Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford on Thursday night as their lead over Manchester City was reduced to four points, but it could have been even worse
Brentford manager Keith Andrews believes Arsenal were extremely fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men in their tight 1-1 draw on Thursday night. The Gunners saw their lead at the top of the Premier League table reduced to four points – but Andrews felt his side could have made things even worse.
Noni Madueke’s header put Arsenal into the lead after 61 minutes before Keane Lewis-Potter levelled things with his own header from a long throw-in. Both teams had good chances in the closing stages as the game became stretched but couldn’t find a winner.
Andrews was booked by referee John Brooks in the first half for complaining about decisions and he could be seen shouting “f***ing shambles”. And the Bees manager was vocal again in the second half, when he felt Gabriel Magalhaes should have been sent off.
Gabriel was booked in the 20th minute by Brooks and then brought down Brentford winger Dango Ouattara while stretching for the ball in the 83rd minute. However, he survived Brentford’s vociferous calls for the red card to be shown and helped his side repel some pressure and earn a point.
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“I think it was a definite yellow,” Andrews told TNT Sports. “I just feel like the first few fouls always set the bar for how they referee the game – there’s always that level isn’t there? I felt a few times in the first half we weren’t getting the rub of it. I think inside the box today, I was really happy with our movement.”
Arsenal were already without Gabriel’s usual centre-back partner William Saliba, who missed the game through illness and was replaced by Cristhian Mosquera. He produced a well-timed sliding tackle to deny Igor Thiago a one-on-one chance late on, while David Raya was busy in goal against his former club.
“Didn’t get the win, but I thought we were excellent. In most aspects for most of the game against a top, top team,” Andrews added. “Martin Odegaard changed the dynamic of it and how they played. I thought we were excellent for the last 30 minutes and looked the team most likely to win.
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“The attitude, application, and the intent I am big on that. The intent always has to be right, it always has to be positive. Ability is one thing that brings you to a point, but as a collective you need good people.”
Arteta was left to reflect upon a tough battle for his side which sees Manchester City move close after their 3-0 win over Fulham on Wednesday night. “The game had moments. We started without the control and dominance we wanted but after that we got the rhythm and had situations to score,” he told BBC Sport.
“We started the second half brilliantly. We scored the goal and then we controlled the game but after that the game became chaotic. The moment you start to give away one or two free-kicks, the ball goes into the channels in can go out for a throw and then it is a nightmare. They can throw the ball from anywhere on the pitch. You get into that game and it is very difficult to get out.”
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.
