Arsenal restore five-point lead with win over Brentford | OneFootball

Arsenal restored their five-point cushion at the top of the Premier League with a controlled 2-0 win over Brentford at the Emirates

Mikel Arteta made some changes after the draw with Chelsea, bringing in Ben White, Noni Madueke and captain Martin Odegaard. And it was two of those returning players who combined for the opener.

After 11 minutes, White surged forward and whipped in a perfect cross for Mikel Merino to nod past Caoimhín Kelleher, scoring his 13th goal of 2025, more than any other Arsenal player in the calendar year.

The visitors spent long spells pinned inside their own half, but they did carve out one big chance before the break when Kevin Schade’s header from a corner was brilliantly tipped onto the crossbar by David Raya.

The Gunners controlled the second half without ever hitting top gear. Riccardo Calafiori drew a smart stop from Kelleher, and Merino might have doubled his tally when the Brentford goalkeeper spilled a fierce Declan Rice strike, only for the Spaniard to slip as he tried to turn in the rebound.

The closing stages were a touch nervy, with the Bees pushing hard for an equaliser, but the points were finally wrapped up in stoppage time. Merino, dropping deeper by then, slid a clever pass through for Bukayo Saka, whose low strike squeezed under Kelleher and over the line to seal the three points for Arteta’s side.