Two worrying losers and three surprise winners as Arsenal draw 1-1 with Brentford

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Arsenal were unable to give Manchester City the perfect response on matchday 26 as the Gunners dropped points against Brentford.

It was a frustrating outing for Mikel Arteta’s side at the Gtech Community Stadium, as Arsenal were unable to restore their lead at the top of the Premier League table to six points.

Instead, the gap has been narrowed to four points, as after Noni Madueke gave the Gunners the lead at Brentford, Keane Lewis-Potter scored the equaliser from an impressive throw-in routine.

Keith Andrews expected a set-piece battle, and he got one, on what was ultimately a bitterly disappointing night for Arsenal.

On a tough night for Arteta’s squad, here are five players who stood out for the right and wrong reasons.

• READ MORE: Arsenal player ratings vs Brentford, Eberechi Eze gets 1/10 as Gunners suffer title blow

Arsenal’s biggest losers against Brentford

Eberechi Eze

Hooked at half-time after making no impact, Eberechi Eze was undoubtedly Arsenal’s biggest loser against Brentford.

The Englishman had a chance to shine, and he failed to take it, on what was a bitterly disappointing outing for the summer signing.

Completing just nine passes during his time on the pitch, Eze was a no-show, and his lack of impact will make the headlines.

Fill in the blank: If I were Mikel Arteta, I would be telling Eberechi Eze “_________” about his performance vs Brentford…

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Martin Odegaard

The problem for Arteta is that, after Eze was hooked, his replacement, Martin Odegaard, made a blunder himself.

Odegaard made far more of an impact than Eze going forward, but he also played a direct role in Arsenal dropping points.

Given that Odegaard’s captaincy has been questioned, failing to clear the ball before Brentford scored certainly wouldn’t have helped his argument.

It was a match-defining moment from the Norwegian, who was simply too weak when it mattered most.

Arsenal’s three winners despite Brentford draw

Noni Madueke

The most obvious winner was Arsenal’s goalscorer Madueke, who, despite not having the most inspired game, pulled off an incredible finish to give the Gunners the lead.

One of the biggest complaints about Madueke is his end product, and against Brentford, he responded to his critics in the best way possible.

It was a big goal in a big moment from Madueke, who made his presence count.

Gabriel Magalhaes

William Saliba was out of the fixture due to illness, and his partner, Gabriel Magalhaes, stepped up in his absence to support Cristhian Mosquera.

Gabriel might’ve felt fortunate to still be on the pitch after being booked; however, he was a colossus nonetheless.

The Brazilian ended the game having made a remarkable 18 defensive contributions, doing all he could to limit Brentford’s threat.

Piero Hincapie

As Arsenal didn’t win, there’s a chance that Piero Hincapie’s performance will be overlooked, but it really shouldn’t be.

The Ecuadorian was a wizard at left-back when Arsenal were attacking, putting in some sumptuous crosses, one of which assisted Madueke’s goal.

On top of adding a creative spark, Hincapie was defensively strong, winning eight duels, including winning every single one of the aerial duels he contested.