It looked for all the world that Mikel Arteta’s plan was going to play out perfectly, but his cavalry charge backfired to leave Arsenal with only the Champions League to play for this season.
Arteta rested Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino after the exhilarating Champions League quarter-final first-leg victory over Real Madrid.
The move, with more than an eye on Wednesday night’s second leg, seemed to be working a treat when Thomas Partey put Arsenal into the lead shortly before Saka, Odegaard and Lewis-Skelly were sent on.
But it was with his star men, including Timber, on the pitch that Arsenal threw away their lead and any slim hope of catching Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, as Yoane Wissa succeeded where Kylian Mbappe and Co had all failed by beating David Raya.
Mikel Merino was also sent on to try to help Arsenal chase a winner, but, having made five changes, the home side had to finish the game with 10 men after Jorginho was forced off with a shoulder injury.
Arsenal must now make sure they do not throw away their three-goal lead in Madrid, as their only hope of finishing the season with silverware rests on progressing and ultimately winning the Champions League.
More to follow...
08:04 PM BST
Mikel Arteta’s verdict
We’re disappointed with the result. We were 1-0 up and in full control but we conceded a very poor goal. Our defending in the first, second and third phase wasn’t good enough. But that’s how we conceded.
We finished the game with 10 men [because of Jorginho’s injury] and we still tried to win the game and had two big opportunities. We are used to playing every three days and we are ready.
[On Norgaard’s tackle on Martinelli] My reaction says everything. I have to be very gentle with my words!
[On Arsenal’s goal] The action was very, very good.
[On Real Madrid away] It’s time to recover well and tomorrow we’ll start to prepare for the most beautiful game of the season.
"We conceded a very poor goal" ????
Mikel Arteta gives his honest opinion of Arsenal's draw against Brentford ????️ pic.twitter.com/Qo3TMkzfLv
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 12, 2025
07:48 PM BST
Two points dropped
07:46 PM BST
Yoane Wissa’s reaction
It’s really hard to perform against these guys. They are in very, very good shape. We struggled in the first half and it felt like a boring game. In the second half we conceded a goal but then we showed good resolve. We know we are strong on set pieces, and the goal I scored is the kind I score a lot in training so I was happy.
In the second half we were calmer on the ball.
[On his goal] I saw Nath head the ball back and I knew I’d have a chance to finish, so I just tried to keep it on target as I knew it would be hard to save.
[Are you in the form of your life?] Yeah, that’s really fair. I had a very good conservation with Thomas [Frank] at the end of last season [when Ivan Toney left]. He gave me a lot of love and confidence, he told me I would be the main striker and after the first few goals I think I stepped up my game. I’m definitely in the form of my life, especially in the Premier League which is really, really tough. Thomas gives me a lot of freedom.
I know what I can do on the pitch. But if the manager doesn’t trust me I can be a bit frustrating, or scared to try something. He gives me a lot of love and this is what I need.
We are a team. We know we can trust each other. Even the goal we conceded, you can see how hard I tried to get back - that’s our mentality. We are all lucky to be in the Premier League and we have to work hard to win games.
"I'm definitely in the form of my life" ????
Yoane Wissa talks through his goal vs Arsenal and speaks about the importance of Thomas Frank's trust in him ???? pic.twitter.com/Tg7OQCV9Sg
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 12, 2025
07:27 PM BST
Sweet fifteen
15 + 15 - Brentford are the only team in the Premier League to have had two different players score 15+ goals in the competition this season - Bryan Mbeumo (16) and Yoane Wissa (15). Duo. pic.twitter.com/AUrkLFuS4L
— OptaPlay (@OptaPlay) April 12, 2025
07:26 PM BST
Full time: Arsenal 1-1 Brentford
Another Premier League draw for Arsenal, their fourth in six games. They have bigger priorities and that feels like a fair result after an interesting if relatively subdued game. Thomas Partey put Arsenal ahead after a surging run from Declan Rice; Brentford equalised through an expert finish from Yoane Wissa.
07:24 PM BST
90+6 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 1
Saka, on the edge of the area, teases Lewis-Potter and shapes a trademark curler that goes a few yards wide of the far post.
07:23 PM BST
90+5 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 1
Martinelli’s cross is diverted towards his own goal by Collins, but the ball moves slowly and Flekken has time to make an easy save.
07:22 PM BST
90+4 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 1
Saka goes on a lovely run from right to left, beating at least three players, before his cross is blocked by Collins. Brentford break and Odegaard is booked for a tactical foul.
