Brentford 0-1 Arsenal: Kai Havertz header sees Mikel Arteta’s side go top of Premier League

An 89th-minute header by Kai Havertz at the Gtech Community Stadium secured Arsenal a 1-0 win over Brentford as they moved to the summit of the Premier League.

After a slightly flat performance from Arsenal, Havertz entered the match as a late substitute and headed in a Bukayo Saka cross from close range.

At the other end, there had been pressure on Aaron Ramsdale, who was playing his first Premier League game for Arsenal since the start of September.

With David Raya unable to play against his parent club, Ramsdale survived a few nervy moments, and only a superb clearance off the line from Declan Rice prevented Yoane Wissa from scoring after Ramsdale gave the ball away close to his goal early on.

Arsenal had a goal ruled out at the end of the first half after a VAR review found Leandro Trossard marginally offside when following up a saved header from Gabriel Jesus.

Late goals are the calling card of the successful. We’re used to seeing slightly flat performances straight after the international break; Manchester City and Liverpool turned in one each earlier today, and Arsenal laboured tonight without ever truly looking lively enough to cut through.

That all changed with a few minutes left, as Saka found one moment of true quality with a near perfect ball to the back post. Havertz, who has struggled so far since his move from Chelsea in the summer, finally saw his luck turn as his header bounced into and through the legs of Mark Flekken for the winner.

When we look back at results to map out the story of title races, those late stings are the ones that stand out; the goals that turn no points to one and one point to three, and keep the momentum going just when it looks like everything might grind to a halt. Arsenal dug that one out today to go top with just over a third of the season gone; it could assume some serious significance if they enter the final third of the season with the title in view.

It was a bitty game, with few moments of standout quality. Two of them came from the left foot of Saka, for the cross for the goal that was chalked off in the first half, and then for the piercing cross that set up the late winner.

Brentford: Flekken 6; Ghoddos 6, Ajer 6, Mee 7, Pinnock 7, Janelt 6; Onyeka 6, Norgaard 6, Yarmolyuk 6; Mbuemo 7, Wissa 7

Subs: Maupay 6, Jorgensen 6, Lewis-Potter 6, Baptiste 6,

Arsenal: Ramsdale 6; Tomiyasu 6, Saliba 7, Gabriel 6, Zinchenko 6; Rice 7, Odegaard 6, Trossard 7; Saka 8, Jesus 6, Martinelli 7

Subs: White 6, Nketiah 6, Jorginho 6, Havertz 7

14’ OFF THE LINE! Oh my! Ramsdale dallies in possession in the six-yard box, and loses it to Mbeumo. He lays it off to Wissa who clatters a shot to the far corner, but Rice does brilliantly to get back and block the ball on the line. Mbeumo puts the rebound wide; what a let-off there for Ramsdale and Arsenal!

42’ DISALLOWED GOAL! The Gunners move it around the edge of the area again, and Saka clips a lovely ball over the defence to Jesus, who thumps a header at goal. Flekken saves point blank, but the ball goes straight up in the air and Trossard races in to nod the ball over the line from close range. It’s VAR reviewed for a long, long time…and Trossard was just ahead of Jesus from the initial header so it’s chalked off.

52’ CHANCE! Wissa finds Mbeumo with a hooked ball into the inside right channel and into the area. Faced by Gabriel, Wissa tries an elaborate, Romario-style toe-poke to the near post, but it flashes wide.

77’ BIG CHANCE! Great work from Mbeumo again, as he stands up a cross to the back post. Maupay runs onto a header at goal, and Zinchenko does brilliantly to hook it off the line and away to prevent a certain goal.

89 GOAL! BRENTFORD 0 ARSENAL 1 (HAVERTZ 89) They’ve broken through! After an evening of inswingers from the left, here’s one from the right; Saka whips a delicious ball to the back post, where Havertz steams in to head the ball down, through the legs of Flekken and into the net! That’s a huge goal!