Arsenal had to settle for a 1-1 draw at home to Brentford on Saturday after Yoane Wissa's fine finish to leave Liverpool within three wins of clinching the Premier League title.
Arsenal suffered a minor first-half come down from their exhilarating 3-0 Champions League quarter-final first leg victory over visiting Real Madrid in midweek, with the hosts struggling to beak down a well-organised Brentford side. Thomas Partey put Arsenal in front just after the hour mark following great work from Declan Rice, the two-goal hero against Madrid, but Wissa levelled with a hooked 74th-minute finish.
Second-placed Arsenal never really looked like finding a late winner, leaving leaders Liverpool, who host lowly West Ham United on Sunday, 10 points clear with a game in hand, while Brentford climbed to 11th in the standings. Read the game back below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Simon Colligns at the Gtech Stadium.
Arsenal vs Brentford latest news
- GOAL! Wissa equalises out of nothing
- GOAL! Partey breaks the deadlock
Full-time!
19:27 , Alex Young97min: Yet more points dropped, that’s surely the title race over.
Arsenal 1-1 Brentford
19:23 , Alex Young93min: Arsenal really pushing for a winner, Odegaard pulling the strings.
Arsenal 1-1 Brentford
19:19 , Alex Young91min: Six minutes added on.
Arsenal 1-1 Brentford
19:18 , Alex Young89min: The ground is half full as we approach injury time.
Arsenal 1-1 Brentford
19:16 , Alex Young85min: Arsenal will finish the game with 10 men. Jorginho has been forced off with an injury, and Arsenal have used all five substitutes.
Really not sure what happened to Jorginho, to be honest. Perhaps something off the ball.
Arsenal 1-1 Brentford
19:13 , Alex Young84min: Brentford are not giving up with just a point.
Arsenal 1-1 Brentford
19:08 , Alex Young79min: Arsenal have won in all previous eight games Partey has scored.
They have 11 or so minutes to keep that record intact.
Arsenal 1-1 Brentford
19:06 , Alex Young77min: Frank has a big hand-held whiteboard on the touchline, furiously writing something.
GOAL!
19:03 , Alex Young74min: Out of nothing, Brentford are level!
Wissa forces a corner, with Mbeumo takes. It’s headed clear, worked back into the box and Wissa is on hand to spin and fire home!
Arsenal 1-0 Brentford
18:59 , Alex Young70min: Kayode and Yarmoliuk replace Ajer and Janelt.
Arsenal 1-0 Brentford
18:58 , Alex Young69min: Very unfortunate for Partey, who appears to have picked up an injury. He’s replaced by Timber.
Arsenal 1-0 Brentford
18:56 , Alex Young67min: Brentford now readying some changes.
Arsenal 1-0 Brentford
18:52 , Alex Young63min: Saka, Odegaard and Lewis-Skelly are now on.
GOAL!
18:50 , Alex Young61min: Arsenal may not need them!
A brilliant break from a Brentford corner sees Rice thunder through the middle of the park before laying off the ball for Partey to sweep home inside the area!
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
18:49 , Alex Young60min: Saka and Odegaard appear to be coming on.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
18:47 , Alex Young56min: Rice stands over a free kick out wide on the left, in line with the edge of the box. The fans want him to shoot, but he passes to Zinchenko, to the sound of sarcastic groans.
Simon Colling at the Emirates
18:43 , Alex YoungOne change from Arsenal is that Martinelli is now playing as the No9 and Trossard out left. Should give Arsenal some more pace to trouble Brentford's centre-backs.
50min: The game has not sparked into life yet, as supporters continue to make their way back to their seats.
Second half!
18:35 , Alex Young46min: Back underway.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
18:33 , Alex YoungNot yet, no changes as the teams reappear.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
18:31 , Alex YoungYou wonder how long it will be until Saka gets some minutes.
Simon Colling at the Emirates
18:22 , Alex YoungHalf-time and, unsurprisingly, it's all a bit flat. Five changes for Arsenal have played their part and it took them 25 minutes or so to find some rhythm.
Tierney had a goal ruled out for offside, but other than that Arsenal not created much.
