Although we bottled the 1-0 lead to them at our home but to be honest I have never played against such a dangerously aggressive player in my career before,this is my first time of meeting Him yesterday”, Brentford star Wissa reveals the ONE Arsenal player that gave Him so much joy yesterday – Not Timber and not Merino

Arsenal came from behind to secure a Premier League victory over Brentford on New Year’s Day 2025, cutting the lead of top-ranked Liverpool to six points, although Arsenal has played one additional match.

Bryan Mbeumo, who has been the subject of transfer rumors linking him to clubs such as Arsenal due to his stellar season, scored his 11th Premier League goal of the season to give Brentford a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute.

Arsenal struggled to generate clear-cut opportunities early on and were off-target for much of the first half. However, a pivotal moment occurred when Thomas Partey’s shot was saved by Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken, allowing Gabriel Jesus to tap in the rebound and extend his goal-scoring run.

Not long before, Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya narrowly avoided a mishap after misjudging a shot from Keane Lewis-Potter but managed to recover in time. In the second half, Arsenal took control, with Mikel Merino taking advantage of a scrappy corner to give them the lead. Shortly after, Gabriel Martinelli scored a third goal with a composed finish from outside the box, following a brilliant run down the wing by Ethan Nwaneri.

Mikel Arteta’s side will have the opportunity to reduce the deficit to three points when they face Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening, just ahead of Liverpool’s match with struggling Manchester United at Anfield the following day.

Brentford remain 12th in the standings, comfortably safe from relegation and only one win away from moving into the top half, with a match against Southampton upcoming.

Brentford Player Ratings vs Arsenal (4-3-1-2)

Substitutes:

Leandro Trossard (78′ for Nwaneri): 6.0/10

Declan Rice (78′ for Merino): 5.8/10

Myles Lewis-Skelly (78′ for Calafiori): 6.3/10

Jorginho (88′ for Odegaard): N/A

Oleksandr Zinchenko (90+1′ for Jesus): N/A