Arsenal – Brentford: Brentford Bring The Fight To The Big Guns (1-1)

Arsenal intended to gear up for a heavyweight clash with another three points at their fortress. But their guests refused to submit, stinging their title bid to reveal chinks in the current armor.
Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

Arsenal's trip to the Gtech Community Stadium came after a 3-1 defeat to Manchester United— their only league defeat in the second half of 2022. Making light work of the hosts on the day was an initial indicator of the strength of their bid for the top spot. It is a feat the league leaders would benefit from mimicking. Spurs dealt another blow to the title defense of Manchester City, to whom they lost 1-0 in the FA Cup, but having faltered away at Everton last time out, seizing back momentum was essential.

Brentford marked their return to the top flight with a stinging blow to their fellow Londoners, but they have shown themselves to be able to swarm many opponents. Ivan Toney is third in the scoring charts this season, and the collective are not lagging far away. The guests sit in seventh, picking up 21 points . . .