Gunners made to toil by battling Brentford but Merino and Saka keep the leaders going

Hey Noni, Noni : Picture by @YTJourno

Premier League

Arsenal (1) 2 Merino 11, Saka 91

Brentford (0) 0

It was gritty rather than spectacular - but will do just fine as far as Arsenal are concerned. Successful seasons are built around games like these.

Brentford made it tough work but in the end, it was a case of another day, another Mikel Merino header - plus a Bukayo Saka coup de grace to complete the job.

Merino just loves this false nine role and his licence to drift in on the end of crosses. There is maybe a case to make for him being, along with Gabriel, one of the best exponents of the aerial ball in the league.

He only needed 11 minutes to drift into the six yard box and head firmly past Caoimhin Kelleher from Ben White's inviting byline chip. Noni Madueke - enjoying the experience of not being kicked to bits indiscriminately as he was by his old pals at Chelsea on Sunday - set up White on the overlap with a smart backheel.

Arsenal's control of proceedings was briefly threatened when Kevin Schade's header at a corner needed a brilliant instinctive hand from David Raya to push the ball onto the crossbar. It was a world-class reflex save.

White enjoyed his rare start and was busier going forward than he was sitting deep to protect the lead. He crashed a shot into the side-netting and laid off for Gabi Martinelli to blaze over after another slick move down the right side involving Madueke.

But of course injuries remain a primary concern these days and with the back four already disrupted by the loss of Gabriel and William Saliba, the last thing Mikel Arteta needed was another central defender to go lame. Just before the interval, Cristhian Mosquera landed awkwardly and the damage was sufficient to see Jurrien Timber replace him immediately.

Arteta kept back Saka and Eberechi Eze until the hour mark, with Keith Andrews doing the same with two of the players who were so instrumental in the weekend win against Burnley - Igor Thiago and Mikkel Damsgaard.

The game took on a more even shape, with the Bees enjoying good spells and managing to restrict the home side's attempts to grab that all-important cushion a second goal would provide.

Declan Rice forced Kelleher into a low save but the chances dried up - offering increasing encouragement to the Bees that they might take something from the game - especially when Rice had to go off with what looked like a calf strain for the final five minutes plus six minutes of injury time.

But Arsenal kicked on to seal the deal. Riccardo Calafiori almost wrapped it up but had a shot saved - with Saka scuffing the rebound straight back at the keeper. It didn't matter. Moments later, Saka made sure of the points with a check back around two defenders and shot that Kelleher got a hand to but could not prevent from going up past him and over the line.

There is little time to celebrate this important win for the Gunnners. Another huge test awaits in a lunchtime rendezvous with an in-form Aston Villa in the Midlands. There is just no let-up.

For the Bees, the record on the road is now one win and six defeats. And they are still without a win in these parts since April 1938. They return to north London on Saturday at Spurs.

Gunners: (4-3-3) Raya - White, Mosquera, Hincapie, Calafiori - Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice (Gyokeres 84) - Madueke (Saka 62), Merino, Martinelli (Eze 62)

Bees: (3-5-2) Kelleher - Ajer, van den Berg, Pinnock (Collins 74) - Kayode, Yarmoliuk, Janelt (Hendersen 61), Jensen (Damsgaard 61), Henry (Lewis-Potter 74) - Ouattara, Schade (Thiago 61)