Arsenal Drop Crucial Points Again as Brentford Hold Gunners to 1-1 Draw at Emirates

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Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes took another blow on Saturday evening as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford at the Emirates Stadium, in a match where chances were few and frustrations ran high.

With one eye on their looming Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid, Mikel Arteta’s side lacked their usual sharpness and intensity. Despite dominating possession and controlling much of the game, the Gunners struggled to create clear-cut opportunities in front of goal—reflected in a modest expected goals (xG) total of just 0.82.

It was Thomas Partey who finally broke the deadlock in the second half, finishing a well-orchestrated counterattack initiated by goalkeeper David Raya. Declan Rice surged forward and slid the ball into the path of Partey, who fired confidently past Brentford keeper Mark Flekken. Earlier, Kieran Tierney had a goal chalked off by the new semi-automated offside technology, adding to the growing list of VAR-induced drama this season.

However, the lead didn’t last. Brentford, who had posed little threat throughout the match, found an equalizer through Yoane Wissa. The forward’s acrobatic effort nestled into the net following a well-timed knockdown from Nathan Collins, leaving the home crowd stunned. Remarkably, Brentford registered an xG of just 0.19—one of the lowest totals for any team to avoid defeat in a Premier League match this season. Two of the other three lowest xG draws have also come against Arsenal, highlighting a worrying trend.

The draw sees Arsenal drop points from a winning position for the eighth time this season—totaling 16 points dropped, just one fewer than the combined total from their previous two campaigns (17). This could prove costly, as Liverpool now need just a maximum of nine points to clinch the Premier League title.

One bright spot for the Gunners was the continued form of Declan Rice. With an assist in this match, the midfielder has now contributed to 16 goals (7 goals, 9 assists) across all competitions this season, matching his career-best tally from last term.

As full-time echoed around a subdued Emirates Stadium, the reality set in—Arsenal's title bid may be slipping away, and their focus must now quickly turn to survival in Europe against Real Madrid.

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