Make no mistake, Arsenal were under the cosh in the Premier League once again. They could only manage a 1-1 stalemate with Brentford, away at the Gtech Community Stadium. The Gunners began the season in excellent form, but have now lost 16 points from winning positions. This sharp drop-off has alarm bells ringing, given their status as title contenders. This season, they have already drawn eight games after leading in them. This worrisome development has lost them important points.
The game, played on an unusually cold fall Saturday afternoon, was characterized by flashes of Arsenal brilliance punctuated by long stretches of confusion. Declan Rice started the scoring with a powerful dart. He then assisted Thomas Partey and the Ghanaian rocketed the ball into the back of the net. Then, reminiscent of Arsenal’s fate thus far this season, Brentford’s Yoane Wissa equalized, disappointing Arsenal and handing them yet another frustrating result.
Arsenal’s Missed Opportunities
Arsenal came into the game with an incredible wave of momentum. Having ended the first period strongly, they looked to continue that momentum and open the scoring. Leandro Trossard was a man possessed in his search for a goal. He promptly scored an excellent long-range shot that forced Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken into a great save, keeping the score at 1-1.
Despite their dominance, Arsenal were dealt a cruel blow when Kieran Tierney had a goal disallowed for offside. The league took a huge step into the future this weekend, implementing semi-automated offside technology for — here’s the key part — the first time. Players and fans alike were stunned by this announcement. Tierney had gotten in just behind the last defender. This was the moment that demonstrated just how small the margins can be that win or lose a game.
And even with Arsenal’s hopes of putting three points on the table quickly slipping away, they refused to give up their fight for a win. Brentford’s defense held strong, and when Wissa equalized, it sent a clear message that the home side would not be easily beaten.
A Pattern of Draws
Arsenal failing to win a second consecutive league match that ended 1-1. This game of musical chairs is beginning to annoy both the participants and the audience. This year, they’ve already lost one fewer point from winning positions. That’s remarkable, given that’s less than half the total points they dropped over the last two cycles combined. This new, alarming stat should make anyone wonder how they’ll be able to hold leads and win games when it really counts.
In their title-winning 2022 season, Arsenal dropped eight points from winning positions. This year, they’ve already lost nine points in the same manner. The team has struggled to convert dominant performances into victories, a trend that has cost them dearly in their pursuit of championship glory.
Arteta was clear that their margin for improvement is slim, as well as outlining the problems his side have to overcome going forwards.
“We are disappointed with the result,” he told Sky Sports. “We had full control of the game and conceded a very poor goal. It was not good enough and when you don’t do what you have to do against this team, you concede a goal.”
Arsenal’s recent form has left them with little margin for error if they hope to contend for the Premier League title. When United’s draw with the Gunners was done, Mikel Arteta admitted it was getting more unlikely to win the league with every draw.
“Today what we wanted to do was increase the probability of us really challenging for what we are looking for in the Premier League. With that result, it’s more unlikely to happen.”
Challenges Ahead
Brentford’s head coach Thomas Frank praised his team’s resilience in coming back to secure a point against a formidable opponent.
“I don’t know if it was playing in the back of the [crowd’s minds], for us as professionals we know the importance of that,” he reflected, hinting at the pressure mounting on his players.
Arsenal needs to address their difficulty in finishing games. Completing such a haul is pivotal to the re-awakening of their once-mighty title challenge. They’ll need to be consistent as they head into what should be one of the toughest and most popular seasons in program history.
“Fighting back to get to 1-1 shows the character in our team,” he said. “I would have loved us to create more but they also defended very well.”
As Arsenal looks ahead, they will need to address their inability to close out games if they wish to revive their title challenge. Consistency will be key as they navigate a challenging season filled with high expectations.
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