Arsenal drop points in the Premier League title race after a 1-1 draw with Brentford, leaving Mikel Arteta's team four points clear of Manchester City instead of restoring a six-point cushion at the top as hoped.
Manchester City had increased pressure with a 3-0 victory over Fulham on Wednesday, so Arsenal entered the match knowing a win at the Gtech Community Stadium was vital, yet the display lacked control and attacking sharpness for long spells.
The Premier League shared the situation at the summit, noting how the draw denied Arsenal the chance to pull further clear of Manchester City:A look at the top of the table @Arsenal's draw with @BrentfordFC means they miss the chance to re-establish a six-point lead over @ManCity pic.twitter.com/VPRAi4i3yYPremier League (@premierleague) February 12, 2026
Underlying data underlined Arsenal's problems in attack. Arsenal produced an expected
goals figure of only 0.6 in west London, their third-lowest mark in a league game this season and worse than both meetings with Liverpool, despite facing a Brentford side willing to trade attacks.
Arsenal struggled badly to trouble Brentford before the break. Without ill defender William Saliba, Arsenal also leaned on goalkeeper David Raya, who made a key stop from an Igor Thiago header to keep the contest goalless at half-time after Brentford created the better early openings.
The visitors finally improved after the restart when Martin Odegaard came on for Eberechi Eze, bringing more control in possession. That shift led to the first shot on target after 61 minutes, with Noni Madueke guiding a header in from Piero Hincapie's cross to put Arsenal ahead.
That delay before testing the goalkeeper highlighted another trend. In this league campaign, Arsenal have only waited longer for a first effort on target once, at Wolves in December when the first accurate attempt arrived in the 68th minute, again raising concerns over slow attacking starts.
Brentford refused to fade and used a familiar route to level. Michael Kayode launched a long throw, Sepp van den Berg flicked it on, and Keane Lewis-Potter arrived to nod past Raya. Brentford's pressure late in the game matched the home side's belief that a point was merited.
Arsenal Brentford Premier League attacking form and set-piece trend
Igor Thiago almost completed a turnaround near the end, while Gabriel Martinelli went close at the other end, yet neither chance changed the scoreline. The closing stages swung from end to end, but neither side found enough precision to force a winner in the final minutes.
Some of Arsenal's forwards are also in mixed form. Viktor Gyokeres has shown better displays recently but did not record a single shot in this match, and Eberechi Eze remains without a goal or assist in 10 league appearances since the North London Derby hat-trick.
Brentford's equaliser highlighted a strength that has defined their season. It came from a long throw, the fourth time Brentford have scored that way in this league campaign. Only Burnley match that number, while Brentford's point moves the team back within two points of sixth-placed Liverpool.
Key numbers from the match underline the balance between frustration and resilience for both sides, with Arsenal losing momentum in the title race while Brentford continue to compete with direct weapons at set-pieces and remain firmly in touch with the European places.
