London, Feb. 11 (BNA) New Arsenal signing Leandro Trossard scored his first goal for the Premier League leaders, but they were frustrated as Ivan Toni secured a deserved 1-1 draw with Brentford on Saturday.
Belgian striker Gabriel Martinelli was substituted just after the hour mark with his side struggling and had almost immediate effect deflecting a low cross from Bukayo Saka.
Mikel Arteta’s side took an eight-point lead in the table but they never looked comfortable against an adventurous Brentford who should have been ahead before half-time.
Toney, accused of missing a first-half attendant, pounced in the 72nd minute to head in Christian Norgaard’s cross and extend Brentford’s unbeaten run in the league to 10 matches.
Despite losing points for the second week in a row, Arsenal leads the standings, six points ahead of champions Manchester City, as both clubs have played 21 matches, according to the Associated Press.
Arsenal has 51 points with City, who hosts Aston Villa on Sunday, with 45 points. The first and second places will meet in the UAE on Wednesday.
Brentford, who are eighth with 34 points from 22 games, were full of value for their points and revealed some worrying cracks in Arsenal’s facade as the hosts seek their first title since 2004.
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