Brentford vs Arsenal Player Ratings: Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri Shine for Arsenal in a Comeback Victory Against Brentford

Arsenal get the better of Brentford again at Gtech Stadium as they close the gap on leaders Liverpool. The Gunners came from behind to win 3-1. Mbuemo gave the hosts a shock lead as he scored with their first attack of the game. Arsenal responded soon through Gabriel Jesus. A quick second-half burst saw goals from Merino and Martinelli to seal the result.

Brentford settled into their usual back five from the start and ceded the ball to the visitors. Arsenal put some early pressure but the hosts repelled it excellently. Odegaard gave the ball away sloppily as Damsgaard drove with it to release Mbuemo. The Algerian then cut past Calafiori and Gabriel before finding the bottom corner at the near post. Brentford then defended with extra motivation to protect their shock lead.

After Raya almost let one in, the Gunners countered clinically and Gabriel Jesus headed in a rebound from Thomas Partey’s shot following pinball around the Brentford box. The sides headed into the break all square as the Gunners weren’t clinical enough.

The setpiece experts struck early in the second half as Mikel Merino took advantage after chaos in the Brentford box. A deflection fell his way and he lashed it into an empty net to give Arsenal the lead. Three minutes later, Gabriel Martinelli hit a controlled volley past Flekken after a poor clearance from Collins.

This win takes Arsenal to the second spot in the table. They closed the gap on Liverpool to 6 points and could pile up further pressure as they play Brighton before Liverpool’s kickoff against Manchester United. Brentford meanwhile, are stuck in the bottom half of the table before they take on relegation fodder Southampton on the weekend.

Brentford Player Ratings vs Arsenal

Goalkeeper

Mark Flekken: 5/10- Pushed Partey’s shot straight into Gabriel Jesus’ path. He could’ve really done better on that occasion. Was naive for the second goal as he was held down and couldn’t punch the corner clear.

Defenders

Vitaly Janelt: 6/10- Playing in a makeshift role, is neither helping the team nor himself as teams are easily getting behind him.

Nathan Collins: 5.5/10- The box defending was abysmal in the lead-up to Arsenal’s second. His poor clearance went straight to Martinelli as the Brazilian made it 1-3.

Sepp van den Berg: 5.5/10- Caught napping as he couldn’t react quicker than Jesus to get the parry away after Partey’s shot.

Midfielders

Mads Roerslev: 5.5/10- Did a good job of keeping Martinelli quiet in the first half. He followed the winger quite closely but lost his track in the second half.

Christian Norgaard: 6/10- Always putting fires out for Brentford. Went into the book to take Odegaard out on a counter.

Yegor Yarmolyuk: 6.5/10- Tried to hold the midfield together but did not do a commendable job at it. Was very sloppy with the ball.

Mikkel Damsgaard: 7/10- He anticipated excellently intercepting a pass from Odegaard and went on to release Mbuemo with a fantastic through pass. Damsgaard dictated pretty much all of Brentford’s attacking moves.

Keane Lewis-Potter: 7/10- Was so close to his first goal of the season after Raya squirmed an easy save almost into the net.

Attackers

Bryan Mbuemo: 7.5/10- The Algerian did what he does best as he broke on the counter and finished expertly on his left foot past Raya to open the scoring. Did a lot of tracking back to lend a hand to his defence.

Yoane Wissa: 5.5/10- Was kept very calm by William Saliba. Had a good chance to cut the deficit in the second half but caught the air instead.

Substitutes

Kevin Schade: 6/10

Mathias Jensen: 6.5/10

Paris Maghoma: 6/10

Kim Soo-Ji: 6/10

Manager

Thomas Frank: 4/10- His team’s poor run of form continues despite taking the lead tonight. Brentford’s defence was abysmal, to say the least in the second half. When asked to keep the ball and create, they couldn’t penetrate Arsenal’s box at all. The pressure turns on the manager after a five-game winless run.

Also Read: Aston Villa vs Brighton Player Ratings: Watkins and Rogers star in an entertaining draw as Villa and Brighton share points

Arsenal Player Ratings vs Brentford

Goalkeeper

David Raya: 6/10- Beaten at the near post by his ex-teammate. He would be fuming at his backline for not covering him. Almost conceded a comical goal but recovered well to claw it out.

Defenders

Jurrien Timber: 6/10- Earned himself a yellow card for a two-footed lunge early in the game. Misses the next game due to suspension.

William Saliba: 7/10- Another dominant display where he completely overshadowed his striker. Didn’t give Wissa a moment’s peace as he kept winning the duels.

Gabriel: 6.5/10- Did not help Calafiori when Mbuemo cut past him. Should’ve read his moment and done better. Got a crucial touch to send a cross away from the goal.

Riccardo Calafiori: 6.5/10- Way too passive on Mbuemo on opener allowing the winger to cut onto his left foot. His rustiness was on display as he got into the book in the second half after a poor challenge.

Midfielders

Martin Odegaard: 6.5/10- Gave the ball away in the build-up to Brentford’s opener and didn’t do enough to win it back. Was not at his creative best today but his team got the job done.

Thomas Partey: 6.5/10- Took advantage of Brentford’s deep block with some shots from outside the box. One worked out very well as it led to the equaliser for Jesus.

Mikel Merino: 7/10- Enjoyed a lot of time in build-up and was efficient with the ball. Came to life in the box to turn Jesus’ blocked shot home.

Attackers

Ethan Nwaneri: 8/10- Started on the right with the huge responsibility of replacing Bukayo Saka. He did the job tremendously as he was constantly teasing defenders and delivering great crosses. His crosses led to both Arsenal’s second and third goals.

Gabriel Jesus: 8.5/10- Continuing his rich vein of goal-scoring form with a poacher’s finish. He anticipated the rebound and made sure he put it past Flekken. Enjoyed interchanging with Martinelli on the left too.

Gabriel Martinelli: 7/10- Was on the periphery in the first half but he took the first chance that came his way. Controlled Collins’ header and expertly put it past Flekken.

Substitutes

Myles Lewis-Skelley: 6/10

Declan Rice: 6/10

Leandro Trossard: 6/10

Jorginho: N/A

Oleksandr Zinchenko: N/A

Manager

Mikel Arteta: 7/10- He would’ve been delighted by the reaction from his team after going a goal down. They didn’t panic but stuck to their game plan which yielded them all three points. It is important for Arteta to keep backing Nwaneri after an exciting full debut on the right in Saka’s absence.

Also Read: Ipswich Town 2-0 Chelsea: Liam Delap Shines as Blues Suffer Back-to-Back Defeats