Arsenal restored their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Brentford, but the win was overshadowed by fresh injury concerns. Mikel Merino opened the scoring with an early header, and Bukayo Saka sealed the win late on, but the Gunners lost centre-back Cristhian Mosquera to injury before half-time and saw Declan Rice limp off with a calf problem in the closing stages.
Manager Mikel Arteta expressed frustration over the congested schedule, saying: "Give us another day [to prepare]. We've never had such a schedule – not only in the Premier League but every competition internationally as well. The players are not machines." Arsenal are already without Gabriel Magalhães, William Saliba, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard due to injury.
Despite the setbacks, Arsenal showed resilience, keeping their eighth clean sheet of the season. The unfamiliar partnership of Jurriën Timber and Piero Hincapié held firm after Mosquera's departure. Arteta praised Ben White, who made his second league start of the season after a long injury lay-off, for his "bustling performance."
Brentford came close to equalising when Kevin Schade hit the bar, but Arsenal held on. The win extends Arsenal's unbeaten run to 18 matches in all competitions, though Arteta admitted the squad is being stretched as they prepare to visit Aston Villa on Saturday.
