Arsenal secured second place in the Premier League standings after defeating hosts Brentford 3-1 on Wednesday evening, completing the 19th round of the competition.
Arsenal’s goals came from Gabriel Jesus (29′), Mikel Merino (50′), and Gabriel Martinelli (53′), while Brentford’s sole goal was scored by Brian Mbeumo (13′).
With this win, Arsenal moved to 39 points, 6 behind leaders Liverpool, who have a postponed match, while Brentford remained on 24 points in 12th place.
Arsenal dominated possession early on, holding 80% in the first 10 minutes, but it was Brentford who struck first. In the 12th minute, Brian Mbeumo received a pass from his teammate Mikkel Damsgaard, and despite pressure from Riccardo Calafiori, Mbeumo slotted a low shot past Arsenal’s goalkeeper David Raya.
After conceding, Arsenal struggled to find their rhythm. Damsgaard later delivered a cross in the 23rd minute, which Raya intercepted just before it reached Brentford captain Christian Norgaard. Brentford nearly doubled their lead in the 28th minute when Lewis Potter unleashed a shot that Raya saved, but the ball slipped from his grasp, and he managed to clear it before it crossed the goal line.
Arsenal found their equalizer just a minute later. Thomas Partey’s shot was saved by Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken, but the rebound fell to Gabriel Jesus, who nodded it into the net.
With renewed confidence, Arsenal pressed forward. Partey’s shot was blocked by the Brentford defence in the 35th minute, and the rest of the first half passed without further incident, ending 1-1.
The Gunners took the lead in the 50th minute when Flekken failed to clear a corner kick. The ball fell to Jesus, whose shot was blocked by the defence, but it landed at the feet of Mikel Merino, who slotted it into the net.
Arsenal quickly extended their lead in the 53rd minute. A cross from Ethan Nwaneri was intercepted by the Brentford defence, but it fell to Gabriel Martinelli, who powered it past Flekken for Arsenal’s third goal.
In the 61st minute, Martinelli launched a counterattack, sending a pass to Jesus, who fired a shot under pressure, but it was blocked by the defence.
The match slowed down in the final 30 minutes despite several substitutions. Raya had to make a crucial save in the 82nd minute to deny Mbeumo from scoring after the Brentford forward received a long throw-in from substitute Christian Jensen.
The final moments saw no further action, and the match concluded with a 3-1 victory for Arsenal.