Half-time!
18:19 , Alex Young48min: Not a classic.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
18:17 , Alex Young45min: Another corner for Arsenal as Trossard’s fine effort is pushed behind, but it comes to nothing.
Two minutes added.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
18:11 , Alex Young40min: There are a few players who could stake their claim for a start on Wednesday. Not too many taking that chance at the moment.
Simon Colling at the Emirates
18:10 , Alex YoungAll too slow for Arsenal in attack at the moment. Brentford are dropping off, which is playing a part, but they need to move the ball quicker.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
18:07 , Alex Young36min: Superb block from Ajer to charge down Martinelli’s shot inside the area. Goal-saving block, surely.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
18:0635min: Schade booked for racing back and hacking at Saliba’s Achilles. So unnecessary.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
18:05 , Alex Young34min: Nwaneri takes the corner, gets it back but he’s offside.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
18:04 , Alex Young33min: Decent cut in and shot from Zinchenko to force another corner. The shot was going wide but the keeper had to be sure.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
18:01 , Alex Young30min: This game has livened up somewhat, as Brentford win a corner off Tierney. Bit more bite to it.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
18:00 , Alex Young28min: Oof, Martinelli feels the full force of a Norgaard tackle, Arsenal players are fuming and the Brentford player gets a booking.
NO GOAL!
17:5826min: A third corner is worked wide, comes to Nwaneri puts a ball onto Tierney’s head to beat Flekken... but he’s a good yard offside.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
17:57 , Alex Young25min: Another corner, another Nwaneri delivery... another one forced.
24min: Straight back up the other end, it’s another corner for Arsenal and this time Rice is back on duty. He sends a fine delivery to the back post, which Saliba attacks but Brentford put behind for another corner.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
17:5422min: Best chance of the game, and it falls to Brentford! Ajer makes a great run from deep to latch onto a ball across the box and Raya stands tall to make a fine save.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
17:52 , Alex Young20min: Nwaneri takes the corner, it’s played to Martinelli who tries to spot the former’s run into the area but it is easily cut out.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
17:51 , Alex Young19min: Saliba does great to drive into midfield, sends Partey down the right to whip in a great ball but there’s no red shirt making the run. Still, Brentford boot the bal behind for some reason, so it’s a corner to Arsenal.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
17:48 , Alex Young16min: it’s fair to say this game doesn’t have quite the bite of midweek, but Arsenal are starting to click.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
17:4311min: Martinelli wins a corner after a smart save from Flekken. Rice whips it in and Partey meets it with a free header, which sails into the goalkeeper’s arms.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
17:41 , Alex Young10min: First bit of decent movement from Arsenal as Rice brings down the ball inside the area and finds Nwaneri for a shot a goal, which is blocked.
8min: Brentford are pressing Arsenal, rushing them into sloppy passes. They sense an opportunity.
Simon Colling at the Emirates
17:38 , Alex YoungIt's all a bit scrappy in the opening stages, with Brentford working hard off the ball. Arsenal yet to really settle into a rhythm.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
17:37 , Alex Young6min: A low-key start to the proceedings.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
17:35 , Alex Young4min: A tame clearance from Raya lands straight at Mbeumo but the Brentford man wasn’t expecting it so Arsenal mop up.
Arsenal 0-0 Brentford
17:33 , Alex Young2min: Arsenal with their foot on the ball early on.
Kick-off!
17:30 , Alex Young1min: Here we go!
Here come the players!
Simon Colling at the Emirates.
17:25 , Alex YoungA very different atmosphere to Tuesday night, as you'd expect. People still making their way to their seats and everyone in t-shirts, some with shorts, too. It all feels very end-of-season vibes.
Not long to go now. The players are back in their dressing rooms.
New White injury blow
17:15 , Alex YoungThat is a another real blow for Arsenal. Ben White has been forced to miss today’s game after picking up a knock in training.
White felt the issue after training on Friday and was not part of the squad for Saturday’s game at Emirates Stadium.
In the right-back’s absence, Thomas Partey was shifted from midfield to the defence as Jurrien Timber was unable to start, too.
