It wasn’t necessarily pretty, but Arsenal did what they needed to against Brentford.
Following a brutal run of fixtures that ended in a trip to Chelsea on Sunday, Mikel Arteta’s side had the tough task of hosting Keith Andrews’ Bees in a midweek Premier League fixture on Wednesday night.
Fortunately, despite looking a little underpar in the second half and losing another defender to injury in Cristhian Mosquera, the hosts came away with all three points, restoring their five-point lead over Manchester City.
While it wasn’t a classic performance, a few Arsenal players put in a good showing, though a couple probably played themselves out of the team as well.
Arsenal's best players vs Brentford
When it comes to those Arsenal players who really stood out for the right reasons on Wednesday night, it’s impossible to look past Ben White.
After all, the right-back was named the Player of the Match by Sky Sports, and it was entirely deserved.
On top of maintaining Jurrien Timber’s defensive solidity at the back, the Englishman reminded fans just how useful he can be in attack, and, in the words of one content creator, put in an “absolute vintage” performance.
The former Brighton & Hove Albion star ended the game having taken 86 touches, playing two key passes and creating one big chance, which led to Mikel Merino’s opener.
Speaking of the Spaniard, he was another starter who put in a brilliant account of himself.
The former Real Sociedad star might not be the most pleasing of players to watch, and can certainly misplace a pass, but he has become irrefutably efficient in 2025.
On top of scoring his goal, he also played the ball into Bukayo Saka, which led to the all-important second goal.
Next up, Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori deserve to be singled out for their performances.
Like White, the latter perfectly married up his defensive and attacking duties, ending the game with four recoveries, three clearances, and one interception, as well as taking two shots on target and completing two dribbles. When it comes to the Englishman, what more is there to say about him?
It was another match in which he was here, there and everywhere, doing all the dirty work, while still finding time to get forward, take three shots and play three key passes – fans will be hoping it was only fatigue that forced him off at the end.
Finally, Noni Madueke and David Raya deserve some plaudits; the former for his direct play that led to the opener, and the latter for his incredible save in the first half.
With all that said, there were two Arsenal players who were underwhelming against Brentford and should be dropped from the side.
The Arsenal stars who didn't play well
It feels harsh to single out players after a win, but the standard at Arsenal is so high now that anyone who doesn’t reach it stands out like a sore thumb.
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To some extent, that was the case with Martin Odegaard against Brentford.
Now, it was the captain’s first start since returning from injury, so it’s not exactly surprising, but he was frustrating throughout the match and warrants being dropped for Saturday.
For example, in his 96 minutes of action, the Norwegian failed to create a single big chance, failed in 100% of his dribbles, lost six of seven duels, misplaced 100% of his crosses and failed to register a shot on target.
It was not the performance Arteta would have wanted from what was his most creative midfielder in the starting lineup, and more than justifies the 5/10 match rating he received from the Express’ Tom Parsons.
Minutes
96′
Expected Goals
0.04
Goals
0
Expected Assists
0.08
Assists
0
Crosses (Accurate)
1 (0)
Shots on Target
0
Dribbles (Successful)
1 (0)
Lost Possession
12
Ground Duels (Won)
5 (1)
Aerial Duels (Won)
2 (0)
Dribbled Past
1
Odegaard wasn’t the only starter who played himself out of the side, though, as the same thing could be said about Gabriel Martinelli.
The Brazilian was handed his second start on the bounce in Leandro Trossard’s absence, but as was the case on Sunday, he only showed why he might be better suited as an impact player.
For much of his time on the pitch, the former Ituano gem was anonymous, and then, when he did get a chance to make a difference, like the chance towards the end of the first half, he fluffed his lines.
He didn’t impress Parsons either, who also gave him a 5/10 match rating, writing that he ‘lacked an end product and will be concerned about keeping his place in the coming weeks.’
Minutes
61
Expected Goals
0.08
Goals
0
Expected Assists
0.02
Assists
0
Shots on Target
0
Touches
34
Lost Possession
11
Dribbles (Successful)
2 (1)
Crosses (Accurate)
1 (0)
Passes
16
Ground Duels (Won)
8 (3)
Aerial Duels (Won)
1 (0)
Fouls
1
That might sound harsh, but it’s backed up by the statistics, as in his 61 minutes of relative inaction, he registered a combined expected goal and assists figure of just 0.10, failed to register a shot on target, took 34 touches – 18 fewer than Raya -, failed in 50% of his dribbles and 100% of his crosses.
Ultimately, Wednesday night was largely positive for Arsenal, but, like Odegaard, Martinelli should be dropped for the game against Aston Villa at the weekend.
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