Arsenal slipped up against Brentford, only managing a draw in the Premier League clash on Thursday, Feb 12. The Gunners legend Martin Keown has now pointed the finger at three players, claiming they failed to step up in the game.
Martin Keown Highlights Trio Who Struggled in Arsenal’s Draw Against Brentford
Mikel Arteta’s side needed all three points to restore their six-point lead over Manchester City. However, they failed to get the win and are now sitting just four points clear of Pep Guardiola’s side.
Noni Madueke gave them the much-needed lead right after the hour mark, scoring from a header to get his second goal of the league season. They could not hold on for long, as Keane Lewis-Potter equalized 10 minutes later and Brentford held on for a point.
Speaking on TNT Sports right after the match, Keown claimed that three players from the North London side failed to impress. He named Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Ricardo Calafiori as the main players who needed to do better and said:
“I think without doubt (they improved after Odegaard came on) because I think what Odegaard brings is often missed – he presses really high up the pitch and Brentford then couldn’t play through the midfield in the way they wanted to. When the goal came they (Arsenal) were in a really good moment, but then for me Odegaard gets injured, he didn’t look quite the same player after that.”
“I think the Arsenal players that came off the bench didn’t quite look themselves – Saka, Calafiori. That was difficult for Arsenal, obviously Brentford were making it difficult. I thought the stand-out player for Arsenal, Declan Rice, was immense with the amount of distance he was covering. He was the stand-out player.”
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Declan Rice ran the shot for the Gunners, but failed to do much from his golden chance to score in the second half. He had space inside the box, but opted to pass the ball instead of going for the shot.
The Gunners still remain in complete control of the league and the title race. With 12 matches remaining, they have an equal number of home and away games, with five of the six away matches being against sides outside the Top 12.
