Brentford could not have asked for more as they defeated Arsenal in the opening fixture of the Premier League for the first time in 74 years. With the Brentford Community Stadium at full capacity, the fans were able to savour the historic night as the hosts deservedly won the match 2-0.
The Bees were relegated from the first division back in 1947. Their last match in the top flight was also against Arsenal, which they had lost. It has been a long wait but they have come full circle this time around.
However, for Arsenal, there doesn’t seem to be an end to their misery. The Gunners were clearly outdone by the newly-promoted side and accordingly got the result. After having had a poor season, they were expected to bounce back with the reinforcements made, but they kept falling to the same mistakes.
Brentford Inaugurates This Premier League Season With a Win Over Arsenal
Brentford Get Their First-Ever Premier League Win
Arsenal was expected to close the game easily given the fact they were playing a team that joined the Premier League for the first time. They began the game as expected and were putting pressure on the newly-promoted side. Soon enough, Brentford started pressing high and did the same to Arsenal.
The Bees were very close to grabbing their first Premier League goal in the 12th minute but was denied by the post. Arsenal were enjoying the possession, but Brentford continued their pressing and got rewarded 10 minutes later.
Sergi Canos became the first goalscorer this season giving Brentford the deserving lead. After the Arsenal clearance got intercepted by Frank Onyeka, the ball reached Canos on the left. He then cut inside and drilled the shot at the near post after getting into the box.
The game continued similarly as the hosts looked threatening on the break, while the visitors hopes of equalising were blocked by a solid defence.
Arsenal Struggled Without Their Strikers Against Brentford
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette were absent for the match after being deemed unwell. Their absence was deeply felt as Arsenal were not able to get that final finish. The second half continued in the same manner with the Gunners dominating possession.
The keepers were tested equally with both of them producing great saves. Arsenal were slowly putting pressure on Brentford. However, a 73rd-minute header from Christian Norgaard ended their hopes for a comeback.
A long throw-in from the hosts was received by Norgaard who made a late run into the box fooling the defenders. The game remained like this till the end with Brentford having the luck on their side. And Brentford earned their first-ever Premier League win.
Thomas Frank Is Over The Moon Whereas Mikel Arteta Is Disappointed
Thomas Frank deserves all the credit for making the club achieve this feat. Once the match was over, he led the parade to the fans, who were not able to enjoy the club’s promotion.
Frank said: “It’s a historic evening and it’s crazy that we’re opening the Premier League season by beating Arsenal. A full house, a top performance. Incredible. Nobody who was here will ever forget that. And I’m proud to be a part of that.
I have such belief in this group of players, so even though I knew we were going to face Arsenal, a massive club with unbelievable players, I had a feeling I would be disappointed if we didn’t beat them.
Maybe I could have had a reality check, but it’s one game. The fans were electric. Maybe before this, we had 100 fans outside west London. Maybe now we have a few more.”
On the other hand, Mikel Arteta did not hold back his disappointment when he said: “We started the season against a good opponent. I don’t think we deserved anything different. They scored from a long throw-in and we didn’t have enough presence in the box.”
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