"With his side having played Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea over the past week, boss Mikel Arteta took the opportunity to give a rest to Saka, Jurriën Timber and Eberechi Eze against the Bees. The changes worked almost immediately with fit-again Noni Madueke and forgotten man Ben White combining down the right after 11 minutes. White, making his first Premier League appearance since the opening day, collected Madueke's flick around the corner and stood up an inviting cross which Merino emphatically headed home."
"It was the Spaniard's second goal in two matches and his fourth since he was pushed into an emergency striker role following an injury to Viktor Gyökeres last month. Madueke then saw a snap-shot saved by Caoimhín Kelleher with Arsenal totally dominant in the opening stages. Yet Brentford were inches from equalising from a corner when Gunners goalkeeper David Raya, facing his former club, spectacularly tipped Kevin Schade's header on to the crossbar."
Arsenal defeated Brentford 2-0, with Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka on target, maintaining control of the Premier League title race. The victory extended Arsenal's unbeaten run to 18 matches, secured an eighth consecutive home win, and produced another clean sheet, stretching the lead at the top to five points. Mikel Arteta rotated the squad by resting Saka, Jurriën Timber and Eberechi Eze, while Ben White returned to league action. Early interplay between Noni Madueke and White created Merino's opener, and Brentford threatened only briefly before David Raya tipped a header onto the crossbar.
Read at ESPN
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