Brentford v Arsenal, 13 August 2021

Score2-0 to Brentford
RefereeMichael Oliver
CompetitionPremier League
VenueBrentford Community Stadium
Attendance16,479

View Brentford v Arsenal head to head

Kick-off: 8.00pm Premier League Head to Head Played: 1 Brentford won: 1 Drawn: 0 Arsenal won: 0 Brentford scored: 2 Arsenal scored: 0 This was Brentford's first game in the top division since the visit of Arsenal to their old Griffin Park ground in League Division One on 26 May 1947 - a gap of 27,109 days. Paddy Sloan scored the only goal of the game with his only goal for the Gunners. Due to the COVID pandemic, this was the first time in 523 days that a Premier League game could be played without restrictions on the attendance. It was also the first game at Brentford's new Community Stadium that was allowed to be played in front of a full capacity crowd.

2 Brentford

Manager: Thomas Frank

0 Arsenal

Manager: Mikel Arteta

Goals:

Sergi Canós 22 G
Christian Norgaard 73 G

Goals:

Starting lineup:

Goalkeeper David Raya
Defender Rico Henry
Defender Pontus Jansson
Defender Ethan Pinnock
Defender/Midfielder Kristoffer Ajer
Midfielder Vitaly Janelt
Midfielder Christian Norgaard
Midfielder Frank Onyeka
Midfielder/Forward Sergi Canós
Midfielder/Forward Bryan Mbeumo
Forward Ivan Toney

Starting lineup:

Bernd Leno Goalkeeper
Pablo Marí Defender
Ben White Defender
Calum Chambers Defender/Midfielder
Kieran Tierney Defender/Midfielder
Granit Xhaka Defender/Midfielder
Albert Sambi Lokonga Midfielder
Emile Smith Rowe Midfielder
Nicolas Pépé Midfielder/Forward
Folarin Balogun Forward
Gabriel Martinelli Forward

Substitutions:

Mads Bech Sørensen for Kristoffer Ajer 71
Mads Bidstrup for Frank Onyeka 80
Marcus Forss for Bryan Mbeumo 86

Substitutions:

Bukayo Saka for Folarin Balogun 59
Reiss Nelson for Gabriel Martinelli 71
Nuno Tavares for Calum Chambers 82

On the bench:

Goalkeeper Patrik Gunnarsson
Defender Charlie Goode
Defender/Midfielder Mads Bech Sørensen
Defender/Midfielder Mads Roerslev
Midfielder Mads Bidstrup
Midfielder/Forward Saman Ghoddos
Midfielder/Forward Yoane Wissa
Forward Marcus Forss
Forward Halil Dervişoğlu

On the bench:

Goalkeeper Karl Hein
Defender Héctor Bellerín
Defender Cédric Soares
Defender Rob Holding
Defender Nuno Tavares
Defender/Midfielder/Forward Bukayo Saka
Midfielder Mohamed El Neny
Midfielder Reiss Nelson
Midfielder/Forward Ainsley Maitland-Niles

Comments:

In this opening game of the 2021-22 season, Brentford became the 50th club to play in the Premier League. Their Community Stadium became the 60th ground to stage a Premier League game. Sergi Canós – along with Ivan Toney, one of the two of their 20 players involved in this game to have previously played in the Premier League – scored the Bees' first goal in the top division since Len Townsend in a 2-1 defeat at Sunderland’s Roker Park in League Division One on 24 May 1947. They became the first team to win their first-ever home game in the Premier League on the opening day of season since Hull City against Fulham in 2008.

Comments:

Following their promotion from League Division Two in 1914-15, this was the first game in Arsenal’s 96th consecutive season in the top division. The Gunners conceded a goal in the first-half for the first time in their last ten games in the Premier League. This was the first time that they had lost to a newly-promoted team in their opening game of a league season since 1976 against Bristol City in League Division One at Highbury.

2 Brentford

Manager: Thomas Frank

Goals:

Sergi Canós 22 G
Christian Norgaard 73 G

Starting lineup:

Goalkeeper David Raya
Defender Rico Henry
Defender Pontus Jansson
Defender Ethan Pinnock
Defender/Midfielder Kristoffer Ajer
Midfielder Vitaly Janelt
Midfielder Christian Norgaard
Midfielder Frank Onyeka
Midfielder/Forward Sergi Canós
Midfielder/Forward Bryan Mbeumo
Forward Ivan Toney

Substitutions:

Mads Bech Sørensen for Kristoffer Ajer 71
Mads Bidstrup for Frank Onyeka 80
Marcus Forss for Bryan Mbeumo 86

On the bench:

Goalkeeper Patrik Gunnarsson
Defender Charlie Goode
Defender/Midfielder Mads Bech Sørensen
Defender/Midfielder Mads Roerslev
Midfielder Mads Bidstrup
Midfielder/Forward Saman Ghoddos
Midfielder/Forward Yoane Wissa
Forward Marcus Forss
Forward Halil Dervişoğlu

Comments:

In this opening game of the 2021-22 season, Brentford became the 50th club to play in the Premier League. Their Community Stadium became the 60th ground to stage a Premier League game. Sergi Canós – along with Ivan Toney, one of the two of their 20 players involved in this game to have previously played in the Premier League – scored the Bees' first goal in the top division since Len Townsend in a 2-1 defeat at Sunderland’s Roker Park in League Division One on 24 May 1947. They became the first team to win their first-ever home game in the Premier League on the opening day of season since Hull City against Fulham in 2008.

0 Arsenal

Manager: Mikel Arteta

Goals:

Starting lineup:

Bernd Leno Goalkeeper
Pablo Marí Defender
Ben White Defender
Calum Chambers Defender/Midfielder
Kieran Tierney Defender/Midfielder
Granit Xhaka Defender/Midfielder
Albert Sambi Lokonga Midfielder
Emile Smith Rowe Midfielder
Nicolas Pépé Midfielder/Forward
Folarin Balogun Forward
Gabriel Martinelli Forward

Substitutions:

Bukayo Saka for Folarin Balogun 59
Reiss Nelson for Gabriel Martinelli 71
Nuno Tavares for Calum Chambers 82

On the bench:

Goalkeeper Karl Hein
Defender Héctor Bellerín
Defender Cédric Soares
Defender Rob Holding
Defender Nuno Tavares
Defender/Midfielder/Forward Bukayo Saka
Midfielder Mohamed El Neny
Midfielder Reiss Nelson
Midfielder/Forward Ainsley Maitland-Niles

Comments:

Following their promotion from League Division Two in 1914-15, this was the first game in Arsenal’s 96th consecutive season in the top division. The Gunners conceded a goal in the first-half for the first time in their last ten games in the Premier League. This was the first time that they had lost to a newly-promoted team in their opening game of a league season since 1976 against Bristol City in League Division One at Highbury.