07:21 PM BST
90+3 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 1
After a longish spell of Arsenal possession, Merino’s shot from 25 yards is blocked.
07:20 PM BST
90+1 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 1
Brentford substitution Gustavo Nunes, a teenager signed from Brazilian club Gremio in the summer, comes on for his debut in place of Christian Norgaard.
07:19 PM BST
90 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 1
There are six minutes of added time. If it stays like this Liverpool will need nine points from seven games to clunch the title.
07:15 PM BST
87 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 1
Arsenal down to 10 men But not because of a red card. Jorginho lands awkwardly after an aerial challenge and needs to go off; Arsenal have used their five subs.
07:12 PM BST
84 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 1
Groans from the home fans as a pass from Trossard goes out of play. If it stays like this Arsenal will have drawn 12 league games, as many as any side except Everton, but all will be forgiven if their trip to Madrid is a success.
07:10 PM BST
81 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 1
It’s been a good comeback from Brentford, who were slightly passive in the middle of the game but now look like they fancy their chances of three points.
07:06 PM BST
78 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 1
Yarmolyuk is booked for legging up Merino.
07:05 PM BST
76 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 1
Fine defending! Flekken miscontrols a pass and is robbed by Saka, who goes round the keeper and is about to score when the substitute Kayode appears on his blind side to poke the ball behind for a corner.
07:04 PM BST
75 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 1
Arsenal substitution Mikel Merino replaces Declan Rice.
07:02 PM BST
Goal!
74 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 1 (Wissa) Yoane Wissa scores a terrific equaliser! A corner on the right was half cleared and recycled to the substitute Kayode, who stood up a lovely ball to the far post. Collins headed it back across goal and Wissa swivelled to hook the bouncing ball over Raya. That’s such a good finish.
06:57 PM BST
69 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 0
Double substitution for Brentford Yehor Yarmolyuk and Michael Kayode on, Vitaly Janelt and Kristoffer Ajer off.
06:57 PM BST
69 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 0
Arsenal substitution The goalscorer Thomas Partey is replaced by Jurrien Timber. He’s limping slightly but it doesn’t look like anything to worry about.
06:54 PM BST
One-nil to the Arsenal
06:51 PM BST
63 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 0
Triple substitution for Arsenal This was planned before the goal. Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Myles Lewis-Skelly replace Ethan Nwaneri, Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
06:50 PM BST
Goal!
61 min: Arsenal 1 Brentford 0 (Partey) Arsenal take a deserved lead after a superb counter-attack. David Raya claimed a Brentford corner and rolled the ball carefully to Rice, who beat Damsgaard and galloped 60 yards to the edge ot the Brentford area before playing in Partey to his right. Partey composed himself and sidefooted a rising shot past the left hand of Flekken. That’s a terrific goal.
06:48 PM BST
60 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Brentford break dangerously through Mbeumo, who beats Martinelli on the edge of the area and tries to cut inside Tierney to line up a shot. Tierney stays on his feet and makes an excellent challenge.
06:45 PM BST
58 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Martinelli gets the wrong side of Ajer on the left and is fouled. Just a foul this time rather than anything worthy of the referee’s top pocket. Rice’s free-kick is headed away.
06:44 PM BST
56 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
A draw at the Emirates is rarely a bad result but Thomas Frank might be slightly disappointed with Brentford’s attacking performance so far. They haven’t really threatened, Ajer’s chance aside.
06:42 PM BST
53 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
06:40 PM BST
50 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Partey wins a corner for Arsenal, who have made a strong start to the second half. Nothing comes of it.
06:35 PM BST
47 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
A lovely inswinging cross from Martinelli just evades Nwaneri at the far post.
06:33 PM BST
46 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Arsenal get the second half under way at the Emirates.
06:19 PM BST
Half time: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
No goals at the Emirates. It was a decent half, with Arsenal dominating after a sluggish start, but there weren’t many clear chances. Kieran Tierney had a goal ruled out by the new semi-automated offside technology, while David Raya and Mark Flekken made smart saves from Kristoffer Ajer and Declan Rice respectively.
06:19 PM BST
Half time: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
No goals at the Emirates. It was a decent half, with Arsenal dominating after a sluggish start, but there weren’t many clear chances. Kieran Tierney had a goal ruled out by the new semi-automated offside technology, while David Raya and Mark Flekken made smart saves from Kristoffer Ajer and Declan Rice respectively.
06:16 PM BST
45+1 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Two minutes of added time.
06:15 PM BST
45 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Trossard, in the D, cracks a left-foot shot that is pushed round by Flekken, diving to his left. Good save.
