In the match between Brentford vs Arsenal in the third round of the 2023/24 League Cup, young striker Reiss Nelson’s only goal helped the Gunners win 1-0, thereby gaining the right to enter the fourth round.
As a guest against Brentford, coach Mikel Arteta gave starting opportunities to many players who rarely played, such as Nelson, Smith-Rowe, Jorginho or Kiwior. Goalkeeper Ramsdale is also standing in the wooden goal after losing his starting position to Raya in the Premier League recently.
In the 8th minute, Arsenal opened the scoring from a fatal mistake in Brentford’s defense. Zanka carelessly passed back on the left wing, creating conditions for Nketiah to have the ball and then assist Nelson to easily score in the penalty area and hit the home goal.
The early goal gave Arsenal more confidence. However, there were not many dangerous opportunities created by the Gunners in the rest of the first half, also because Brentford resisted fiercely.
In the second half, the match was tense and as time passed, Brentford began to increase the pressure, forcing Arsenal to accept a deep defensive position in their own half. Many dangerous opportunities were created by the “Bees”, but the excellence of goalkeeper Ramsdale denied them.
In the 84th minute, Lewis-Potter shot hard in the penalty area to beat Ramsdale, but Kiwior retreated in time to clear the ball right on the goal line to save Arsenal a spectacular save. In the end, Arsenal defeated Brentford 1-0 to win a ticket to the fourth round of the League Cup.
In the next round, Arsenal will face West Ham at London Stadium. This weekend, the Gunners will return to the Premier League as a guest against Bournemouth.
Line up:
Brentford: Flekken; Roerslev (Ghoddos 63), Collins, Pinnock, Zanka (Ajer 82), Hickey (Olakigbe 77); Onyeka (Lewis-Potter 77), Norgaard (Jensen 63), Janelt; Mbeumo, Wiss.
Arsenal: Ramsdale; White (Zinchenko 69), Tomiyasu, Gabriel, Kiwior; Smith Rowe (Odegaard 82), Jorginho, Havertz; Sagoe Jr (Jesus 69), Nketiah (Soares, 87), Nelson (Elneny 82).