Arsenal will hope that White is back for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
White injured again, confirms Arteta
17:07 , Alex Young“Ben White couldn’t be in the squad because he felt something again post-training yesterday, so that limits the solutions we have because Jurrien wasn’t ready to start the game either. Other players as well played a lot of minutes and other players deserve to play minutes to help the team.”
Latest match odds
16:47 , Alex YoungDespite the changes, it should be a fairly straightforward evening for Arsenal.
To win
- Arsenal: 8/13
- Draw: 16/5
- Brentford: 4/1
(Odds provided by Betway, subject to change.)
Simon Collings checks in
16:36 , Alex YoungOur man in north London.
"This team is a clear indication from Arteta."
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) April 12, 2025
Here's @sr_collings, at a slightly more subdued Emirates, ahead of kick-off.#ARSBRE pic.twitter.com/yiz7fsmzLa
So, five changes by Arsenal but Saliba, Kiwior and Rice keep their place.
Partey also starts again, but moved to right-back. There is no Ben White in the squad.
Just the one change for Brentford as Janelt comes in for Yarmolyuk.
Confirmed team news in full
16:21 , Alex YoungArsenal XI: Raya, Partey, Saliba, Kiwior, Tierney, Jorginho, Rice, Zinchenko, Nwaneri, Martinelli, Trossard
Subs: Neto, Timber, Lewis-Skelly, Henry-Francis, Odegaard, Saka, Sterling, Butler-Oyedeji, Merino
Brentford XI: Flekken, Ajer, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter, Nørgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard, Schade, Wissa, Mbeumo
Subs: Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Mee, Kayode, Jensen, Yarmoliuk, Konak, Nunes
Brentford XI
16:17 , Alex YoungAnd the visitors!
🐝 Your Bees to take on Arsenal pic.twitter.com/vHf9iYqnW6
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) April 12, 2025
Arsenal XI
16:16 , Alex YoungHere’s how the hosts look.
🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 12, 2025
🤝 Saliba and Kiwior continue
©️ Jorginho skippers the side
⚡ Nwaneri returns on the wing
Let’s go, Gunners 👊
Team news to come in a little over five minutes.
Where does Merino play?
16:01 , Alex YoungMikel Merino has enjoyed a remarkable couple of months since being tasked with the role of playing upfront for Arsenal.
He scored the third goal against Real Madrid and has six goals in his last 10 games.
But in the match before at Everton, Merino was tasked with playing in midfield as Arteta made changes to the team.
Leandro Trossard was given a start as the striker, operating as a ‘false nine’, and the same could happen against Brentford.
The move forced Merino to drop into midfield, but it allowed Arteta to rest Odegaard for the Real Madrid game.
Merino missed the first two months of the season with a shoulder injury and seemingly has plenty of miles left in the tank.
How many minutes does Saka get?
15:55 , Alex YoungBukayo Saka was in fine form on Tuesday as he marked his first start since December with a brilliant performance.
The winger terrorised Real Madrid’s left side and gave David Alaba a torrid time.
Arsenal have carefully built up Saka’s minutes as he makes his way back from the hamstring injury that kept him out for more than three months.
The 23-year-old got 25 minutes off the bench in the win over Fulham last week and then 45 at Everton, before starting on Tuesday.
Saka was forced off towards the end after picking up a knock and, as a result, Arteta may be wary about risking him from the start against Brentford.
He is still only just working his way back to full fitness and Arsenal will need him firing at the Bernabeu.
Does Arteta risk starting Saliba?
15:47 , Alex YoungArsenal are short on centre-back options after Gabriel was ruled out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury.
Takehiro Tomiyasu will also not return this season due to a knee injury and Riccardo Calafiori is still sidelined.
It means Arteta has just three fit centre-backs in Ben White, Jakub Kiwior and William Saliba.
Arteta will surely be tempted to give Saliba a rest given he is the key man in the backline.
But White may be needed to come in at right-back as Jurrien Timber was struggling with an injury last week that forced him to be on the bench for the draw at Everton.
Therefore Arteta may opt to just stick with the centre-back pairing of Kiwior and Saliba, which has started the last two games.