06:13 PM BST
42 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Nwaneri’s corner is headed over by Trossard, unmarked but a few yards ahead of the near post.
06:12 PM BST
41 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Rice’s big, inswinging corner - he might have been going for goal - is punched away by the backpedalling Flekken.
06:11 PM BST
41 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Ricec surges into the area and forces a crisp low shot from a tight angle. Flekken gets down smartly to his left to save and a defender puts the ball behind for a corner.
06:07 PM BST
36 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Great defending by Ajer! Saliba drives a brilliant, flat pass over the top to Martinelli, who controls it beautifully on the run and whacks a shot that is crucially blocked by the stretching Ajer.
06:05 PM BST
35 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Here’s a demonstration of the new semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) in action.
#ARSBRE – 26' VAR OVERTURN
VAR checked the referee's call of goal – and established that Tierney was in an offside position and recommended that the goal was disallowed. pic.twitter.com/9jBazPN6mu
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) April 12, 2025
06:05 PM BST
34 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Schade is booked for a foul on Saliba.
06:04 PM BST
33 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Zinchenko’s low shot is turned round the near post by the diving Flekken. I think it was going wide anyway but he took no chances.
06:02 PM BST
32 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
That shot from Ajer in the 22nd minute remains the only effort on target at either end. But Arsenal are starting to hit their stride and it’s a better game now than it was early on.
06:00 PM BST
29 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
The check is complete and Norgaard’s yellow card stands. He was going for the ball but it was a reckless challenge at best and he caught Martinelli pretty high on the side of the leg.
05:58 PM BST
28 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Norgaard is booked for a nasty hack at Martinelli. That’s halfway between a yellow and red card and Mikel Arteta is fuming.
05:58 PM BST
Disallowed goal!
26 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0 Kieran Tierney, starting his first Premier League game in almost two years, heads a gorgeous cross from Nwaneri into the roof of the net. He barely celebrates, which suggests he knows he’s offside, and the naked eye confirms as much. So does the new semi-automated offside technology, which again only takes 10 seconds or so.
05:55 PM BST
25 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Rice hits a booming corner to the far post, where Lewis-Potter gets in front of Partey to head behind for another. This time Nwaneri curls a lovely inswinger that is missed by Flekken and hits Wissa (I think) before going behind for another corner.
05:52 PM BST
22 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Chance for Brentford! Damsgaard sweeps the ball across the field to Mbeumo, who plays a terrific through pass to the underlapping Ajer. He hits a first-time shot on the turn, under pressure from Martinelli, and Raya is perfectly positioned to make a good block.
05:50 PM BST
19 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Partey’s excellent cross is volleyed over his own bar by Ajer. Not sure he meant that but it was safe enough. Nwaneri will take the corner...
05:49 PM BST
18 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
The speedy Schade leads a Brentford break, but the last defender Saliba smooths across to make an apparently effortless interception. He is so good. There must have been a temptation to rest him because if he gets injured Arsenal could have a very hairy night in Madrid.
05:47 PM BST
16 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Another quiet spell. It wouldn’t be fair to say the game feels like a friendly, more that it’s halfway between a friendly and a really, really competitive game.
05:44 PM BST
13 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Lewis-Potter combines nicely with Damsgaard to win Brentford’s first corner. Damsgaard’s corner isn’t great and Arsenal clear at the near post.
05:40 PM BST
10 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Rice finds Nwaneri, who makes just enough space for a shot that is blocked by the stretching Janel. Moments later Flekken springs from his line to cut out Martinelli’s short-range cross from the byline; had he not done so Rice would probably have had a tap-in.
05:38 PM BST
8 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Brentford look the sharper team, which probably isn’t a surprise given how many changes Arsenal have made. You’d expect them to grow into the game.
05:35 PM BST
4 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
It’s been a quiet start, with precisely nothing to report.
05:32 PM BST
2 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
Oleksandr Zinchenko has started as the right-sided No8, with Rice in his usual position to the left.
05:30 PM BST
1 min: Arsenal 0 Brentford 0
The players take a knee before Mikkel Damsgaard kicks off for Brentford, who are kicking from right to left as we watch.
05:24 PM BST
A reminder of tonight’s teams
Arsenal (4-3-3) Raya; Partey, Saliba, Kiwior, Tierney; Zinchenko, Jorginho, Rice; Nwaneri, Trossard, Martinelli.
Subs: Lewis-Skelly, Butler-Oyedeji, Sterling, Merino, Timber, Odegaard, Saka, Neto, Henry-Francis.
