Welcome to Live Soccer Updates’ coverage of the Premier League match between Brentford and Arsenal at Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford host Arsenal at the Gtech Community Stadium on Wednesday, aiming to end their winless streak against the Gunners.
Arsenal, fresh from a narrow win over Ipswich, will look to extend their unbeaten run despite missing key players like Bukayo Saka.
And the headline team news is that wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri makes his first start in the league for the Gunners.
Follow all the goals and latest action from the game below...
FULL-TIME
BRENTFORD 1-3 ARSENAL
Brentford 1-3 Arsenal, 90 minutes
Into four additional minutes.
Brentford 1-3 Arsenal, 86 minutes
A needless foul from Keane Lewis-Potter on Jurrien Timber, who had ventured down a blind alley towards his own corner flag. I’m never quite sure why forwards feel the need to do that, Lewis-Potter barging in the back of a player with no escape route.
Anyway, Jorginho will soon be amongst things to play what looks likely to be a victorious Arsenal coda.
Brentford 1-3 Arsenal, 81 minutes
Brentford’s players and fans aren’t happy when their side are prevented from taking a free kick quickly after a foul from Myles Lewis-Skelly. Mark Flekken instead launches it long, and Thomas Partey watches it plummet on to his forehead.
Brentford 1-3 Arsenal, 79 minutes
Gabriel Martinelli has gone over to the right, where he played against Ipswich, with Leandro Trossard on the left.
How Brentford would love to nick a goal now, setting up a nervy final 15 minutes or so. They just look a touch short of invention at the moment, unfortunately
Brentford 1-3 Arsenal, 74 minutes
Here come those Brentford changes: Kevin Schade, Kim Ji-Soo, Mathias Jensne and Jayden Meghoma are on; Christian Norgaard, Mikkel Damsgaard, Sepp van den Berg, Yoane Wissa are off. I think. Thomas Frank rolling the dice.
Brentford 1-3 Arsenal, 68 minutes
A sighting of Ethan Newaneri’s quite considerable ability, the youngster delightfully turning Yehor Yarmolyuk inside out and then weaving alluringly infield. The teenager’s next bit needs work, running aground with teammates waiting for a pass.
Brentford 1-3 Arsenal, 66 minutes
Not quite right from Bryan Mbeumo. Off an Arsenal head and cleared.
Brentford 1-3 Arsenal, 59 minutes
Not far away! A long ball from David Raya springs Gabriel Martinelli, who bides his time before slotting across to Gabriel Jesus.
There’s just enough pressure from Sepp van den Berg to prevent a clean finish, with Jesus’s stab trickling wide.
Arsenal score two quick fire goals to make the game 3-1 few minutes after the restart.
HALF-TIME
BRENTFORD 1-1 ARSENAL
Four minutes added
Will either side add another to their tally before entering the tunnel?
Jesus floored
Jesus, who scored Arsenal’s goal, has gone down holding his face after being caught by Damsgaard’s swinging arm.
44 mins: Brentford 1-1 Arsenal
Brentford 1-1 Arsenal
41. Brentford force another corner.
Mbuemo comes to take it, whipping an inswinging left-footed cross into the penalty area.
It is attacked on the near post but The Gunners head clear.
Chance for Arsenal!
Brentford goalkeeper Flekken makes a diving save to keep away a cross from Calafiori from the left side.
39 mins: Brentford 1-1 Arsenal
Jesus is finding his form
Jesus has scored six goals in his last four games for Arsenal in all competitions, as many as in his previous 48 games for the North London club.
35. The Bees are defending terribly in this phase of the game.
They are not clearing their lines and more importantly, are not reacting quickly enough to the second ball.
You feel this is something The Gunners need to try and capitalise on before the break, when Frank can read his defenders the riot act.
Wissa tries to beat Raya from his own half, haha, unlucky.
28. GOAL FOR ARSENAL!!!! 1-1 GABRIEL JESUS!!!
Just a minute after Raya made a goal-line save off a Mbeumo shot, Arsenal have found the net via Jesus!
After several Arsenal players’ shots were blocked in the box, goalkeeper Flekken dived to his left side to parry away a shot from Partey.
However, the clearance landed straight in the path of Jesus, whose diving header ended in the back of the net!
