Whatever happens to Arsenal this season, Mikel Arteta will know this victory courtesy of substitute Kai Havertz’s late header could be priceless.
A lacklustre display against a committed Brentford in which Aaron Ramsdale endured a shaky return between the posts looked like ending in disappointment as the game ticked towards the final whistle. But after a testing start to his career in north London since joining from Chelsea in the summer, Havertz ghosted in at the far post to steer home Bukayo Saka’s cross in the 89th minute.
The win means Arteta’s side go top for the first time this season and the manager dragged Havertz over to celebrate with the away fans at the final whistle after a testing evening that had frayed the nerves of his goalkeeper in particular. With David Raya ineligible to face his parent club, Ramsdale could consider himself fortunate that a first appearance since the start of September in the Premier League somehow ended with a clean sheet after he almost gifted Brentford the lead in the first half.
But the spirit that Arteta has built in 200 games as Arsenal manager was illustrated when the rest of the team ran to embrace their goalkeeper at the final whistle. “He showed great courage,” the Arsenal manager said of Ramsdale. “It’s a joy as a manager to see this reaction. Encouraging each other and showing love to each other – it doesn’t get any better than that. Today is my 200th game and I cannot be prouder of the team.”
Manchester City’s draw against Liverpool had given Arsenal even more incentive to get a result, although Brentford had not been beaten here since losing to Arteta’s side in the EFL Cup nearly two months ago and are always a dangerous proposition on home turf. Arsenal also welcomed back Gabriel Jesus and Martin Ødegaard to their starting lineup for the first time in five weeks but it was Ramsdale who caught the eye in the opening exchanges and not for positive reasons.
He sliced a clearance that sailed out of play just before an attempt to take a goal-kick with Gabriel Magalhães that almost ended in disaster. Yoane Wissa was quick to close him down and Ramsdale seemed to panic as the Brentford forward came near. The ball dropped into the path of Bryan Mbeumo, whose shot was brilliantly blocked on the line by Declan Rice. Much to Ramsdale’s relief, Wissa stabbed the rebound wide. “You’re just a shit David Raya,” sang the Brentford supporters in mocking delight.
With Ødegaard employed in a deeper midfield role alongside Rice, Leandro Trossard was tasked with supporting Jesus through the middle and the Belgian mistimed a header that sailed over the crossbar from a corner. Brentford – who had the Ukrainian teenager Yehor Yarmoliuk making his full debut in midfield – also struggled to find a way through other than a Christian Nørgaard effort that sailed off target.
Arsenal have been linked with a move for Ivan Toney in January when the England striker returns from his gambling ban, although it appears unlikely that Brentford would allow him to leave, with Mbeumo and Wissa both expected to be off to the Africa Cup of Nations. But Trossard showed just the kind of goalscoring instinct Arsenal require when he reacted first to Mark Flekken’s save from a Jesus header from point-blank range to head home. Sadly for him, VAR adjudged him to have been marginally in front of the ball and the goal was chalked off.
Arteta’s mood would not have improved when Gabriel Martinelli curled a cross straight out of play at the start of the second half. Things could have got even worse for the Arsenal manager when Wissa’s clever flick played Mbeumo in behind the absent Oleksandr Zinchenko but the Cameroon forward dragged his shot wide of the near post.
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Eddie Nketiah came close to making an instant impression off the bench when he went up for Martinelli’s cross but a fantastic headed clearance from Ben Mee cleared the danger. Flekken then almost handed Arsenal the breakthrough when he dallied on the ball under pressure from Saka but the goalkeeper managed to keep his cool.
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It needed a brilliant goalline clearance from Zinchenko to prevent Neal Maupay scoring late on after the substitute met Mbeumo’s cross. “We went toe-to-toe with Arsenal for the whole match,” reflected Thomas Frank.
But there was still time for Havertz to enliven a dull second half when he was picked out by Saka to leave Flekken floundering and send Arsenal top.