In the match between Brentford and Arsenal in round 13 of the 2023/24 Premier League, the away team had to work very hard to get a 1-0 victory thanks to a late goal by rookie Kai Havertz.
Score
Arsenal:Havertz (89')
In the match against Brentford, coach Mikel Arteta has his 200th match leading Arsenal and he and his students aim to improve their away form when they have only won 1/5 recent matches. As for Brentford, in 6 home matches in the Premier League this season, they have only lost 1, drawn 3 and won 2.
Arsenal cannot use David Raya in this match due to the terms of the loan contract between the parties, so the opportunity was given to Aaron Ramsdale.
In the 13th minute, Ramsdale almost gifted a goal to Brentford with a clumsy tackle right in front of his own goal, but Declan Rice was lucky to get back in time to block Mbeumo's shot on the goal line.
After the first few minutes of Brentford dominating, Arsenal gradually regained control of the game. Despite having more possession, Arsenal appeared to be stuck in front of Brentford's crowded defense.
Before the end of the first half, Arsenal had consecutive chances, goalkeeper Flekken had to excellently block Gabriel Jesus' close-range header. Then, Trossard finished the ball into the Brentford net but VAR caught the Belgian star offside.
In the second half, the match was still exciting. The away team Arsenal attacked a lot but the results were not very good. Therefore, coach Arteta had to replace Jesus with Nketiah.
On the home side, Brentford also sent in Maupay to change the attack, and in the 77th minute, this striker came very close to opening the score but Zinchenko still managed to clear the ball right on the goal line to save Arsenal from a clear loss.
1 minute after that move, Arteta brought on Kai Havertz and the German player, who had been criticized for his poor form since the beginning of the season, became the hero for the Gunners. In the 89th minute, Saka brought the ball in from the right wing and Havertz beat Ghoddos to head the ball past goalkeeper Flekken. 1-0 to Arsenal and that was the final result of this match.
With Man City and Liverpool drawing, this victory officially put Arsenal at the top of the table with 1 point more than Man City. This is the first time this season that Arsenal has finished the round in the No. 1 position in the 2023/24 Premier League rankings.
Brentford:Flekken, Ajer, Mee, Pinnock, Janelt, Onyeka (Lewis-Potter 90'+1), Norgaard, Yarmolyuk (Baptiste 72'), Mbeumo, Ghoddos (Jorgensen 90'), Wissa (Maupay 72').
Arsenal: Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Saka (White 90'+3), Rice, Odegaard (Jorginho 90'+3), Gabriel Jesus (Nketiah 66'), Trossard, Martinelli (Havertz 79').