It is a measure of just how quickly fortunes can change, a sign of how fragility lingers beneath any lead: by the time the final whistle goes here, on Wednesday night, Arsenal could sit second in the Premier League. Manchester City are the visitors then – time to clear the calendar, folks. Should Pep Guardiola’s side beat Aston Villa on Sunday, will they pass up another opportunity to haul Arsenal in?
Whatever happens, City will do well to cause Arsenal as many problems as Brentford did here.
This will feel like two points dropped, of course. Not least because Mikel Arteta’s side overcame an ordinary performance to lead – briefly – through Leandro Trossard’s first goal since arriving from Brighton.
Leandro Trossard came off the bench to open his account for Arsenal within four minutes of entering the action
Arsenal let slip their fifth points the title race in a week with a draw to Brentford following a loss last time out against Everton
The Gunners will feel that this result resulted in two dropped points having taken the lead in spite of their ordinary display
Ivan Toney did finally get on the scoresheet late in the second half to earn the visitors a point following a lengthy VAR check
But make no mistake: Ivan Toney’s equaliser from close range, with 16 minutes left, was no less than he or his side deserved. Toney had been a menace all afternoon and so had Brentford – they soaked up wave after wave of Arsenal possession and created a half-dozen glorious opportunities.
Thomas Frank will wonder how it took them so long to find the back of the neck.
Toney was guilty of missing a couple of earlier chances. Rico Henry erred, too, while at the other end, Arsenal found mostly crossed wires and brick walls until a familiar combination – Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Ben White – put the ball on a plate for Trossard at the back post.
Alas, the relief and the glee around Emirates Stadium soon dissipated. They still sung about being top of the league. Which is true. But that is now three games without a win in all competitions and, with City up next, backsides are beginning to squeak and tempers are flaring – late on here both benches and sets of players saw red.
Arsenal’s lead remains six points, their recent record reads one defeat in 15 league matches. Hardly cause for panic, is it? And yet performance levels are beginning to wobble.
Brentford, meanwhile, are now 10 games without defeat and this point takes them to within six of the top four.
Arsenal are the only team to win at their place this season – that 3-0 win in September was among several early statements of intent, a performance of control and authority that signalled that something special was building.
No one provided much counterevidence, to temper those swelling expectations, until recent wobbles against Manchester City and Everton.
Several crucial players have begun to look fallible once more, perhaps most notably White and the natural fear is this: on Wednesday night, City won’t pass up the kind of opportunities squandered by Brentford early on.
Inside the opening 30 minutes here, Thomas Frank’s side created four glaring openings.
First Rico Henry got the wrong side of White but, with the goal gaping, skewed the ball wide from close range. Ivan Toney then hit the bar from Bryan Mbeumo’s pull-back, not long after his strike partner raced through to score only for referee Peter Bankes to blow for a foul. Mbeumo’s apparent crime? Being near Gabriel when the Brazilian slipped over.
January transfer window arrival Trossard got his first goal for the Gunners within four minutes of coming off the bench
Ivan Toney’s shot in the first half rattled the crossbar and perhaps should have put the visitors ahead early on
By the time Ben Mee had a free header blocked, murmurings of frustration had begun to ripple around the Emirates.
Arsenal dominated the ball and had a penalty shout turned down when Bukayo Saka poked the ball at David Raya under a clumsy challenge from Henry.
But Toney, locked in a brilliant tussle with William Saliba, was causing problems. Brentford’s three centre backs were happy to force Arsenal wide. And Mikel Arteta’s side seemed to be lacking conviction. No wonder the cameras panned to Gabriel Jesus, wrapped up against the cold and watching from the stands. How they could have done with his ability to pick open stubborn back lines.
Next for the Gunners is a match against champions Manchester City that could leave them in second place in the league on goal difference
Toney’s equaliser meant Brentford have now gone 10 games unbeaten – the second longest run in the top-flight behind Newcastle
There were glimpses of fluency including before half-time, when Odegaard, Saka and White exchanged passes before Granit Xhaka headed down for Gabriel Martinelli to volley over.
Arsenal emerged with extra bite, too. Eddie Nketiah set the tone: his unselfish work created a shooting chance for Odegaard, his tireless pressing – and block – prompted Arteta to whip up the Emirates crowd. And yet the clearest chances continued to fall Brentford’s way, Toney stroking the ball wide from the edge of the box.
It was with days like this in mind that Arsenal went hard at the January window. The fear that they lack sufficient reserves has stalked Arteta throughout this unlikely title charge – certainly when compared to their rivals and their stockpiles of talent.
Arsenal had won their last 10 home league games when scoring first before Toney’s late header from a few yards out
Toney held up a shirt in tribute to former team-mate Sergi Canos – who left the club in January – after scoring his goal
And how smart that business looked when Trossard – signed for £21million from Brighton – finally broke Brentford resistance.
Within eight minutes however, the mood had shifted once more. From a free kick into the box, Toney peeled off and volleyed the ball across goal. It was kept alive and eventually hooked back the striker’s way by Christian Norgaard. He could not miss this time.
VAR had a look: onside. No wonder Toney’s face broke into a wide smile when he was substituted shortly before the final whistle. No wonder abuse rained down from the stands. This could prove the start of a pivotal few days.
Click HERE to re-live the action as it happened with Brentford coming from behind to take a point at the Emirates.
The match came to a tense close after a poor tackle on Oleksandr Zinchenko in his own box sparked a melee in the dying embers
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