Aaron Ramsdale was reduced to fist-pumps on the bench reacting to team-mate David Raya last weekend — but last night, a flurry of his quality saves spurred Arsenal to the Carabao Cup’s fourth round.
2023/2024 League Cup
0-1
Match Report
Mikel Arteta, as expected, rang out the changes, which included a start for Ramsdale. To the backdrop of ‘You’re just a s**t David Raya’ chants from behind the goal, the goalkeeper pulled out a sensational diving save on 66 minutes to deny Brenford’s Yoane Wissa.
The ball had been arrowing into the corner before his intervention. A fist-pump to those home supporters came out.
Minutes later, he parried away Frank Onyeka’s strike. It followed Reiss Nelson’s first-half strike after just eight minutes.
Emile Smith Rowe made his first start of the season — a 100th appearance for the club — while Charles Sagoe Jr was awarded his Arsenal debut.
The Gunners were in front after a catalogue of errors. Zanka, under pressure, blindly passed backwards into the path of Eddie Nketiah, who raced to the byline.
His cross went straight through Nathan Collins, who should’ve intercepted it, and Nelson coolly finished into the corner.
Wissa scuppered Brentford’s best chance of the first half, finding himself alone on the edge of the box from Christian Norgaard’s incisive low cross.
Wissa blasted it wide. He ought to have scored.
Smith Rowe showed glimpses of why fans have been calling for him to feature this campaign, dribbling past a couple of defenders before his shot was blocked by keeper Mark Flekken’s foot on the line.
Upon the restart, the Bees had improved. In fairness, they could not have been any flatter in the first period.
Yet in the second, they ignited. In the space of six minutes, three goalbound shots had been blocked away.
It was Wissa’s on 66 minutes that so nearly crept in, only for Ramsdale to deny it.
Nelson should have stuck a second before the end, firing wide from a Kai Havertz cross, but in the end, just the one was enough.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
8' GOAL! Brentford 0-1 Arsenal (Nelson)
22' CLOSE! Tomiyasu makes timely block
33' Smith Rowe misses a good chance!
55' Yellow Card! Nketiah booked
66' OFF THE POST!
72' CLOSE! Nelson’s shot wide out
79' What a save from Ramsdale!
86' Kiwior makes an important clearance
Line-ups
Brentford XI: Jorgensen, Christian Nørgaard, Mark Flekken, Yoane Wissa, Janelt, Ethan Pinnock, Mads Roerslev, Frank Onyeka, Bryan Mbeumo, Aaron Hickey, Nathan Collins
Subs: S. Ghoddos, Strakosha, Kristoffer Ajer, Mathias Jensen, Ellery Balcombe, Keane Lewis-Potter, Ethan Brierley, Yegor Yarmolyuk, Michael Olakigbe
Arsenal XI: Jorginho, Tomiyasu, Nelson, Gabriel, Havertz, Ramsdale, Ben White, Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Jakub Kiwior, Charles Sagoe Jr
Subs: Cedric, M.Elneny, Zinchenko, Martin Ødegaard, Jesus, Karl Hein, Amario Cozier-Duberry, James Sweet, Reuell Walters