Arsenal took on Brentford in the Premier League clash looking to move to within eight points of Liverpool.
Mikel Arteta explained Ben White’s absence as the Gunners boss made a number of changes to the side that beat Real Madrid 3-0 in the Champions League.
Kieran Tierney made his first start since May 2023 and Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jorginho also made rare starts for Arsenal in midfield.
Tierney had the ball in the net during the first half but it was ruled out for offside as Arsenal dominated the game but couldn’t find the break through in the first half.
David Raya’s quick thinking sent Declan Rice on his way for the Arsenal midfielder to set up Thomas Partey for the opening goal on the hour mark with a crisp finish.
However, the Gunners couldn’t hold onto their lead as Yoanne Wissa flicked home an impressive finish following some sloppy defending from the home side.
Another frustrating draw in the league and symbolic of the reason why Arsenal have fallen short in their title aspirations this season.
READ MORE: William Saliba impresses but one star gets a 4/10 – Arsenal player ratings vs Brentford
Declan Rice practiced free kicks in the warm up
Rice is still the name on the lips of world football following his sensational free kicks against Real Madrid in the previous game.
It seems that despite Rice ‘s second free kick giving Thibaut Courtois no chance, he was still not fully happy with his technique and was practicing once again during the warm up.
The impact of his recent performances could then be seen with the wonderful reception he got from the away fans upon going over to take a first half corner.
According to one fan on X, Brentford fans were seen applauding Rice in a bizarre tribute to his wonderous strikes against the European champions.
David Raya forced to wear different socks for Arsenal
Eagle-eyed Arsenal fans would have noticed that goalkeeper David Raya was forced to wear different socks than usual against his former side Brentford.
The reason was explained as usual yellow socks would have clashed with Brentford’s away kit, which also sports yellow socks.
Raya was instrumental for the Gunners in the game as he made several solid saves and set Rice on the way with a quick throw out to help open the scoring.
Oleksandr Zinchenko replaced Martin Odegaard in Arsenal midfield
First-team opportunities have been limited for Zinchenko this season but after impressing against PSV in midfield, some Arsenal fans called for Zinchenko to replace Martin Odegaard in the advanced role.
Arteta resisted that temptation until the Brentford clash, where the Ukrainian international had a relatively free role in the centre of the park to get on the ball and dictate play.
Arsenal denied for the first time by semi-automated offside technology
With Arsenal’s luck with referee decisions this season, it came as no surprise that during semi-automated offside’s debut in the league, the Gunners were on the end of their first decision against it at the Emirates.
The decision itself was the correct one as Ethan Nwaneri’s cross was headed home by Tierney to give the Gunners what they thought was a first half lead but it was deemed offside by the new technology.
What will please Arsenal fans and fans in general around the country is the speed in which the decision was made with the new technology and hopefully a big improvement to come.
Thomas Partey forced off with suspected injury
Arsenal would have wanted one thing more than three points in this clash – a clean bill of health ahead of the Real Madrid clash.
However, that may not be the case as Partey looked to have gone off injured in the second half after staying down from a challenge.
It is unclear whether it was just a knock or something more serious but the Gunners star was seen talking to the medical team upon exiting the pitch and now all eyes are on whether he is fit to play in Spain.
Jorginho also went off injured late on to leave Arteta’s side with ten men for the final few minutes in what looked like a shoulder injury.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