The Arsenal boss has shown he is not afraid to risk Saliba and earlier this season started him at Preston in the Carabao Cup.
Who gets a rest for Arsenal?
15:42 , Alex YoungArteta very rarely makes wholesale changes and likes to keep an element of continuity with his team selection.
The Arsenal boss is also a winner and, even against lower league opposition in the Carabao Cup, he has historically gone strong.
Before the first leg against Real Madrid, Arteta made five changes for the trip to Goodison Park last weekend and a similar number is likely for Brentford.
The debate for Arteta is who does he give an afternoon off to?
Martin Odegaard was on the bench against Everton so he may start this weekend, especially as Declan Rice was forced off towards the end of the Real Madrid win.
Arsenal will undoubtedly have plenty of defending to do in the second leg in Madrid and they will surely want Rice fresh for that.
Myles Lewis-Skelly could also be given a well-earned rest after his excellent display, with both Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko options at left-back.
Brentford's plan to avoid Rice repeat
15:35 , Alex YoungThomas Frank has a simple message for his Brentford players ahead of the trip to Arsenal - avoid giving away fouls on the edge of the box.
The Bees boss was at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night to witness two spectacular free-kicks from Declan Rice in the stunning 3-0 Champions League win over Real Madrid.
"Unbelievably impressive performance - I went to the game and it was a great performance from Arsenal, they really deserved to win," said Frank.
"Two fantastic free-kicks from Declan Rice. The first one, clever, bent it around the wall, and the second is an absolute screamer. Top corner. Wow!
"The second one is very difficult to defend - although you can avoid giving a free-kick away. Let's avoid giving soft fouls away of course.
"The first one, I hope our wall would be a little bit different so you can't go around that side. But, yeah, let's just avoid fouls."
Score prediction
15:27 , Alex YoungArsenal will again this weekend have one eye on a huge Champions League clash a few days in the future, and with Arteta expected to make fairly sweeping changes, it offers Brentford an opportunity.
Thomas Frank is no stranger to setting up to frustrate teams, but the game also gives those players who did not starting the first leg against Real Madrid a chance to stake their claim for a Bernabeu nod.
Arsenal to win, 2-0.
Early Brentford team news
15:20 , Alex YoungIt's a case of as you were for Brentford, so remain without Fabio Carvalho, Joshua Dasilva, Igor Thiago, Aaron Hickey and Gustavo Nunes all still sidelined for the foreseeable.
In better news, Rico Henry will be looking for more minutes after returning to the matchday squad last time out against Chelsea but failing to get on the pitch.
Early Arsenal team news
15:13 , Alex YoungMikel Arteta is set to make a number of changes to his team this evening.
The Gunners are all but out of the title race as leaders Liverpool are 11 points clear of them with seven games to go.
Arteta made five changes to his team for the match before the first leg against Real Madrid, when Arsenal travelled to Everton.
A similar number is likely this weekend and there are a fair few players that could come into the side.
Ben White made his first start since November last week and may replace Jurrien Timber at right-back, with Kieran Tierney an option on the other flank.
Jorginho and Oleksandr Zinchenko could both come into the midfield, which would allow Declan Rice a rest after he was forced off for the final 10 minutes of the win over Real Madrid with a foot issue.
In attack, Arteta has the luxury of being able to swap out his whole forward line. Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling all started at Everton and could come back into the team in place of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Merino.
Saka and Rice are available for this weekend’s game against Brentford, despite coming off early, but Riccardo Calafiori is not back yet.
Where to watch Arsenal vs Brentford
15:06 , Alex YoungTV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports. Kick-off comes at 5:30pm BST.
Live stream: Fans can catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app and website.
Welcome
14:59 , Alex YoungGood afternoon and welcome to the London Standard’s LIVE coverage of the Premier League clash between Arsenal and Brentford.
The Gunners will still be on cloud nine after thumping Real Madrid in midweek, but also fully aware that only half the job is done. Momentum is key, even if the Premier League title race is surely over.
Brentford, though, will sense an opportunity with Mikel Arteta expected to rotate.
Kick-off is at 5.30pm. Stick with us.
