Arsenal 1-1 Brentford: Three Things We Learned

Arsenal and Brentford played out an entertaining London derby this weekend with both teams sharing the spoils at the Emirates.

In one of many derbies between clubs from the capital this season, Arsenal and Brentford went to war. They played out a thoroughly entertaining clash and although the Gunners had the majority of the possession, they weren’t able to do enough with it.

Today, we’re going to take a look at our biggest takeaways from their encounter.

Bees keep buzzing
They had nine shots and 31% possession, but boy oh boy did Brentford make the most of what they had. From pillar to post and man to man, they never gave up – even when going behind. They were defensively sound throughout and off the back of a performance like this, you have to let your mind drift to what they can achieve this season. Logistically speaking, it’s not at all impossible to picture them in Europe.

VAR controversy
For the equaliser from Ivan Toney, it appeared as if Christian Norgaard was in an offside position during the build-up. Alas, it was missed by VAR, with the official reportedly not drawing the lines necessary to determine whether or not it was, in fact, offside. You can agree or disagree with the manner in which VAR is conducted, or that it even exists, but one thing is undeniable – whoever made that mistake should be sacked, and Arsenal deserve better than an apology.

The City test

On Wednesday, with the world watching, Arsenal will play Manchester City for the first time in the Premier League this season. If Pep Guardiola’s men can beat Aston Villa today, then they’ll know that a win over the Gunners will send them top of the table – if only briefly, given that Arsenal have a game in hand. For Mikel Arteta, this is the definition of the ultimate test for his squad.