: Illustrating a shift in the game, Brentford have had 53 percent of possession during the last five minutes.
22 min: Brentford are seeing a bit more of the ball now. Damsgaard advances down the middle and has options either side, but he slaps a loose pass straight to Saliba. Mbeumo none too happy about that.
20 min: Flekken pumps a long free kick into the mixer. Van den Berg eyebrows the ball out for a goal kick. Happy new year! That year being 1987.
19 min: Brentford will be very pleased with their start. Arsenal have had plenty of possession and territory, but haven’t done anything with it so far. “One nil down, away from home, after less than 15 minutes,” sighs Charles Antaki. “As an augury of the year ahead, it spells having to do it the hard way. Or not getting it done, which at the moment looks a bit more likely. Anyway, the hard way.”
17 min: We’re quickly back to the early pattern, though, with Arsenal pinning Brentford back in their own box. No way out. Lewis-Potter spots a route away from danger, down the left, but is clipped late by Timber, who goes into the book and will miss the Brighton game at the weekend.
15 min: That’s a fine counter by Brentford, who were happy to soak up all of that Arsenal pressure. Then suddenly: bang. Neither Calafiori nor Raya will be particularly happy with their role in the goal.
GOAL! Brentford 1-0 Arsenal (Mbeumo 13)
Damsgaard cuts out Odegaard’s pass in the middle of the park. He sends Mbeumo scampering down the right. Mbeumo cuts in, confusing the spinning Calafiori, and upon reaching the edge of the box, hits a surprise low drive towards the bottom right. In it goes, with Raya wrong-footed!
12 min: Odegaard shovels a clever pass down the inside-right channel. Timber reaches the byline and cuts back to nobody. Then Brentford counter, and …
11 min: Arsenal have enjoyed 83 percent of possession so far.
10 min: Nwaneri hits the corner long. Martinelli wins a header at the far stick, sending the ball back across the face of goal, but there’s nobody there for Arsenal. Had there been, it was an easy prod home.
9 min: Nwaneri turns on the jets to win a corner out on the right. The first big set-piece test coming up for the hosts.
8 min: Odegaard, probing down the right, swings a diagonal towards Martinelli, who tries to cushion the ball into the path of the in-rushing Nwaneri. Not quite, and Brentford clear their lines, but that was a lovely move by Arsenal, who are dominating these early exchanges.
6 min: Martinelli tries to skin Roerslev down the left but eventually runs the ball out for a goal kick.
4 min: A bit of space for Lewis-Potter down the left. He crosses low in the hope of finding Mbeumo in the middle, but Raya reads the danger and flops on the ball.
3 min: Jesus runs slap-bang into Norgaard and takes an accidental whack in the ribs. For a second it looks worrying for the striker, and Arsenal, but he’s just winded and is soon back up and running.
2 min: Arsenal pass it around patiently, then Partey feeds Jesus down the inside-right channel. Jesus cuts back to nobody in particular, but that’s a confident start by Arsenal.
Brentford get the ball rolling. Mikel Arteta already on the edge of his technical area geeing up his troops.
The teams are out! Brentford in their red and white stripes, Arsenal in third-choice lilac and light blue. A rare old atmosphere at the Gtech. We’ll be off in a minute.
Mikel Arteta talks to TNT. “There have been a lot of highs … we have broken so many records … but the reality is the team don’t have the big titles we are looking for … there’s a gap there we have to fill … we have nine games this month so we have to be careful with the size of the squad we have … it is very difficult … we will try our best … Nwaneri has a great opportunity today … Jesus looks really sharp … a lot of energy … Brentford have been together for a long time … it is always really tough … we are going to have to be really good to win the game.”
Thomas Frank speaks to TNT Sports. “We keep building … adding layers … we are never satisfied … always want more … so what a way to start 2025 against Arsenal, one of the best teams in the world … we need to show our best side and get our fans with us … no matter who we put out there, we are very competitive … I am convinced we will be competitive today … running power in midfield is necessary today … Arsenal are very, very good on set pieces … we are also very, very good on set pieces so it is going to be an interesting battle.”
Brentford make two changes to their starting XI after the goalless draw at Brighton. Sepp van den Berg and Yehor Yarmolyuk are in; Kevin Schade drops to the bench while Ben Mee is injured.
Arsenal make four changes after their narrow home win over Ipswich. Riccardo Calafiori, Thomas Partey, Mikel Merino and Ethan Nwaneri are in. The 17-year-old Nwaneri is making his first Premier League start. Myles Lewis-Skelly, Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard are benched, while Kai Havertz is ill and misses out altogether.
The teams
Brentford: Flekken, Janelt, Collins, van den Berg, Roerslev, Norgaard, Yarmoliuk, Damsgaard, Lewis-Potter, Mbeumo, Wissa.
Subs: Vladimarsson, Schade, Jensen, Meghoma, Konak, Maghoma, Ji-soo, Yogane, Arthur.
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Partey, Merino, Odegaard, Nwaneri, Jesus, Martinelli.
Subs: Neto, Kiwior, Tierney, Lewis-Skelly, Jorginho, Rice, Kabia, Trossard.
Preamble
On the face of it, Arsenal have some work to do if they’re to win the Premier League. Just look!
…and yet, if they win this game – they’ve won four of their last five matches against the Bees, drawing the other one – then beat Brighton on Saturday, the gap at the top would be a mere three points. Yes, Liverpool would have two games in hand before they then take on Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday. But scoreboard pressure is scoreboard pressure, and suddenly the whole picture would be very different. So you can bet your last shiny peseta that Mikel Arteta will have his lads fired up for this one. All is not lost for the Gunners.
Then again, Brentford will be desirous of snapping a four-game run without a win to build a buffer between themselves and the relegation places. Which they shouldn’t seriously be worrying about, but when even Manchester United employees are openly talking about the dropzone, it’s probably best for everyone involved to cover all bases. All of which is a long-winded way of saying that this could be good fun. Kick-off is at 5.30pm GMT. It’s on!
