Arsenal disappointed again as they were forced to a 1-1 draw at home with Brentford at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. They squandered the opportunity to capitalize on their recent Champions League glory. On the pitch, inconsistency remains the Gunners’ biggest enemy. This season they’ve blown 16 points from winning positions, one of the biggest changes in the league compared to the last two seasons when they lost just 15 points total from winning positions.
And just like that, Arsenal were on the front foot in the second half! It was Thomas Partey who scored just after the hour mark with an assist from Declan Rice. But their lead didn’t last long as Yoane Wissa equalised for Brentford, netting his 15th league goal of the campaign. Arsenal’s set piece defending again came under scrutiny as they conceded an equalizer from a free kick. This ongoing blunder has plagued them all year.
Arsenal shook and stirred, but never looked likely to snatch a fabled last-gasp victor. This illustrated their inability to keep the heat on during key stretches. Kieran Tierney made his first league start for Arsenal in almost two years but could not help the team secure the three points they desperately needed.
Even Brentford’s manager, Thomas Frank, lauded the draw as a success in holding one of the league’s superpowers.
“Of course, it is a very good point against a very good Arsenal team that beat Real Madrid four days ago,” – Thomas Frank.
Frank lauded his team for their character in coming back to equalize. Yet within that he expressed an urgent need for increased attacking creativity.
“Fighting back to get to 1-1 shows the character in our team. I would have loved us to create more but they also defended very well,” – Thomas Frank.
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal’s manager, expressed disappointment with his team’s performance and acknowledged their inability to execute critical plays.
“It was not good enough and when you don’t do what you have to do against this team, you concede a goal,” – Mikel Arteta.
With this draw, Arsenal remain very much in contention for a top-four spot. In the meantime, Liverpool have since extended their lead to ten points and have a game in hand to boot. Brentford’s impressive performance moved them into 11th position in the league table, well and truly establishing themselves as a mid-table side safe from the threat of relegation.
Arsenal is in a constant state of crisis. They still have a long way to go in terms of consistency if they are to catch league leaders and win the title contenders and finish competitively this campaign.
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