Brentford (4-2-3-1) Flekken; Ajer, Collins, van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Janelt, Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Schade; Wissa.
Subs: Nunes Gomes, Kayode, Konak, Yarmolyuk, Mee, Jensen, Pinnock, Henry, Valdimarsson.
Referee Simon Hooper (Wiltshire).
05:20 PM BST
How many free-kicks?
05:08 PM BST
Newcastle manager Howe ‘conscious and talking’ in hospital but will miss Man Utd game
Eddie Howe, the Newcastle manager, will miss Sunday’s visit of Manchester United after going to hospital for tests.
Howe missed Friday’s pre-match press conference because of illness, with assistant Jason Tindall standing in for media duties.
Howe was admitted to hospital on Friday night and has been told he will be kept in for further assessment until Sunday.
04:59 PM BST
Today’s Premier League results
That Everton result is a huge bonus for Arsenal, who will surely now finish as runners-up for the third successive season. The last time they did that was between 1998 and 2001; things turned out quite well for the next few years.
04:34 PM BST
Private schools are becoming a football talent factory
By Tim Wigmore
In September, West Ham United received a series of offers for one of their brightest talents. Kyran Thompson, then 15, has already been compared to Jude Bellingham.
Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur all courted him. But Arsenal had a trump card: a place at St John’s Enfield, one of London’s leading private schools, with Thompson’s annual £17,500 fees covered.
Arsenal won the battle. At St John’s, Thompson combines an elite education with phenomenal facilities, including an on-site spa. He also has a model to follow for how to combine academic and football life: Ethan Nwaneri.
04:33 PM BST
Rice’s rockets did not come out of the blue
By Sam Dean
Given the quality and accuracy of his corners, it should be no shock that Rice is capable of executing high-class free-kicks. His inswinging deliveries have been a powerful weapon for Arsenal ever since he was given set-piece duties on the club’s winter break in Dubai last season.
04:32 PM BST
Glory or catastrophe awaits Arsenal – this is Arteta’s defining moment
By Jamie Carragher
When Mikel Merino swept Arsenal’s third past Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois he did more than cement the best night in the history of the Emirates Stadium.
In securing such a commanding lead, Merino raised the stakes, guaranteeing that glory or catastrophe awaits in the return leg in the Bernabeu; Arsenal are standing at a crossroads leading towards folklore or ignominy.
04:25 PM BST
Brentford team news
Thomas Frank makes a single change from last weekend’s goalless draw against Chelsea: Vitaly Janelt returns to the midfield in place of Yehor Yarmolyuk.
04:24 PM BST
Arsenal team news
Mikel Arteta makes five changes, with Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard among those who are rested. William Saliba and Declan Rice remain in the starting line-up and there are rare starts for Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko. But Ben White isn’t in the squad; he suffered a knock in training.
Arsenal (4-3-3) Raya; Partey, Saliba, Kiwior, Tierney; Rice, Jorginho, Zinchenko; Nwaneri, Trossard, Martinelli.
Substitutes: Neto, Timber, Lewis-Skelly, Henry-Francis, Odegaard, Saka, Sterling, Butler-Oyedeji, Merino.
04:16 PM BST
Good afternoon
Hello and welcome to the latest instalment of After the Lord Mayor’s Show, an occasional association football series. This episode comes from the Emirates, where Arsenal return to the scene of their extraordinary 3-0 win over Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Most eyes are on the return at the Bernabeu on Wednesday but first Arsenal have a tricky game against Brentford to navigate. Managing the workload of each player is a vital consideration for Mikel Arteta, never mind the importance of avoiding any injuries, yet Arteta will also want to win this game and strengthen Arsenal’s hold on second place in the Premier League.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Arteta starts Bukayo Saka, who was majestic against Real in the week but has only just come back from injury. “He’s very important, he gives us a level of threat, connection and unpredictability that at the moment no other player can provide us,” said Arteta. ““He has the power to lift the stadium, which is incredible because shifting the energy in the stadium is something which is very hard to do and when a player can do that it’s a great addition and quality to have.”
Arteta has a lot of respect for today’s opponents, who started their first Premier League campaign with a memorable 2-0 win over Arteta’s Arsenal in August 2021.
“It’s going to be a very difficult game. When you look at what they have done, it’s incredible, remarkable and a beautiful story,” he said. “They are organised in the way they play so big credit to them and it will be a tough test for us.
“I have a lot of admiration for him (Thomas Frank), he’s at a football club who shares the ambition and it’s a team we can learn a lot from because they’re very clever in my opinion.”
Kick off 5.30pm.
