Tross-hard IVAN TONES DOWN TITLE TALK Luck story AS BEES MAKE A POINT
TONEY 74
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ARSENAL aren’t exactly choking – but there’s definitely a tickle in their throats.
After being out-fought in defeat at Everton a week ago, Mikel Arteta’s men were often outplayed by a Brentford team that stretched their unbeaten run to 10 matches.
Leandro Trossard soothed fraying Emirates nerves when he put the Premier League leaders in front with his first goal for the club just four minutes after being sent on by Arteta.
But Thomas Frank’s men showed they aren’t in the top flight just to make up the numbers by equalising through Ivan Toney 11 minutes later.
Arsenal are still six points clear at the top. But if Manchester City beat Aston Villa today, they will arrive in the capital on Wednesday night knowing a victory will take them to the summit.
And Pep Guardiola’s men have won their last 11 league games against Arsenal.
Arteta felt his team played well and were only denied by an equaliser that should have been disallowed for offside because of Ethan Pinnock’s block on Gabriel Magalhaes as Mathias Jensen played a free-kick into Arsenal’s box. He was reaching on both counts.
Arteta said: “If you block a player in an offside position then you’re offside. I thought he (Toney) was offside as well when he scored – but I haven’t seen the line so I don’t know for sure.
“Maybe we will get an explanation in the week because today we haven’t. It was a really strong performance against a very tricky team to play against, so I’m frustrated we didn’t win.”
Arsenal had most of the ball, but it was the visitors who carried more threat.
Rico Henry should have given them an early lead – and surely would have had he not been more concerned with colliding with Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale than giving Toney’s cross the finish it deserved.
The home side escaped again when referee Peter Bankes prevented Bryan Mbeumo from breaking clear after deciding he had
fouled William Saliba when the defender had slipped.
Toney fired against the crossbar and also forced Ramsdale into a flying save with a drive from distance. And although Gabriel Martinelli roused the Emirates, there would have been some stern words in Arsenal’s dressing room at the break. Arteta replaced Martinelli with Trossard just after the hour – and the Belgian delivered in the 66th minute. Bukayo Saka shrugged off Mathias Jensen and his first-time cross found Trossard arriving at the far post to score.
But as you would expect from a man who has perfected the thousand-yard stare, Frank didn’t blink.
Brentford finally got their reward when Toney stole in to head home Christian Norgaard’s hooked cross, then raced to the touchline to grab a waiting shirt that dedicated a message of support for team-mate Sergi Canos following the death of his mother.
“I said to the players before the game that we had to put our best performance out there because Arsenal are so good,” said Frank.
“Afterwards I said to them, ‘Wow, what a performance.’
“Arsenal are an unbelievable team at home. But we stuck to the game-plan against a team that are favourites to win the title – and I think they will.”