Mikel Arteta expresses worry over additional injury problems following victory against Brentford

Arsenal maintained their Premier League title challenge with a solid 2-0 victory over Brentford, although Mikel Arteta expressed concerns about injury setbacks.

Goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka helped extend their unbeaten streak to 18 matches across all competitions, including an impressive eighth consecutive home win, widening their lead at the top to five points.

However, the Gunners faced challenges with their defense as both Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba were already sidelined due to injuries, and Cristhian Mosquera was forced to leave the match just before halftime.

Further complicating matters, Declan Rice, who gave another standout performance, had to exit the match late in the game due to an apparent calf issue.

After playing tough fixtures against Tottenham, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea in the past week, Arteta opted to rest Saka, Jurrien Timber, and Eberechi Eze during the game against Brentford.

With more injury issues looming ahead of their next clash with Aston Villa, Arteta criticized the Premier League fixture schedule.

“Rest, that’s quite a positive word to use – we had to make some changes,” he remarked.

“We had a very demanding week at every level. We were asked to play three days later, with one less recovery (day) than them.

“Obviously it’s never good news. Declan had to come off. We don’t know. We have to see tomorrow what he’s got.

“He can walk. He cannot play. The thing is, he’s played a lot of minutes but as well, now we played Wednesday night and we have to play Saturday morning as well.

“We can play minutes but if they can please give us just a little more time to recover and to make the welfare of these players a little bit easier, that would be great.”

Arteta's tactical changes paid off when fit-again Noni Madueke and underused Ben White linked up well down the right flank after just 11 minutes.

White, in his first Premier League match since the season opener, received Madueke's clever flick and delivered a cross that Merino headed home emphatically.

Brentford nearly equalized from a corner, with Gunners goalkeeper David Raya dramatically tipping a header from Kevin Schade onto the crossbar.

Saka, who came on as a substitute in the second half, solidified the win during stoppage time when his shot deflected off Bees keeper Caoimhin Kelleher and looped into the net.

This match marked Brentford’s fifth defeat in six away games, with manager Keith Andrews commenting: “Plans don’t always work out.

“We conceded an early goal and we should have done better with that. After that I felt they didn’t have too many clear-cut opportunities and we grew into the game and made it uncomfortable for them.”