Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Brentford slowed their Premier League title race push, but David Raya stressed unity as the key response. The result cut Arsenal’s advantage at the top to four points after Manchester City’s two later wins, yet Raya underlined that the league leaders still controlled their position despite a flat attacking display at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The visitors led on 61 minutes when Noni Madueke sent a looping header beyond the wrong-footed Caoimhin Kelleher. Brentford levelled from a long throw, with Keane Lewis-Potter smashing in from close range. Arsenal produced only two shots on target all match, and Gabriel Martinelli saw a late chance stopped by Kelleher in a tense closing spell.
Raya reflected on a frustrating night but backed Arsenal’s mentality at the top of the Premier League table. “Disappointed with just a point. We stick together,” he told TNT Sports. “It’s a tough place to come, but we just have to stick together, and we are still in a great position, and we go again.” Raya noted the mood remained calm despite the reduced cushion.
The goalkeeper felt Arsenal controlled long periods either side of half-time before Brentford’s set-piece threat told. “It [the first-half performance] felt fine. We dominated most of the first half until they got momentum. We dealt with it very well and scored the goal in the second half. I thought that was going to be enough, but they played dangerous on set-pieces, and we conceded. We had the chances to win the game, but we didn’t maximise them. We are still in a great position. We have to focus on ourselves. We have the FA Cup on Sunday, but we go again on Wednesday [against Wolves].”
Underlying data highlighted Arsenal’s attacking struggles. Their 0.6 expected goals was the club’s third-lowest Premier League figure this season, behind only matches against Liverpool in August, at 0.5 xG, and January, also at 0.6 xG. Madueke’s header was Arsenal’s first attempt on target, arriving in the 61st minute, with only December’s game against Wolves bringing a later first effort in 2025-26.
Brentford outshot Arsenal 12-7 and created greater danger inside the penalty area. The hosts produced three ‘big’ opportunities compared with just one for Mikel Arteta’s team. Arsenal’s lack of sharpness near goal matched Arteta’s view that the side missed a decisive touch in the final third, even after gaining a measure of control following a slow opening at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Arteta felt the match swung between phases of control and disorder, with set-pieces and throws turning the contest. “The game had moments,” Arteta told BBC Sport. “We started without the control and dominance we wanted, but after that, we got the rhythm and had situations to score. We started the second half brilliantly. We scored the goal, and then we controlled the game, but after that, the game became chaotic.”
Arteta pointed to free-kicks and long throws as a major issue against Brentford’s established strength from dead balls. “The moment you start to give away one or two free-kicks, the ball goes into the channels in can go out for a throw, and then it is a nightmare. They can throw the ball from anywhere on the pitch. You get into that game, and it is very difficult to get out. They are one of the best historically in the league [from set-pieces], and they have developed this year with the long throw. It is a real threat and difficult to defend. We were giving free-kicks away, you cannot do [that]. We should have had more composure to play through them. We wanted to win, so we feel like we dropped two points. They are very difficult. We keep going.”
The draw left Arsenal still leading Manchester City by four points, though with momentum checked in the Premier League title race. Brentford’s set-piece power, Kelleher’s stops and Arsenal’s wasteful finishing combined to deny a wider gap at the top. With an FA Cup tie on Sunday followed by Wolves on Wednesday, Arsenal’s response now shapes how firmly that advantage holds.