Arsenal continued their dominance at the top of the Premier League standings on Wednesday after a 2–0 victory over Brentford at the Emirates Stadium. The win re-established a five-point cushion between the Gunners and their nearest challengers.
The opener came in the 11th minute when Mikel Merino rose highest to head home a cross from Ben White — a composed finish that capped a fluent Arsenal build-up involving nearly every outfield player.
As the match wore on, Brentford pushed for an equaliser. Their best opportunity came midway through the first half, when Kevin Schade found himself unmarked in the box, only to be thwarted by an excellent reaction save from Brentford’s goalkeeper.
Arsenal held firm defensively despite a swelling injury list, and the second goal — a late strike from Bukayo Saka in stoppage time — sealed the victory as Brentford’s defence tired.
Manager Mikel Arteta hailed his side’s “business-like” performance after the match, pointing to their resilience amid a packed December schedule and a thin defensive roster. “It wasn’t our best performance but in times like this, you take the three points,” he said.
With this win, Arsenal have now extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 18 games, kept their eighth clean sheet of the Premier League season, and consolidated their position at the summit of the table with 33 points from 14 matches.