WHAT A BLOCK BY BRENTFORD!!
CORNER FOR ARSENAL
24. ALMOST A SECOND FOR BRENTFORD!! BUT ARSENAL DEAL WITH IT.
Lewis-Potter whipped in a cross from the left side but Damsgaard can’t quite get a header off of it in the middle of the box!
Brentford’s game has opened up
Since taking the lead, Brentford have kept more of the ball, having about 30% possession. That’s an improvement on the 17% possession they had in the early minutes of this game.
Arsenal’s record is broken
Prior to Mbeumo’s opening goal, Arsenal held the following record against Brentford:
3 – Arsenal have won their last three away games against Brentford in all competitions without conceding a single goal. They last won four consecutive away games against an opponent while keeping a clean sheet each time against Sunderland between 2003 and 2008. Controlled. pic.twitter.com/BCs8ypRhBx
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 1, 2025
Timber gets the first yellow
Martinelli cuts in from the left side into the box and tries to shoot, but can only find a flurry of defenders who block it.
Meanwhile, Timber is booked for his clumsy challenge on Lewis-Potter. The Arsenal defender will miss the team’s trip to Brighton for the next game.
15. All the pressure is now on Arteta’s side.
They need to find a way back into this game sooner rather than later.
Throwing more bodies forward will leave them open to the Brentford counter-attacks with Mbuemo and Wissa.
Meanwhile you can watch the goal below..
GOAL!!!!!! 1-0 MBUEMO GIVES BRENTFORD THE LEAD
Against the run of play, Brentford have taken the lead, thanks to Mbeumo!
Damsgaard brilliantly won the ball in midfield, and quickly played it in behind Arsenal defender Calafiori before Mbeumo picked it up and squeezed it past a diving Raya in goal!
That was Brentford’s first attempt of the game and it has ended up in the back of net.
After 10 minutes, the game is still goalless.
Arsenal have 84% possession so far, with Brentford having just 16%.
9. Corner for Arsenal
The Gunners are putting pressure on the Bees.
5. This could be an open game this evening.
Arsenal are trying to patiently build attacks but are missing the attacking threat of Havertz and Saka.
With Jesus roaming around the pitch as he often does, they have no one in the box to attack crosses.
Chance for Brentford!
Rico-Lewis sprints up the left wing before firing a teasing cross for Wissa in front of the goal. The Brentford forward made a quick run but the Arsenal goalkeeper got to it first with a dive.
4 mins: Brentford 0-0 Arsenal
1. Goals have not been a problem for The Bees at home this season.
All of their games have been high-scoring encounters.
The Gunners have been flowing up top of late, surely there is no chance of a goalless draw this evening?
Kick-off: Brentford vs Arsenal
We are underway at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The first Premier League game of 2025 is a London derby.
Brentford get the game started.
Must win game for Gunners
Having had a blip in their season when Odegaard was out, Arsenal can now ill-afford to drop anymore points if they want to challenge Liverpool for the title.
Aside from a recent defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium, The Bees have one of the best home records in the Premier League this season.
The Gunners know that nothing but victory puts their dreams of a title challenge closer to disappearing altogether.
Wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri makes his first Premier League start tonight.
The 17-year-old will start on the right wing in place of the injured Bukayo Saka.
How will Arsenal line up?
Arsenal will play in a 4-3-3 formation, as Nwaneri, Jesus and Martinelli form their front three.
The three-man midfield will feature captain Odegaard, Partey and Merino, while Calafiori will start on the left side of defence.
Havertz, who scored the lone goal in their win over Ipswich, is absent from the match day squad. The club hasn’t issued an explanation for his exclusion.
How will Brentford line up?
Brentford will play in a 4-4-2 formation, with Wissa and Mbeumo forming the striking pair.
Their midfield will feature Yarmoliuk and Norgaard in the middle, with Janelt and Damsgaard playing wide.
The backline remains the same from the last game except for Mee being replaced by van den Berg.
Brentford XI: Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Janelt, Norgaard, Yarmoliuk; Mbeumo, Damsgaard; Wissa.
Arsenal XI: David Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Partey, Mikel Merino; Martinelli, Gabriel Jesús, Nwaneri.
