Following our strong form, the short trip across London to the Gtech Community Stadium was expected to be a tough test. The atmosphere under the lights for this evening kickoff was intense as ever.
Breaking the Deadlock
The match was tightly contested from the first whistle. Former Brentford man David Raya recovered from a wayward throw to keep out Igor Thiago's goalbound header with one hand in the first half. The deadlock was finally broken in the 61st minute. Kayode's clearance dropped to Piero Hincapié, whose cross was headed home by Noni Madueke.
The Equalizer
Our lead, however, was short-lived. Ten minutes later Brentford equalised in a very Brentford way. Michael Kayode's long throw was flicked on by Sepp van den Berg and Keane Lewis-Potter headed it in.
Late Drama and Title Implications
Martin Ødegaard had already replaced an ineffective Eberechi Eze at half-time. Both sides could have won it late: Igor Thiago missed his chance for Brentford, and Caoimhín Kelleher threw out an arm to keep out Gabriel Martinelli in stoppage time.
Arteta gave Brentford their due:
"A really tough place to come, we knew that. Really difficult to dominate the game through long periods because they are really good."
He was clearer about where the point slipped: "We started the second half really well, the first 20-25 minutes. They score the goal and from there we lacked more composure to maintain the goal better, play in the right areas, to instill more discipline."
While the draw felt like a dent in our title aspirations, we walked away on 57 points at the summit, four clear of Manchester City.
Man of the Match: Noni Madueke 🏴
Another goal for Madueke, continuing his brilliant season.