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Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford on Saturday, according to the Premier League website. With the draw, Arsenal's lead at the top of the tournament's table stands at just four points.
With Manchester City having beaten Fulham 3-0 earlier in the week, the pressure was on Mikel Arteta's side to respond. In the match, the visitors started steadily but struggled to create clear chances in a tight first half. Gabriel Magalhaes had an early header blocked, in what turned out to be Arsenal's only clear opportunity of the first half. Brentford looked to have come closest before the break, as David Raya made a sharp save from Igor Thiago's close-range header. Arsenal improved after half-time and took the lead in the 61st minute. After Brentford's Michael Kayode could not fully clear the danger, a cross into the box was met by Noni Madueke, who guided a looping header beyond Caoimhin Kelleher to put the league leaders ahead. However, Brentford responded strongly and were rewarded 10 minutes later as Sepp van den Berg flicked on Kayode's long throw, and Keane Lewis-Potter was there to head the ball past Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya. The final stages were end-to-end, with both sides pushing for a winner. Igor Thiago was denied by a brave defensive block, while substitute Gabriel Martinelli saw a late effort saved by Brentford's Caoimhin Kelleher. Arsenal had just two shots on target and struggled to find their usual attacking sharpness. The draw keeps them at the top, but with Manchester City having played the same number of games, the title race remains tightly contested. Brentford stay seventh and continue their impressive push for European football qualification with another strong home performance. (ANI)
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