Arteta and Arsenal show plenty of New Year resolution to storm back within six of Liverpool
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MIKEL ARTÉTA kept to his New Year pledge that his Arsenal side would keep hammering away at Liverpool’s Premier League lead every day in 2025 by shuffling his side to get the win that takes them back to within six points of top spot.
Injuries and a virus in the camp led to the Arsenal manager making four changes from the side that beat Ipswich last week, including a first Premier League start for teenage wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri.
And what started as a worrying first away day of 2025 for the 1,700 or so travelling Arsenal supporters ended in joy unconfined as they came from behind to win a match they were under huge pressure to deliver in.
Brentford have the best home record in the division alongside Liverpool coming onto the match and comfortably weathered early Arsenal domination to take the lead though Bryan Mbuemo after 13 minutes.
Mikkel Damsgaard won possession in midfield following a sloppy pass by Martin Odegaard and played Mbuemo into space down the right. He had the recalled Riccardo Calafiori in close attendance, but the Italian defender could not get close enough as the Brentford forward easily cut inside to get off a low left-foot shot into the corner of David Raya’s net.
Arsenal had been on top with 83 per cent of possession in the opening exchanges but Brentford looked as dangerous on the break as ever with pacy Cameroon forward Mbuemo often the target. His clinical finish also marked his ninth goal in 10 home games this season and secured Arsenal’s eighth away match without keeping a clean sheet – not very impressive for the Premier League’s meanest defence.
Arsenal, desperate for a win, looked worried. Right-back Jurrien Timber betrayed his frustration by picking up a booking for an over-the-top foul. He now misses Saturday’s match at Brighton with a one-match suspension.
Brentford nearly doubled their lead when their uncharacteristically uncertain former keeper Raya, caught off guard for the Mbuemo goal, let a Keane Lewis-Potter shot through his hands and had to scramble back to scoop the ball off his goal line.
Then, within a flash, Arsenal were level with 29 minutes on the clock. Thomas Partey cracked a stinging shot from distance and Brentford keeper Mark Flekken parried the ball down in front of him as Jesus threw himself at it to head in from close range.
That’s six in four festive fixtures for Jesus. His contribution felt more significant as Arsenal were without fellow forward Kai Havertz. The German scored the winner in both matches against Brentford last season. He was unavailable for the first time since joining from Chelsea in 2023 after being struck down by a bug going through the Arsenal camp. That, and Bukayo Saka’s lengthy injury absence, made room for Nwaneri, 17, to make his first Premier League start on the same ground he became the top flight’s youngest-ever player as a substitute here two years ago.
The young Londoner looked more than at home filling in for Saka on the right flank of Arsenal’s three-man attack. In the first half alone he created two of his side’s nine chances and completed all 17 of his passes. If Arteta’s gamble on the teenager pays off it could prevent Arsenal from needing to sign a Saka substitute this month.
And it was from Nwaneri’s 50th and 53rd minute crosses that led to Arsenal taking the lead and quickly doubling down on it.
They were aided by the strange decision of Yoane Wissa to let the ball go off for a corner when he could easily have cleared the danger. And keeper Flekken was again found wanting when he struggled to clear Nwaneri’s cross back in as the ball bobbled to Merino to slam home from close range. Ten set-piece goals for Arsenal this season.
Nwaneri sent in another tantalising centre less than two minutes later, and Gabriel Martinelli was on hand to take advantage of a poor clearance and score right-footed from 12 yards. That’s three in his last four away Premier League games for the much-maligned Brazil forward.
Flekken 5; Roerslev 6, Collins 6, van den Berg 5 (Ji-Soo 75), Lewis-Potter 6; Norgaard 6 (Jensen 75), Janelt 6; Mbeumo 6, Damsgaard 6 (Maghoma 75), Yarmoliuk 6; Wissa 5 (Schade, 75). Valdimarsson, Schade, Meghoma, Konak, Yogane, Arthur Raya 5, Timber 6, Saliba 6, Gabriel 7, Calafiori 6 (Lewis-Skelly 78), Partey 8, Merino 7 (Rice 78), Odegaard 6 (Jorginho 88), Martinelli 7, Nwaneri 8. (Trossard 78), Jesus 7 (Zinchenko 90). Neto. Kiwior, Tierney , Kabia.
Peter Bankes 6
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