Merino Shines as Arsenal Crush Brentford: Player Ratings from the Gunners' Dominant Display

Arsenal claimed a comfortable 2–0 win against Brentford in Premier League action on Wednesday evening, extending their advantage at the summit of the Premier League standings to five points ahead of Manchester City.

Mikel Arteta's side have now gone 18 matches without defeat in all competitions following their previous loss to Liverpool in August, and appeared in control throughout this encounter.

With Arteta choosing not to start Viktor Gyökeres from the beginning, Mikel Merino's second strike in consecutive matches proved sufficient to claim all three points, before Bukayo Saka sealed the victory with a late second goal for Arsenal.

Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Brentford (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings courtesy of Fotmob*

GK: David Raya—8.2: Contributed to another shutout performance, making a crucial save to deny Kevin Schade's header against the crossbar at a vital moment. That proved to be his only required intervention.

RB: Ben White—8.4: Seized a valuable chance to shine in Premier League action and delivered impressively. Advanced with purpose and effectiveness throughout.

CB: Cristhian Mosquera—6.7: Withdrawn due to injury during the latter stages of the opening period.

CB: Piero Hincapié—7.6: Displayed composure in possession and showed growing adaptation to the requirements. Successfully completed a late concussion protocol to continue playing.

LB: Riccardo Calafiori—8.1: Dominated defensively down his flank, effectively neutralizing Brentford's threats. Nearly found the net late on, forcing a fine stop from Caoimhín Kelleher.

CM: Martin Ødegaard (c)—7.4: Returned to the starting lineup for his first appearance since recovering from injury. Not quite at peak sharpness but maintained possession effectively.

CM: Martín Zubimendi—7.4: Maintained ball circulation efficiently when in possession, though offered limited creative spark. Provided defensive cover to restrict Brentford's opportunities.

CM: Declan Rice—7.5: Tested Kelleher with a long-range effort in the second period and consistently sought progressive passes into dangerous positions. His late withdrawal due to apparent discomfort raises concerns.

RW: Noni Madueke—7.2: Created the opening goal with an intelligent backheel to set up White's overlapping run. Posed threats in the first half, though his playing time is being carefully managed following injury.

ST: Mikel Merino—8.6: Another match deputizing as striker, another goal scored. Has adapted remarkably well to the role and moves with the instincts of an experienced center-forward. Could have added a second goal as well.

LW: Gabriel Martinelli—6.5: Sent a first-half chance over the crossbar, but supporters likely expect more consistent high-quality contributions.

Unused substitutes: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Myles Lewis-Skelly, Christian Nørgaard, Ethan Nwaneri, Gabriel Jesus.

Brentford (3-5-2)

Starting XI: Caoimhín Kelleher; Kristoffer Ajer, Ethan Pinnock, Sepp van den Berg; Michael Kayode, Yehor Yarmolyuk, Vitaly Janelt, Mathias Jensen, Rico Henry; Dango Ouattara, Kevin Schade.

Substitutes used: Igor Thiago, Jordan Henderson, Mikkel Damsgaard, Keane Lewis-Potter, Nathan Collins.

Player of the Match: Mikel Merino

Arsenal 2–0 Brentford—Match Report from the Emirates Stadium

The match began at a measured pace in north London, with both teams struggling to create clear opportunities until Merino nodded Arsenal ahead after 11 minutes.

Following his headed goal against Chelsea over the weekend, the Spanish midfielder was perfectly positioned to power the ball downward with his forehead from close range. The goal originated from excellent skill by Noni Madueke on the right wing, with Ben White delivering the decisive cross into the box.

This breakthrough energized the match and Madueke nearly extended Arsenal's advantage shortly afterward, forcing a save from Brentford keeper Caoimhín Kelleher. The winger remained the primary attacking threat during the opening thirty minutes, later providing a cross for Gabriel Martinelli that the Brazilian sent high.

Between those Madueke opportunities, the visitors served notice with Kevin Schade's header striking the crossbar—thanks to David Raya's quick reflexes. The Bees, missing rested leading scorer Igor Thiago, were otherwise contained, unable to challenge Arsenal's relatively new central defensive partnership of Piero Hincapié and Cristhian Mosquera. The latter departed with injury before the interval.

Brentford started the second half with increased intensity, though this renewed energy failed to produce quality chances to trouble the Gunners' defense.

With little additional action by the hour mark, Keith Andrews introduced Thiago from the substitutes' bench, alongside Jordan Henderson and playmaker Mikkel Damsgaard. Arteta immediately countered by bringing on Saka and Eberechi Eze.

With approximately 20 minutes remaining, Merino should have doubled both his personal account and Arsenal's advantage. When Kelleher blocked a low shot from Declan Rice, the rebound fell to Merino, but he lost his footing while stretching for the loose ball and knocked it out of bounds.

Despite maintaining game control, the Gunners created few additional clear chances until Saka missed in similar fashion to Merino's earlier opportunity. This time, Riccardo Calafiori had the initial shot saved after a clever feint created shooting space, with Saka unable to generate power on the rebound. He quickly redeemed himself with the late second goal, benefiting from fortune as Kelleher's save reduced the shot's power but couldn't prevent it from bouncing into the net.

The only concerns on an otherwise solid evening were the injury losses of Mosquera and Rice in each half, plus Hincapié requiring a concussion evaluation.

Arsenal vs. Brentford Half-Time Statistics

Arsenal vs. Brentford Full-Time Statistics