Arsenal's stuttering pursuit of the Premier League title suffered another check as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Brentford, missing the chance to extend their lead over Manchester City at the top. Having watched City record a comfortable 3-0 win against Fulham the day before, Mikel Arteta's side knew victory would have restored a six-point cushion, but instead their advantage stands at just four points. Noni Madueke's header on the hour looked to have put Arteta's side on course for the statement away win they craved, but Keane Lewis-Potter's thumping reply from a trademark long throw earned Keith Andrews's team a fully deserved point.
After a turgid first half in which Arsenal looked edgy and rarely troubled Caoimhín Kelleher, the contest ignited in the final half-hour. Brentford, who knew victory would take them above Liverpool in the table, created the clearer chances either side of the equaliser and could easily have taken all three points: Igor Thiago wasted a golden opportunity in stoppage time, while substitute Gabriel Martinelli was thwarted at the other end by Kelleher's outstretched arm in a frantic finale.
Title pressure exposes Arsenal's frailties
This fixture had been framed as a measure of Arsenal's resilience after Manchester City picked themselves off the canvas at Anfield at the weekend to reignite the title race. Arteta maintained before kick-off that his players had learned to block out such talk, pointing out that they had lived with that scrutiny for seven months, but they played as if acutely aware of the stakes. Their once-comfortable advantage at the summit has been steadily eroded by City's latest surge, and this draw did little to dispel the sense that the leaders remain vulnerable.