Brentford v Arsenal LIVE: Premier League result and reaction after visitors fight back for impressive win
Brentford 1-3 Arsenal: The visitors came from behind after Bryan Mbeumo’s early goal
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Your support makes all the difference.Arsenal closed to within six points of Premier League leaders Liverpool as they came from behind to beat Brentford 3-1.
Having been rocked by Bryan Mbeumo’s early goal, Mikel Arteta’s side very nearly went two behind when David Raya let Keane Lewis-Potter’s shot squirm through his fingertips. But the Spanish goalkeeper scrambled superbly to hook the ball off his own line, and barely 60 seconds later, Gabriel Jesus latched on to a rebound to nod home an equaliser.
Arsenal then took control with two goals in three minutes early in the second half, first Mikel Merino capitalising on some chaos from a corner and then Gabriel Martinelli producing a fine finish to convert youngster Ethan Nwaneri’s deflected cross. Three points lift the London club up above Nottingham Forest into second at the halfway stage of their season and start 2025 with an impressive win.
Re-live all of the action in our live blog below:
Mikel Arteta urges Arsenal to ‘be like a hammer’ in pursuit of Liverpool
Mikel Arteta said it is hammer time for Arsenal in their bid to stop Liverpool from running away with the Premier League title.
The Gunners head into today’s fixxture nine points adrift of Arne Slot’s rampant Reds.
Liverpool, who put five past West Ham in their last match, have won 14 of their 18 fixtures so far, placing them as the clear favourites to roar to championship glory.
But Arteta has not given up hope of reeling Liverpool back in to avoid finishing as runners-up for a third consecutive season.
Asked how hard it will be to catch Slot’s men, Arteta replied: “We have to continue to be like a hammer, be there every day, and if someone wins all the matches then we congratulate them and then go to the next season.
“But if they don’t - and in history that hasn’t happened - then we will be there.”
Team news - Brentford
No Ben Mee for Brentford, with Keane Lewis-Potter seemingly moving into a more advanced role with Kevin Schade on the bench.
Brentford XI: Flekken; Janelt, Collins, Van den Berg, Roerslev; Norgaard, Yarmoliuk, Damsgaard; Lewis-Potter, Mbeumo, Wissa.
Team news - Arsenal
A first Premier League start for Ethan Nwaneri is the headline news from the Arsenal team. Mikel Merino starts in midfield with Declan Rice given a rest on the bench. No Raheem Sterling yet, and Kai Havertz isn’t included in the squad.
Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Partey, Merino, Odegaard; Nwaneri, Jesus, Martinelli.
Team news on the way...
Right, confirmation of the two line-ups this evening should be with us shortly. Will there be much rotation from Mikel Arteta as he manages this busy period? And will Brentford be at full strength after those injury scares in their last outing?
Mikel Arteta reveals full extent of Bukayo Saka injury in huge blow to Arsenal’s title chances
Arsenal will be without Bukayo Saka for at least two months, manager Mikel Arteta has revealed, in a major blow to their Premier League title chances.
Saka went down in pain clutching his right hamstring during the Gunners’ 5-1 win over Crystal Palace last weekend, and has now undergone surgery on the torn muscle.
Mikel Arteta reveals extent of Bukayo Saka injury in blow to Arsenal’s title hopes
Arsenal moved back up to second in the Premier League with a 1-0 home victory over Ipswich – their first fixture without Saka since his injury
Predicted line-ups
Brentford XI: Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Mee, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Janelt; Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Schade; Wissa.
Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Gabriel, Saliba, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Martinelli, Jesus, Trossard.
Early team news
For Arsenal, Raheem Sterling is expected to miss this match, though his injury is less serious than the club originally feared. Riccardo Calafiori has returned from injury, though Miles Lewis-Skelly has likely done enough to cement his place at left-back.
The remaining long-term absentees, including Bukayo Saka and Ben White, remain sidelined.
Early team news
Brentford have two new injury concerns after the draw to Brighton, with goalkeeper Mark Flekken having been forced off and Ben Mee also coming off. Both will be assessed ahead of this match, as will Sepp van den Berg, who is also a doubt.
In addition, Josh Dasilva, Ethan Pinnock, Kristoffer Ajer, Aaron Hickey, Rico Henry, Igor Thiago, and Gustavo Nunes are all expected to miss the match.
Is Brentford v Arsenal on TV?
When is Brentford v Arsenal?
Brentford v Arsenal is due to kick off at 5.30pm GMT on Wednesday, 1 January at the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford, London.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 4.30pm. Subscribers can also watch the action on the discovery+ app.
If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Brentford vs Arsenal LIVE
Arsenal travel across the capital to face Brentford in the first Premier League match of the new year tonight, with Mikel Arteta’s side looking to keep up some pressure on leaders Liverpool.
The Gunners sit nine points behind Liverpool at kick-off, but they know that the title is far from over at this stage of the season having themselves given up an eight-point lead over Manchester City as late as April in 2022/23.
But with Liverpool still showing relentless form at the top, Arteta knows that any slip up could give the Reds an unassailable lead, and tonight they come up against a Brentford side that have caused many teams problems this season.
The Bees sit in 12th ahead of kick-off, but could move into the top half of the table with a win tonight.
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