Arsenal will be grateful to have left the G-Tech stadium with a draw. It could’ve been worse.
After seeing close rivals Manchester City beat Fulham to close the gap to 3 points, Arsenal knew they had work to do vs Brentford, but Brentford proved to be a stumbling block. Arsenal didn’t have a shot on target, and they could’ve gone behind if not for the safe hands of Raya as he denied Thiago’s header from finding the back of the net.
It ends level. pic.twitter.com/oW7z2CniYG
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 12, 2026
At the start of the second half, Arteta brought on Odegaard, and it almost immediately paid off as Arsenal kept bombarding the Brentford defence.
Arsenal eventually took the lead through Madueke as he cushioned his header in the 61st minute past Kelleher.
Despite going behind, Brentford weren’t bothered, and they rammed into Arsenal immediately after the goal. The Gunners couldn’t catch a break, and in ten minutes, their lead vanished.
Kayode launched a long throw into the box, which was glanced to the far post. With Odegaard caught napping, Lewis-Potter headed in from close range to make it 1-1. Just like that, Arsenal began panicking. Arteta rolled out the big guns as Saka, Calafiori, and Martinelli came on, but it did little to dent Brentford’s armor.
⚠️ Images that precede chaos pic.twitter.com/LhMjf67Z0F
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) February 12, 2026
Instead, it was the Bees who almost stung Arsenal with Thiago missing three glorious chances. Arsenal had chances of their own towards the end, but Kayode pinched the ball off Gyökeres’s feet just in front of goal while Kelleher denied Martinelli in the easiest chance of the night.
The game was tilting towards both sides, and both coaches would be glad to hear the final whistle. For Brentford, this is a valuable point in the race for Europe, but for Arsenal, it is a draw that could haunt them if City keep on closing the gap.
