Brentford vs Arsenal LIVE: Premier League result and final score as Fabio Vieira adds third on debut
Brentford 0-3 Arsenal: Vieira marked his first Premier League start with a stunning goal from distance after first-half headers from Gabriel Jesus and William Saliba
Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League table in some style as Fabio Vieira’s first goal for the club added to first-half headers from William Saliba and Gabriel Jesus in an impressive 3-0 win at Brentford.
Mikel Arteta’s side responded to victories for Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday with a commanding performance at the Brentford Community Stadium, as the Gunners got their revenge for last season’s opening defeat to Thomas Frank’s team.
Saliba scored his second goal of the campaign with a fine header at the front post from a corner, before Jesus met Granit Xhaka’s wonderful cross to double their advantage.
Arsenal were missing captain Martin Odegaard but with Vieira making his first Premier League start for the club, the 22-year-old fired in a stunning goal from distance to wrap up three points.
Late in the match, Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri made history by becoming the youngest ever Premier League player at the age of 15 years and 181 days.
Brentford 0-0 Arsenal
12 mins: Ben Mee gets the Brentford crowd going with a lunging, sliding tackle on Fabio Vieira. The Portuguese isn’t happy about the power that Mee took him down with but Mee won the ball and knocks it out of play.
Solid defending and the Brentford fans enjoyed it.
Brentford 0-0 Arsenal
9 mins: Ben White flicks the ball over to the left side of the pitch where Bryan Mbeumo tries to intercept the pass. The ball comes loose and gets poked up to Gabriel Martinelli on the wing.
He cuts inside and chips a cross into the middle hoping to pick out Gabriel Jesus but Ben Mee is there to boot it clear for the Bees.
Brentford 0-0 Arsenal
6 mins: Close! Brentford are spraying the ball out wide and looking to cross it into their front two strikers. Rico Henry brings down a diagonal ball over to the left wing then curls a cross into the far side of the box.
Bryan Mbeumo wins the header bu can’t generate much power and nods it straight to Aaron Ramsdale.
Brentford 0-0 Arsenal
3 mins: Chance! Gabriel Martinelli should score!
He starts the move with a pass back to William Saliba who drives up to the box and sends the ball back to Martinelli. His next touch sends the ball into the left side of the area where Granit Xhaka is in bags of space.
Xhaka controls the ball and draws in the nearest defender before gifting it back to Martinelli who’s moved into the penalty area.
Martinelli wants to shoot but slips at the vital moment and scuffs his effort softly to David Raya.
Kick off: Brentford 0-0 Arsenal
Gabriel Jesus gets the match started and Arsenal boot the ball long. It’s won in the air and nodded back to Jesus who is quickly closed down and has to pass the ball backwards.
Brentford vs Arsenal
Here come the teams! There’ll be a minute’s silence for the Queen before the game gets underway.
Mikel Arteta and Thomas Frank lead the players out onto the pitch carrying floral wreaths that they lay down in the centre circle.
Pre-match thoughts of Mikel Arteta
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta spoke to Sky Sports before kick off and explained why Zinchenko and Odegaard were excluding from today’s squad saying: “Oleksandr Zinchenko and Martin Odegaard are both injured and not available for the game. I don’t know [how long they are out for], there are two different things but we don’t know yet.
“A great learning day last season, when you have tough and difficult moments in life, it is how you take the most out of it and learn to go onto the next one.
“We have to show it on the pitch, we have prepared in the best possible way and we want to put right what happened last season.
“We want to be top of the table again, in order to do that we have to win here, perform and compete at the highest level.”
Arsenal’s key man?
Prior to the weekend, Gabriel Jesus had more touches in the opposition box (66), attempted more dribbles (34) and won more fouls (21) than any other player in the Premier League this season.
Super sub
Yoane Wissa has netted five Premier League goals as a substitute since the start of last season, more than any other player.
Playing for the Queen
Black armbands will be worn by both teams today in memory of Queen Elizabeth II.
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